How to Grow Broccoli UK

On this page
  1. Broccoli (Calabrese) (Brassica oleracea Italica Group)
  2. Regional Planting Calendar
  3. Quick Facts
  4. At a Glance
  5. Soil & Growing Conditions
  6. Growth Stages
  7. Harvest & Storage
  8. Diseases
  9. Pests
  10. Nutrient Issues
  11. Companion Planting
  12. Broccoli Through the Season
  13. Plan your Broccoli planting
  14. Growing Broccoli (Calabrese) in another region
  15. References
  16. Frequently Asked Questions

In the UK, broccoli goes in the ground early April to late June, and is ready to harvest 50–90 days after planting out.

Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: there are 4 separate regional sowing windows, ranging from early April in Southern England to mid April in Scotland.

The short answer

Plant
Early April to late June
Ready in
50–90 days after planting out
Site
soil pH 6.8–7.5
Biggest risk
White blister

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Broccoli (Calabrese) (Brassica oleracea Italica Group)

Calabrese broccoli head forming at the centre of the plant among broad blue-green leaves. Photo: Fungus Guy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

12 sources cited · Verified

Regional Planting Calendar

Region Sow
Southern England early April to late June
Midlands derived early April to late June
Northern England mid April to late June
Scotland mid April to late June

Rows marked derived are interpolated between regions our sources do state, because no source we consulted gives a figure for that region specifically. They are deliberately wider to reflect that uncertainty.

Southern England - detail & sources

RHS: sow calabrese outdoors from April to June (or under cover March-April, but it does not transplant well in warm weather and is best direct-sown after April). Southern England has the UK's earliest soil-warming per Met Office, so the earliest end of this window applies here.

Midlands - detail & sources

DERIVED: interpolated about a week later than southern England for the earliest sowing, following RHS's April-June sowing method and the Met Office's documented south-to-north soil-warming gradient.

Northern England - detail & sources

RHS: sow calabrese outdoors from April to June. Met Office notes soil-warming and last-frost dates extend later further north, so a slightly later start within the RHS window applies here.

Scotland - detail & sources

RHS: sow calabrese outdoors from April to June. Scotland gets the UK's latest soil-warming per Met Office, so a slightly later start within the RHS window applies here.

A page from the UK Vegetable Garden Planner PDF: the crop rotation planner, with a planning grid and four-bed rotation tips

Plan your broccoli — and the rest of the plot

This page covers broccoli. For every crop's sowing months on one chart, use the free UK vegetable planting calendar, and browse the UK vegetable growing guides for what else to grow alongside it. When you want the whole season on paper, the UK Vegetable Garden Planner is a printable PDF:

  • Twelve month-by-month sowing and harvest spreads
  • Raised bed, allotment and container layout pages for your own plot
  • A four-year crop rotation planner
  • Seed inventory, sowing log and harvest tracker
See inside the UK Vegetable Garden Planner →

80 printable pages · instant PDF download · reprint every season

Quick Facts

Factor Value
Soil pH 6.8 - 7.5
Optimal growing temp 15-24°C
Minimum survivable temp -5°C
Time to harvest 50-90 days after planting out
Drainage RHS: firm, fertile, well-drained soil in full sun.
Lifecycle Annual.
Edible parts flower heads, stems

At a Glance

Brassica oleracea Itali… Broccoli (Calabrese) White blister Club root Damping-off (seedling c… Alternaria leaf blight Downy mildew (general) Black rot of brassicas Cabbage caterpillars Slugs Flea beetles Mealy cabbage aphid Cabbage root fly (US: c… Harlequin bug Imported cabbageworm Cabbage looper Cabbage webworm Cross-striped cabbagewo… Diamondback moth caterp… DISEASES PESTS

Soil & Growing Conditions

A small broccoli head forming at the centre of a young plant surrounded by large leaves — “Brassica oleracea var. italica (2276097250)” by Dinesh Valke is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Brassica oleracea var. italica (2276097250)” by Dinesh Valke is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Soil pH range

6.8 7.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Stage BBCH Notes
Germination & seedling 0 Calabrese is raised from seed sown about 1–2cm deep, either in modules/pots or in situ where it is to grow — RHS notes calabrese resents root disturbance, so many gardeners sow direct or transplant while plants are still small. Seed germinates within about a week in warm soil (Clemson HGIC). Grow on to roughly 4–6 true leaves before planting out, and harden off module-raised plants first.
Vegetative growth (transplanting & leafing) 3 Plant or thin to about 30–45cm apart each way (RHS) — roughly 18in between plants (Clemson HGIC) — into firm, fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Firm planting matters: loose soil gives poor, loose heads. Water in well, keep weed-free, feed with nitrogen for strong leafy growth, and net or fleece against pigeons and cabbage white caterpillars.
Head formation (curd/heading) 4 The central growing point forms a single domed head of tightly packed green flower buds. Steady, even moisture is critical now: RHS and Clemson HGIC both note that heat or water stress causes small heads, premature "buttoning", or bolting straight to flower. Keep plants consistently moist and mulch to hold soil moisture.
Harvest & side-shoots 8 Cut the main head while the buds are still tight and closed, before any yellow shows, when it is about 10–15cm across (RHS) — usually 50–90 days after sowing. Leave the plant in place: most calabrese varieties then produce smaller side-shoots from the leaf axils that crop for several more weeks.

Harvest & Storage

Freshly harvested broccoli head cut with a length of stem — “Broccoli crown from San Francisco farmers market” by HaJunkiyada is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Broccoli crown from San Francisco farmers market” by HaJunkiyada is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

When to pick: Cut the main head when 10-15cm across, well formed but still in bud, before flowers begin to open; side-shoots then produce further smaller heads for several weeks

Diseases

White blister

Albugo candida

RHS calabrese guide names white blister among named problems.

Plasmodiophora brassicae

Damping-off (seedling collapse)
medium

Rhizoctonia solani

Damping-off (seedling collapse at soil line); Wilting with chlorotic, dropping leaves

Seed that rots before emergence, or seedlings collapsing at the soil line. A transplant-raising problem more than a bed problem: use fresh commercial mix, containers cleaned with a 10% bleach solution, and…

Alternaria leaf blight
medium

Alternaria dauci

Brown circular spots with concentric target rings, and small dark stem lesions on seedlings. Active between 60 and 90°F in moist conditions and overwinters on crop residue, so clearing the bed at season end plus a…

Downy mildew (general)
medium

Grey mould on the underside of the leaf with yellowing, later browning, on the upper surface directly above it. A moisture problem rather than a heat one: space widely so leaves dry, and water at soil level.

Black rot of brassicas
high

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris

Yellow V-shaped lesions cutting in from the leaf margin, with the point of the V aimed at a vein; the veins blacken and the rot can reach the stem. Seed- and transplant-borne, so it usually arrives on bought plants…

Pests

Cabbage caterpillars

Pieris brassicae; Pieris rapae; Pieris napi; Mamestra brassicae; Plutella xylostella

Slugs

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Flea beetles

Chrysomelidae: Alticini (various spp.)

RHS calabrese guide names flea beetles on brassicas among named pests.

Mealy cabbage aphid

Brevicoryne brassicae

RHS calabrese guide names mealy cabbage aphid among named pests.

Cabbage root fly (US: cabbage maggot)

Delia radicum

RHS calabrese guide names cabbage root fly among named pests.

Harlequin bug
medium

Murgantia histrionica

A shield bug with a striking reddish-orange and black pattern; the eggs look like tiny black-and-white striped barrels laid in rows, which makes them easy to find and destroy. Piercing-sucking feeding leaves distinct…

Imported cabbageworm
medium

Pieris rapae

About an inch long and recognisable by its fuzzy appearance; Clemson rates it at about two-thirds the damage of a looper. It pupates in a chrysalis on the host plant, so it can be removed with the plant.

Cabbage looper
high

Trichoplusia ni

Up to 1.5 inches, moving in the distinctive looping gait, and it makes far bigger holes than diamondback moth -- Clemson puts one looper at roughly the damage of five diamondback larvae, so finding one matters more.…

Cabbage webworm
medium

Hellula rogatalis

Small, tan and brown striped with a dark head. It webs itself into the new growth for protection and attacks the buds and growing point, which causes lateral budding and can ruin a plant that would otherwise have made…

Cross-striped cabbageworm
medium

Evergestis rimosalis

Alternating black and white stripes across the back with a yellow stripe along the side, reaching about three-quarters of an inch. It hatches in masses and can rapidly skeletonise a plant, then drops to pupate just…

Diamondback moth caterpillar
high

Plutella xylostella

Clemson calls it "the most serious insect pest of brassica crops in South Carolina" despite being small, up to half an inch. The tell is a window-pane effect: the caterpillar eats the underside and leaves the upper…

Nutrient Issues

Boron (B)

deficiency

Correction

RHS names calabrese among the boron-sensitive vegetables, with hollow stem and browning heads as the symptoms. Boron is less available above pH 7, so avoid liming already-alkaline ground. Test soil pH rather than adding boron blind -- the margin between deficiency and toxicity is narrow.

Companion Planting

avoid shared disease

Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group

Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…

avoid shared disease

Brassica napus Napobrassica Group

Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…

avoid shared disease

Raphanus sativus

Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…

avoid shared disease

Brassica oleracea Acephala Group

Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…

avoid shared disease

Brassica oleracea Botrytis Group

Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…

avoid shared disease

Brassica rapa Rapifera Group

Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…

avoid shared disease

Brassica oleracea Capitata Group

Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…

Plan your Broccoli planting

When to sow and plant Broccoli depends on your own frost dates. Check the UK vegetable planting calendar, or the month-by-month guides that cover Broccoli: February, March, July. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Broccoli (Calabrese) in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

References

  2. Black rot shows yellow V-shaped lesions with the point of the V directed toward a vein, favoured by high temperature and humidity, surviving on debris up to two years when buried plus on wild mustard and contaminated seed; avoid cole crops where it occurred within two to three years and do not handle wet plants. Downy mildew is grey mould on the lower leaf surface with yellowing above. Alternaria leaf spot makes brown circular target spots with concentric rings between 60 and 90°F, overwintering on residue, calling for three-year rotation. Pythium damping-off rots seedlings at the soil line.

  3. Diamondback moth is "the most serious insect pest of brassica crops in South Carolina", leaving a window-pane appearance where the upper leaf surface stays intact. Damage is quantified relative to each other: one cabbage looper does roughly the damage of 5 diamondback moth larvae, and imported cabbageworm about two-thirds of a looper. Cross-striped cabbageworm hatches in masses and can rapidly skeletonise a plant, dropping to pupate just under the soil surface. Cabbage webworm damages buds and growing points, causing lateral budding. Cabbage aphids are commoner in cool autumn weather. Flea beetles are most problematic on mustard and turnips, which lack the protective waxy coating.

  9. General cross-plant guide, strawberry named explicitly under Boron.

  10. RHS explicitly advises against slug pellets (even organic) due to wildlife harm, and cites RHS's own controlled trial finding no damage reduction from physical barriers (copper tape, bark mulch, eggshell, grit, wool) -- while also noting some other studies have shown copper barriers to repel slugs, a preserved disagreement rather than a silently resolved one. Details Nemaslug (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita) biological control including application temperature range and its lack of effect on snails specifically.

  11. Transplant vigorous young plants in early spring; for autumn crops start seedlings in midsummer and transplant in late summer, counting back from first frost and adding 10 days to the days-to-harvest figure. Sow seed 1/4 to 1/2in deep. Space transplants 18-24in apart in rows 36in apart, or 1ft apart each way in beds. Use a starter fertiliser at transplanting and side-dress with nitrogen at half mature size. Provide ample soil moisture, especially as the heads develop. HARVEST: cut the central head with 5-6in of stem once fully developed but BEFORE it loosens, separates and the individual flowers start to open and show bright yellow; central heads reach 4-6in across, and side shoots develop after the main head is removed. Pests: aphids colonising leaf undersides, and three cabbage worms -- imported cabbage worm, cabbage looper and diamondback moth.

  12. Transplants of 4-6 mature leaves may be planted 2-3 weeks before the last frost-free date; 12-18 in between plants with rows 2-3 ft apart; cultivars 50-65 days; highest yields where temperatures do not exceed 75°F, not seriously damaged down to 28°F; buttoning follows cold exposure or water/nutrient stress before or after transplanting; hollow discoloured stem with brown spotting on the head indicates boron deficiency; cut heads compact before the flower buds open at 6-12 in across; with extra water and feed the plant makes many 3-6 in side shoots; stores 1-2 weeks at 32°F and 95% relative humidity.

12 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I sow broccoli in the UK?

In Southern England, from early April. In Scotland, wait until mid April. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.

When do I sow broccoli?

Sow early April to late June.

How long does broccoli take to grow?

Typically 50–90 days after planting out, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.

What soil pH does broccoli need?

A pH of about 6.8–7.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect broccoli?

Our data links 6 diseases and 11 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the direction of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against RHS and Met Office guidance. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

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Last verified 2026-09-02

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