Broccoli
Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. Fresh ones cannot be stored for too long, but I found a way and I simply freeze some of the autumn crops. This treatment does not deprive vegetables of their taste and nutritional value. In winter and early spring, I can prepare deliciousand he althy dishes from them.
Broccoli 'Caesar'My favorite variety is 'Caesar', which grows very well on every plot. I plant the broccoli seedlings for the September-October harvest from the end of June to mid-July. I usually place 4-5 seedlings on 1 m². I have found out that these plants cannot stand drought and heat, so from the moment of planting I make sure that they have a moist substrate.
Broccoli can't stand droughtI noticed that the lack of water and high temperatures cause plants to grow badly and florets to develop poorly. They are usually small and brown in color instead of juicy green. In addition, the part of the shoot that we also eat becomes woody, stringy and unpalatable. It happens that in hot weather the florets grow over leaves and sprout inflorescence shoots. It is for these reasons that I do not plant broccoli sooner and do not harvest them in the summer. The quality of vegetables harvested in autumn, when we already have lower temperatures and higher air humidity, is incomparably better.
Harvesting broccoliI start harvesting broccoli when the heads are well formed and reach about 12-18 cm in diameter. This usually takes place in the second half of September. Then I cut out the compact, hard main rose, but leave the plant in the ground. I do this because small florets grow from the shoot in the leaf axils before winter, which are as tasty and valuable as the main one.I use these "wild" flowers for soups, while I make salads and pickles from large heads. To keep the vegetables green when cooking, I always add a teaspoon of sugar and a few drops of lemon juice to the water.
Dorota Szywała
RECIPE FOR THE GARDEN
Fertilizing broccoliBroccoli needs a lot of nitrogen to grow properly, so you should sprinkle calcium ammonium nitrate on the beds before planting. The next feeding should be carried out 2 and 4-5 weeks after planting. During the growing season, it is worth enriching the cultivation with multi-component mineral fertilizers.
