Broccolis for the cool season: ‘Belstar’, ‘Marathon’, ‘Di Cicco’, ‘Premium Crop’, ‘Purple Sprouting’, broccolini-type ‘Mini Happy Rich’ and baby ‘Burgundy’. Transplant September through January; harvest all winter.
Broccoli is one of the great successes of the low-desert winter garden. Transplanted from September on, it grows steadily through our mild winter without the pests and heat that trouble it elsewhere, and heads from December through March. Cut the main head and most varieties keep producing side shoots for weeks. Spring-planted broccoli, by contrast, bolts to yellow flowers within days of the first warm week — so it is strictly a fall-planted crop here.
We commonly carry seven kinds: heading types ‘Belstar’, ‘Marathon’, ‘Premium Crop’ and the heirloom ‘Di Cicco’, plus ‘Purple Sprouting’, broccolini-style ‘Mini Happy Rich’ and baby ‘Burgundy’. The rest of the edible benches are on our Herbs & Vegetables page.
These are the broccoli varieties we commonly carry. Availability changes week to week and season to season, so call (480) 987-3308 or stop in to see what’s on the bench today.
one big head, then side shoots
A heat-tolerant hybrid with tight blue-green heads and good side-shoot production — the most forgiving choice for an early September planting.
A late, cold-tolerant hybrid with large domed heads, best for October and November plantings that head in January and February.
A dependable mid-season hybrid with large, uniform heads about 60 days from transplant.
An Italian heirloom that makes a modest central head and then a long succession of side shoots — better for cutting a meal at a time than for one big harvest.
many small heads over a long season
An overwintering type with dozens of small purple florets from late winter into spring instead of one head. Sweet, tender, and beautiful in the bed. Plant in September or October.
A broccolini-style hybrid producing slender, tender stems with small heads over many weeks. Harvest the stems whole.
A purple baby broccoli with tender stems and florets, cut repeatedly from December through March.
Looking for one that isn’t listed? Ask — we can usually suggest a close match or tell you when it tends to come around.
The care tag was written somewhere else. This is the Queen Creek version.
Set out transplants from mid-September through January. September plantings need afternoon shade cloth and daily water for the first two weeks; October and November are the easiest months. Late-January plantings head in March and must be harvested before April heat bolts them. Do not plant broccoli in spring here.
Rich, well-drained soil with plenty of compost and a balanced organic fertilizer at planting — broccoli is a heavy feeder. Space heading types 18 inches apart, sprouting types 24. Firm the soil around the stem; plant slightly deeper than the pot.
Cut the central head while the buds are tight and dark, with five or six inches of stem, before any yellow shows — a head goes from perfect to flowering in a few warm days. Leave the plant; side shoots follow for weeks. Sprouting and baby types are cut a handful at a time as the small heads reach size.
Full sun all winter. Shade cloth only for the first weeks of a September planting while afternoons are still above 100°F. Broccoli in shade makes small, loose heads.
Even moisture: every two to three days in fall and spring, every four to five in winter, on drip with mulch. Drought stress produces small, bitter, early heads. Side-dress with a nitrogen-rich organic fertilizer three weeks after planting and again when heads begin to form.
Cabbage loopers and cabbage worms chew holes from the day you plant; cover with floating row cover, or spray Bt every week or two. Aphids cluster in the heads in warm spells — hose them out or soak the cut head in salt water. Harlequin bugs in a warm fall; hand-pick. Broccoli is non-toxic to pets.
Photo of the bed, how much sun it gets and what you want to eat — we’ll match varieties and planting dates to it. Advice is free.
We stock raised-bed and vegetable planting mix, compost and steer manure by the bag or the yard, organic vegetable fertilizers, tomato cages and stakes, shade cloth for the May-to-September stretch, frost cloth for January, and drip fittings. The pottery yard has half-barrels and 15-gallon pots for patio vegetables, and soil and mulch is sold by the bag or by the yard.
Mid-September through January. October and November are ideal. Spring planting fails — it bolts in the first warm week.
Heat or stress. It was planted too late in spring, dried out, or hit a warm spell. Plant in fall, keep the water even, and harvest heads while the buds are tight.
Cabbage loopers or cabbage worms — green caterpillars from white butterflies. Row cover from planting, or Bt (a bacterial spray safe for edibles) every week or two.
Every two to three days in fall and spring, every four to five in winter, with mulch. Even moisture gives the best heads.
Yes. Most varieties send out side shoots for several weeks. Sprouting and baby types never make one big head — you harvest small heads continuously.
Soak the cut head in cold salted water for fifteen minutes; they float out. In the garden, hose the plants hard every few days.
Broccoli live on the herb and vegetable benches; any staff member can point you to them. Locally owned, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.