Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
Botanical Name
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
Hardiness
Annual
Height
2 to 3 feet
Width
2 to 3 feet
Flowers
Early to mid summer: yellow
Light
Full sun
Soil
Moist, well-drained
Planting and Care
Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. Transplant when plants are 4-6 weeks old and have 4-5 sets of true leaves. Space plants 12 to 20 inches apart. Mulch soil to conserve moisture. Use floating row covers to protect young plants from pests.
Harvesting
Check broccoli every few days once the flower buds (the part we eat) form. They quickly go from quarter size to harvest size. Harvest when the head is full size, but before the yellow flowers appear. It is still edible, just not as tasty. Cut the stem 6 to 7 inches below the flower. Leave side shoots that will develop into smaller heads for later harvest.
Problems
Aphids, cabbage worms, flea beetle, slugs, cutworms, cabbage root maggo, clubroot
Varieties to Consider
'Green Comet' - heat tolerant
'Green Goliath' - tolerant of heat and cold, spring or summer planting
'Green Goliath' - tolerant of heat and cold, spring or summer planting
Cynara scolymus
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
Brassica rapa 
I have tried growing broccoli for several years. The plants look fine but the flavor is bitter.
The lower leaves of my broccoli plants turn yellow. I have had to grow the plants in the same location for several years. Could this be cabbage yellows?
Phaseolus vulgaris
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
Daucus carota var. sativus
What can be done to keep bugs and worms from attacking root vegetables?
Zea mays
Allium sativum
Can you tell me some names of tomato varieties that are more "low acid" than others?
Capsicum annuum
I just moved to a new house in Chicago area and want to plant a vegetable garden. Is June too late to plant and still get something to harvest before the fall frost?
My daughter and I just tilled a new garden and are very much new to this. The garden is 34x34 and is in the open with all sun exposure. My question is which direction is best for rows if there is one?
I live in zone 5 and am anxious to get a jump start on the season. I wanted to start my vegetables from seed this year. How soon do I begin?
Phaseolus vulgaris
I planted potatoes in my mulch pile. They took off like weeds. I left them alone to do their thing. As the mulch pile broke down, I noticed a potato showing and promptly mounded up more mulch on top of them. I kept my eye on them and mounded the pile up once more. When I dug the potatoes up, the once exposed potato was somewhat green on the topside. The others looked pretty good. After harvesting I left them in the sun in a plastic milk crate on my picnic table for a couple days to let the skin dry a little. When I went to check them, they all turned green. I have never had this happen in the past out of the garden. Is something different, because they were in the mulch pile? Can I eat them? Will they turn brown at all? Do I need to toss them out?
Raphanus sativus
Rheum x cultorum
Spinacia oleracea
Beta vulgaris subspecies circla
