Broccoli, the green cruciferous vegetable, is known for its immense health benefits and distinct taste. Whether you want to add the green veggie to your healthy salad bowl or make your bowl of Italian pasta healthier, broccoli makes every dish more flavourful and nutritious.
While it is traditionally grown in countries with a colder climate, you can also get a healthy harvest of broccoli in an Indian home garden. All you need to do is follow the right tips and techniques and you can get a fresh and the healthiest produce of broccoli right in your backyard. So, read the following tips and get ready to reap the benefits of home-grown broccoli.
Prepare The Soil
To ensure that broccoli gets all the essential nutrients, you need to prepare the soil before sowing the seeds of the vegetable. Use well-draining soil and add organic matter to make it more fertile. Also, maintain the pH slightly acidic, i.e., between 6.0 and 7.5. Once you have fulfilled the requirements, loosen the soil up to 10-15 inches, which will help the roots grow properly while avoiding waterlogging.
Planting Techniques
Broccoli thrives in a colder climate. So, the onset of the autumn season is the perfect time to sow the seeds of broccoli. If you are planting the vegetable in the summer season, you can get a large pot and plant it inside to ensure that the early stages of the plant do not face extreme hot weather conditions.
Watering And Fertilisation
Once you have planted the seeds, the next important step is to ensure that you are watering and adding fertilisers regularly. Maintaining the moisture content of the soil is important to ensure a high yield and larger heads of your home-grown broccoli. That being said, don’t overwater; instead, add mulch, which helps retain moisture. Furthermore, add a balanced NPK fertiliser every 3-4 weeks, especially during the initial stages of growth.
Protecting The Vegetable
Fruits and vegetables are more prone to attract pests and insects. To protect your efforts of growing a healthy vegetable, you can spray organic pesticides like neem oil to keep the pests and insects away. Also, make sure to regularly check on your plant, and if you spot any discolouration or abnormal growth, you can rectify the disease or infection immediately.
Harvesting
Knowing when to harvest is equally important as preparing the soil. Since broccoli can get bitter and also lose its nutritional value if not harvested at the right time, you need to monitor their colour. After approximately 60-90 days of sowing, the broccoli will be ready to be harvested. Simultaneously, you can keep an eye on the colour, and once the broccoli gets it rich green colour, you can harvest and store it.