| Broccoli is a cool season plant that's generally started from seed indoors and planted into the garden a couple of weeks before the last frost date, which is around the end of April in your area. At this point, you'll need to buy starter plants because it's too late to start them from seed indoors. Begin to harden off your plants by setting them outside for an increasing amount of time each day. After a week or so of this treatment, your plants should be acclimated to the outdoors and ready to be planted. Choose a site in full sun, prepare the soil, and set the transplants about 1 inch deeper in the ground than they were growing in the containers. Spread mulch around the base of the plants to help keep the soil moist. When the central head is about 1" across, spread some compost or rotted manure at the base of the plants to supply some nutrients. Many types of broccoli send out sideshoots after the central head is cut, so don't pull up the plants until these smaller heads have been harvested. |
