When And How To Harvest Broccoli Heads And Stems For The Best Crops

Broccoli is a low-maintenance, easy vegetable to grow. It just needs full sun, good soil, and plenty of water. The only tricky part of growing broccoli is that it can bolt (flower) when temperatures get hot. To get around this, grow broccoli in the spring and fall.

You can also optimize your harvest by choosing the right type and variety of broccoli. Some broccoli varieties are more heat tolerant, and others grow quickly, so you can fit them into a short shoulder season. Regardless of the type you choose, understanding broccoli harvest time and how to harvest it is essential for getting a healthy crop.

When to Harvest Broccoli

The harvest time for broccoli depends on several factors, mostly the type and variety but also your local conditions. In many locations, broccoli is harvested in late June or September and October.

Maturity time varies for broccoli types and varieties and can be anywhere from 50 to 90 days. Check the official maturity time for what you planted. Use that as a guideline, but more importantly, watch for signs it’s ready to harvest:

• The main, central head is four to eight inches (10 to 20 cm) across. This, of course, varies by type.
• The individual flower buds look plump and are dark green in color.
• The flower buds on the edge of the head are about the size of a match head.
• If you see any yellow on the head, harvest immediately. This indicates the flowers have started to open, and you have waited a little too long.

After you harvest the main head, look below the cut for the formation of side shoots. These will develop into smaller heads that you can harvest broccoli plant side shoots when they’re ready and they are just as tasty as the head of broccoli.

There are a few main types of broccoli with varying harvest times, although most fall along a similar timeline:

• Sprouting or Calabrese - Calabrese broccoli is the standard “head” type of broccoli with maturity times between 50 and 90 days.
• Chinese - Chinese broccoli has larger leaves and thick stems. The flavor can be bitter, but these types have short maturity times, between 40 and 50 days.
• Broccoli Rabe - Broccoli rabe forms small heads and edible leaves. It has a very short maturity time of 28 to 40 days.
• Romanesco -Romanesco broccoli, with its conical heads, has the longest maturity time, around 100 days.

How to Harvest Broccoli Crops

When you’re ready to harvest broccoli, use a sharp knife to cut the stalk about five inches (12.7 cm) below the head. Make the cut clean to increase your chances of harvesting additional heads from the plant.

You can also eat broccoli leaves, just be sure not to harvest too many. They are responsible for producing the energy the plant needs to grow. Take only a few at a time from each plant and no more than once a week. Once you have finished harvesting the main broccoli head, you can remove more leaves, but keep in mind that it may reduce the number of side shoots you get.

If you want to harvest and save seeds for next year, let one or two plants flower and develop seed pods. Once the seed pods have appeared, cut the plant and hang it to dry for a couple of weeks. Remove and crush the dried pods to separate out the seeds. Save them in a cool, dry place. Keep in mind that seeds may not grow true because broccoli reproduces by cross-pollination.

How Long You Can Harvest Broccoli

Even after you’ve harvested the main head, your broccoli plant should still be productive. Look for side shoots where smaller heads develop below where you removed the main head. These won’t be as large, but they do extend the harvest for a couple of weeks.

Some varieties of broccoli were developed to extend the harvest by several weeks by producing numerous side shoots. One example of this is ‘Italian Sprouting.’ Stop harvesting broccoli plants when you no longer get side shoots, if a frost or freeze damages the plants, or if the broccoli is bolting.

Frequently Asked Questions

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