How to Grow Broccolini USA

On this page
  1. Broccolini (Brassica oleracea var. italica x Brassica...
  2. Quick Facts
  3. At a Glance
  4. Diseases
  5. Pests
  6. Soil & Growing Conditions
  7. Growth Stages
  8. Harvest & Storage
  9. Plan your Broccolini planting
  10. Growing Broccolini in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Start broccolini seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date, then transplant out once seedlings have 6 to 8 true leaves.

The short answer

Site
soil pH 6–7
Biggest risk
Powdery mildew

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

Broccolini (Brassica oleracea var. italica x Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra)

Fresh raw broccolini florets and stems on a cutting board — “Broccolini (43827374891)” by Ella Olsson from Stockholm, Sweden is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

1 sources cited · Single source

Quick Facts

Bundles of raw broccolini for sale in a supermarket
Bundles of raw broccolini for sale in a supermarket. Photo by Moyuet Kgoup 555, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Factor Value
Soil pH 6 - 7
Soil texture nutrient-rich, amended with compost or aged manure (Gardener's Path)
Drainage well-drained
Lifecycle annual
Edible parts flower shoots, stems, leaves
Documented problems 4 diseases, 5 pests

At a Glance

Fresh raw broccolini florets and stems on a cutting board
Fresh raw broccolini florets and stems on a cutting board. Photo: “Broccolini (43827374891)” by Ella Olsson from Stockholm, Sweden, CC BY 2.0.
Brassica oleracea var.… Broccolini Powdery mildew Black rot Downy mildew (general) Blackleg Cabbage looper Aphids Cabbage root fly (US: c… Flea beetles Slugs DISEASES PESTS

Diseases

Bundles of raw broccolini for sale in a supermarket
Bundles of raw broccolini for sale in a supermarket. Photo by Moyuet Kgoup 555, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Gardener's Path names this directly: powdery mildew.

Black rot
moderate

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris

Gardener's Path names this directly: black rot.

Downy mildew (general)
moderate

Gardener's Path names this directly: downy mildew.

Blackleg
moderate

Pectobacterium atrosepticum

Gardener's Path names this directly: blackleg.

Pests

Close-up of bundled broccolini stems, buds, and leaves
Close-up of bundled broccolini stems, buds, and leaves. Photo by Nesnad, CC BY 4.0.
Cabbage looper
moderate

Trichoplusia ni

Gardener's Path names this directly: cabbage loopers.

moderate

Aphididae (various spp.)

Gardener's Path names this directly: aphids.

Cabbage root fly (US: cabbage maggot)
moderate

Delia radicum

Gardener's Path names this directly: root maggots.

Flea beetles
moderate

Chrysomelidae: Alticini (various spp.)

Gardener's Path names this directly: flea beetles.

Slugs
low

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Gardener's Path names this directly: slugs.

Soil & Growing Conditions

Fresh raw broccolini florets and stems on a cutting board
Fresh raw broccolini florets and stems on a cutting board. Photo: “Broccolini (43827374891)” by Ella Olsson from Stockholm, Sweden, CC BY 2.0.

Water: kept evenly moist, watered during dry spells (Gardener's Path)

Soil pH range

6 7

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

Growth Stages

Charred broccolini spears plated with a sauce, showing the long slender stems and small florets
Charred broccolini spears plated with a sauce, showing the long slender stems and small florets. Photo by Andy Li, CC0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing 0 Sow 1/4in deep, or start transplants 4-6 weeks before the last frost (Gardener's Path).
Transplanting 1 Plant out once seedlings have 6-8 true leaves, set about 1/2in deeper than their pot soil, spaced 12in apart in rows 2ft apart (Gardener's Path).
Crown development 5 Matures 60-90 days from transplanting, forming its main flowering crown (Gardener's Path).
Cut-and-come-again harvest 8 Cut the main crown with 6in of stem before flowering, then harvest side shoots for weeks after -- 3-5 harvests per plant (Gardener's Path).

Harvest & Storage

Charred broccolini served as a restaurant dish
Charred broccolini served as a restaurant dish. Photo by Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to pick: Cut the main crown with about 6in of stem once heads form but before flowering, typically 2-3 months after planting; then harvest side shoots by cutting each stem just above a set of green leaves -- a cut-and-come-again crop yielding 3-5 harvests per plant (Gardener's Path).

Plan your Broccolini planting

When to sow and plant Broccolini depends on your own frost dates. Check the USA vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Broccolini in another region

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

Sources

The full list of 1 sources behind this guide (Gardener's Path) is in the references of our UK guide to broccolini; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What soil pH does broccolini need?

A pH of about 6–7. 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 broccolini?

Our data links 4 diseases and 5 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.

Get the USA Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Written for US growing conditions

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

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

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 USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. 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.

Vegetable Growing Guides USA

Last verified 2026-08-29

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