In well-prepared and moisture-saturated soil, broccoli is planted at various spacing distances depending on the habitus of the cultivar.
Crop Rotation for Broccoli
Due to diseases and pests shared with other crops from the cabbage family, broccoli should not be grown in rotation with those crops for at least 3-4 years.
Spring broccoli, due to its short growing season, allows for the subsequent cultivation of crops such as snap beans, beets, or leeks. For autumn broccoli, preceding crops can be lettuce, peas, early potatoes, or spinach. Broccoli can also be grown as an intercrop between rows of tomatoes, lettuce, snap beans, or dry beans because its upright growth does not take up much space and it matures later than the mentioned crops.
Planting Broccoli
Less vigorous cultivars are usually planted at a spacing of 50 x 50 cm, achieving a density of 4 plants/m², while more vigorous cultivars are planted with row spacing of 60-80 cm and within-row spacing of 40-70 cm.
The planting time depends on the type of cultivar being grown, and the possible planting dates are listed in the following table.
| Cultivar | Sowing Month/Week | Planting Month/Week | Harvest Month/Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continental Area | |||
| Early | 2/3 – 3/1 | 3/4 – 4/1 | 5/3 – 6/2 |
| Autumn | 5/2 – 6/2 | 6/2 – 7/2 | 9/1 – 11/2 |
| Mediterranean Area | |||
| Autumn | 6/3 – 7/2 | 7/3 – 8/2 | 9/4 – 12/4 |
| Winter | 7/3 – 8/2 | 8/3 – 9/2 | 1/1 – 4/4 |
This table outlines the sowing, planting, and harvest times for different broccoli cultivars in continental and Mediterranean areas.
