50 Free Organic Heirloom Di Cicco Broccoli Seeds

50 ORGANIC HEIRLOOM DI CICCO BROCCOLI SEEDS

• GMO Free
• Open-Pollinated

Fun Facts 

• Cabbage, kale and brussel sprouts are all relatives of broccoli.
• When you eat broccoli, you are really eating unopened flower buds. If you wait too long to harvest your crop, the broccoli heads will open into tiny yellow flowers.  Next are your seed pods.
• Did you know that you can eat the broccoli stems and leaves too?
• Broccoli is a nutrition powerhouse – packed with iron, fiber, calcium, potassium and vitamins A, C and K… among other nutrients.

HOW AND WHEN TO PLANT BROCCOLI… keep scrolling for fun facts!

Di Ciccio broccoli is an Italian heirloom variety dating back from 1890.  Each plant produces a central head, but also produces offshoots with smaller heads, so more to harvest!

The tops of the heads have a soft green and purple color.

Broccoli is a cool-season vegetable, meaning it likes daytime temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees and tends to bolt when weather turns warm.

Rule of thumb if starting indoor — For spring crop start seeds indoors 7 to 9 weeks before the average last frost date. For a fall crop, start seed indoors 10 to 12 weeks before the first fall frost.  Transplant outdoor once your seedlings are three inches tall.

Many gardeners plant broccoli in early spring for the main harvest, then leave the plants growing over the summer for a second harvest in the fall. I’m in Phoenix and we start our seeds indoor late August/early September.  But broccoli also does very well starting your seeds outdoor. When we start outdoor, we tend to plant early October.

Plant two seeds ¼ inch deep and keep the soil moist, not wet, until your seeds germinate. The ideal temperature for your seeds to germinate is around 77 degrees.

For spacing you want to plant about 18 inches apart  with rows about 24 inches apart.  Broccoli needs about 4-5 hours of sun per day and likes rich, well-draining soil. Seeds should germinate in 5 to 10 days.

We also fertilize our plants every two weeks with worm tea and home-made organic fertilizer.  Broccoli likes nutrients, so feed herJ

It’s recommended to give broccoli two inches of water per week.

You can extend your harvest by staggering your planting every two weeks.  Just remember, hot soil is the culprit to stressing out your plants and sending your broccoli to seed so take steps to keep your soil cool.

The broccoli will mature and be ready to harvest between 50 and 70 days.

Remember, Di Cicco broccoli develops the head in the middle with side shoots.  Cutting off the main head when it’s about three inches will encourage more growth.

Fun Facts 

• Cabbage, kale and brussel sprouts are all relatives of broccoli.
• When you eat broccoli, you are really eating unopened flower buds. If you wait too long to harvest your crop, the broccoli heads will open into tiny yellow flowers.  Next are your seed pods.
• Did you know that you can eat the broccoli stems and leaves too?
• Broccoli is a nutrition powerhouse – packed with iron, fiber, calcium, potassium and vitamins A, C and K… among other nutrients.