Experienced organic gardeners bring diversity and balance to the garden with the age-old wisdom of companion planting, a time-tested method of close planting specific species based on their propensity to enhance each other’s growth and quality. Companion planting can help you grow a thriving crop of delicious, healthy broccoli.
Companion plants offer shade or shelter, conserve moisture, control weeds, enrich flavor, or provide some form of disease or insect protection. Companion plants, with differing nutritional needs, also work harmoniously to balance nutrient levels in the soil.
When choosing plants for companion planting, consider selecting non-competitive plants with differing nutritional needs and growth habits. Companion planting is an especially important gardening technique when trying to use space efficiently in a small garden.
Best Companion Plants For Broccoli
为了获得最佳风味,在芹菜、洋葱、大蒜、青葱、韭菜和土豆附近种植西兰花。和花椰菜一起种植的还有甜菜、灌木豆、莳萝、生菜、菠菜、大黄、黄瓜、唐莴苣和萝卜。
Fragrant culinary herbs such as lemon balm, lemon grass, thyme, sage, horehound, hyssop, basil, rosemary, tansy, oregano, chamomile, and mint help repel insect pests (e.g. harlequin bugs, cabbage worms, cabbage loppers, and cabbage maggots) that can quickly devastate a broccoli crop.
Nasturtiums, marigolds, snapdragons, and cosmos emit a scent that is repulsive to many garden pests including cabbage worms, whiteflies, flea beetles, cabbage root maggots, and aphids. These colorful blooming plants help keep the garden free of insects without the use of noxious chemical insecticides while adding color, scent, and visual interest to the homestead garden plot.
Unfriendly Neighbors For Broccoli
西兰花是所有蔬菜中最有营养的一种,和它的大多数邻居都相处得很好:当种植在西兰花附近时,更多的植物物种茁壮成长,而不是失败。西兰花唯一的问题是如何与自己的家人相处,尤其是在贫瘠的土壤条件下。
西兰花是一个重的饲料,喜欢肥沃,排水良好,肥沃的土壤。然而,西兰花并不挑剔,在富含提高肥力的沙质或粘土土壤中生长良好。Other members of the cruciferous plant family Brassica (Brassica oleracea), which includes cabbage,cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts, compete for the same nutrients as broccoli. Planting them together with broccoli results in nutritional deficiencies in the soil.
Competing members of the Brassica family will fight to the death for nutrients. Unless continually supplemented with well-aged herbivore manures (e.g. sheep, goat, cow, or horse), few soils contain enough essential nutrients to grow broccoli alongside other members of the Brassica plant family.
南瓜、西葫芦、甜玉米、西瓜、草莓、扁豆、青豆、菜豆和芦笋也是很重的饲料,它们需要营养丰富的土壤:特别是钙的需求量很大。不要把花椰菜种植在这些园艺主食旁边,因为它们和花椰菜争夺同样的营养。当葡萄和芥菜种植在西兰花旁边时,也会对西兰花的生长产生负面影响。
当花椰菜种植在茄科植物,如西红柿、辣椒和茄子附近时,花椰菜就长不好。
Preparing The Soil For Broccoli
Broccoli grows best in a full-sun, although it will do well in partial shade. Choose a well-drained location with fertile soil with a pH of 6.0-7.0, a pH level that discourages clubfoot disease.
Testing kits for soil pH levels are available online or from local home and garden stores, or you may take a soil sample to your local county extension office for testing. Amend soil as recommended. When soil is low in boron, broccoli can develop hollow stems. Amend if the soil test indicates a deficiency in the mineral.
因为西兰花是很重的饲料,当土壤中添加大量的富氮肥料、棉籽粕或花园堆肥时,西兰花的生长和风味都会得到改善。在种植花椰菜幼苗之前,将土壤打开至少一英尺深,清除岩石、根茎、杂草和杂物。处理粪肥,添加大量的泥炭苔藓来帮助保持水分。
Tips For Growing Broccoli
Available in a diverse array of colors including white, green and purple, broccoli iseasy to growwith minimal attention. My favorite broccoli varieties include Arcadia, Captain, Di Cicco, Emerald Pride, Everest, Gypsy, Packman, and Windsor.
- 在最后一次霜冻前4-6周在室内的种子盘中种植。播种深度约为1/8英寸,将盆栽土、泥炭苔藓和花园沙子混合。保持盆栽土壤均匀湿润,但不要浸湿。如果让秧苗变干,秧苗就会脱壳而不能食用。
- Broccoli seeds need lots of light for best germination. Place potting trays in a bright and sunny location or provide supplement lighting.
- 如果将种子播种在户外,西兰花可以在华氏40度或以上的低温土壤中发芽。对于春季种植,经验丰富的园丁建议在最后霜冻日期前三周播种或定植。对于冬季作物,种子或定子移植在夏末。
- In about six weeks, when seedlings are sturdy enough to transplant, transfer to the garden, planting broccoli plants approximately 18 inches apart. Space rows 18-24 inches apart.
- Mulch broccoli plants with a four inch layer of straw ordried grass clippingsor ground leaves to conserve moisture. Broccoli demands consistent moisture to produce solid, flavorful heads.
- Keep a watchful eye out for white cabbage butterflies and promptly remove eggs and caterpillars.
- Once established, broccoli requires 1.5-2 inches of water per week: supplement if rainfall is inadequate
- Disease problems you might encounter when growing broccoli include clubfoot, black leg and black rot. Consult with the experts at yourlocal county extension officefor more information on organic pest management.
For optimum growth and flavor, broccoli requires a large amount of calcium. Successful broccoli growers suggest supplementing soil with regular applications of bone meal or other calcium-rich organic garden supplements, so that the soil contains plenty of calcium throughout the growing season. Apply approximately one pound of blood meal when seedlings are 8-10 inches tall and again every 3-4 weeks as the growing season progresses.
Broccoli has some frost tolerance and grows well in United States Plant Hardiness Zones 3 through 9. Being a cool-season vegetable, broccoli matures in less than eight weeks. Broccoli grows best at temperatures from 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.
当它作为春季作物种植时,就可以收获,并清除植被为秋季作物腾出空间。在第7区到第9区,西兰花被作为冬季作物栽培。当温度超过75华氏度时,西兰花就不好了。
During mid to late summer, it is difficult to grow quality broccoli, due to the adverse effects of low soil moisture together with higher soil temperatures. If you wish to try to grow broccoli in the summer, access to irrigation is essential.
Harvesting Broccoli
当微小的头状花序开始在植物的中心形成时,每天观察它的生长。在花蕾紧紧合拢的时候收割。如果允许发育黄色花瓣,花蕾膨胀,有粉状的质地和减少的味道。
To harvest, cut flower heads with a sharp knife. To reap a second harvest, allow the plant to continue to grow after the first cutting of the main flower head. Additional shoots or smaller flower heads will develop at the axis of the leaves. Many gardeners report the second harvest of small immature flower heads is sweeter and florets more tender than the first cutting.
Broccoli is at its peak when consumed fresh from the garden. For short-term storage (3-5 days), mist unwashed heads and wrap in a damp paper towel for storage in the refrigerator crisper.
准备使用时,在一个大碗中加入四分之一杯白醋,用温水清洗西兰花。浸泡10-15分钟,去除泥土和碎屑,杀死可能隐藏在紧密排列的小花中的任何害虫。取出,用冷水冲洗,然后用纸巾彻底擦干。
Do not store broccoli in a plastic bag or sealed container. Broccoli requires fresh air to retain flavor and texture. Stored improperly, broccoli can go from crisp and flavorful to limp and bland in just a day or two.
Broccoli can be frozen, canned or dehydrated for winter storage.
References:
Broccoli Production, Penn State Extension Service
Gardening Solutions, University Of Florida
Broccoli, National Gardening Association
Revital Mitchellsays
Great article! I now have to go and rearrange my garden….Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Tal
stormysays
Hi there Kane and Marlene! I pack the beds full of plants. Can’t waste space for sure. I waste one bed with other brassicas to include salad stuff. This is a great trap crop for Cabbage worm and flea beetles. I also cover my brassica cash crops with row cloth during the time the momma moth is laying eggs in the soil. Also works with many other short term insect problems. I always cover plants, especially the brassicas with row cloth and bury the edges so flying insects to include the cabbage worm moth and flies are unable to lay their eggs. The trap crop keeps them very happy and I never lose leafy vegies to cabbage worm or flea beetles so always a very prolific crop as well. I really don’t care what to plant with what that might or might not ‘help’ another plant. Actually the ‘trap’ crop is a far better example of smart planting and pairing. The most critical thing of all is rotation. Companion planting only exacerbates remembering what was planted where. The bed above with the onions and baby broccoli? Had better not have any of the brassicas planted in that soil for at least 2 seasons. Solanaceae family is the same way. Tomatoes, potatoes, egg plant and peppers can not be planted in the same soil for at least 2 seasons. Big time rule for gardeners. When you discover stuff like tomato blight, you’ll understand. Never have seen any results from marigolds for instance helping any plant with insect pests. I have seen that flowering annuals attract pollinators in a big time and these days that is as effective as owning your own bee hives. Also, leave the wasps alone. They are our fall back when bees are scarce. Rotation is the name of the game in deciding what plant to plant where. Well, planting like need plants with similar need plants. I recommend making a record of what you planted and where. Also know the pH of your soil. Some plants (potatoes, blueberries) have to have acidic soil, min. 6.0. Others do better neutral and others do better alkaline. Chemicals (nutrients) are not able to be used for some plants at improper pH no matter that that chemical is right there in the soil. I have to add because I am amazed that fertilizer has somehow got lumped in with pesticides? That fertilizer is somehow not needed, somehow deleterious to your soils and compost is being used for fertilizer? A balanced fertilizer? Very very bad myth. Don’t fall for it. An organic nitrogen atom is the same as a synthetic nitrogen atom. Filler material? Another story. Plants need fertilizer just as much as water, light and drainage. Period.
stormysays
我必须补充肥料是园艺的一个重要组成部分,它需要阅读、研究、计划和理解。如果太少的话,植物就会很容易受到昆虫和疾病的侵害,产量就不会像植物那样旺盛。对植物来说,只要多一点点就会真正地死亡。但是想象“黑暗”的地球为植物和它们的化学需求做好了准备,会让你失望。我说的是“化学物质”而不是营养物质。营养对人类来说就是“食物”。这根本不是什么肥料,什么是堆肥,什么是地膜,什么是鱼乳剂,什么是血粉?不不是食物。植物通过光合作用制造自己的食物。他们自己的能量来源。 The process of photosynthesis needs balanced fertilizer, animal poop, ‘forest’ soil will just not work! Good for soil organisms and tilth but make no mistake this stuff is not fertilizer. Needs to be accounted for before adding a balanced fertilizer because a little too much nitrogen (that sheep manure you just added that everyone says you can add while not decomposed has nitrogen in it, it is ‘hot’). Meanwhile, by adding a balanced fertilizer…say 4 – 6- 5 which is a great percentage of N to P and K for flowering and producing fruit (reproductive growth) you just might have pushed Nitrogen higher than the P and K causing just vegetative growth, little reproductive growth. Depending on the amount, the condition decomposed or freshly pooped the amount of chemicals you are adding becomes an unknown. Chemicals, not nutrients. Just a little too much, in conjunction with other unknowns like pH, water, heat, drainage…will most certainly kill a plant very quickly. Gardening is complicated in a wonderful sort of way. Best to have as much knowledge as you can garner and even more humility. Skepticism is excellent!