When to Plant Broccoli
Start broccoli indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, then plant them out up to 3 weeks before your last frost. For a fall crop, sow again 12 to 16 weeks before your first fall frost.
Broccoli at a glance
- Start indoors
- 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost
- Plant out
- up to 3 weeks before your last frost
- Fall sowing
- 12 to 16 weeks before your first fall frost
- Time to harvest
- 55 to 80 days from planting out
- Harvest lasts
- about 5 weeks
- Spacing
- 1 plant per square foot
- Frost
- Takes hard frosts
Growing broccoli
Broccoli grows best in cool weather with rich soil and steady water. Set transplants out in early spring or late summer. Fall crops often make the best heads, because they mature as the weather cools. Sprouting varieties skip the big central head and make many small spears over a long season, which suits small gardens well.
Dates by hardiness zone
Typical dates for each zone; your ZIP code gives your own.
| Zone | Start indoors | Plant out | Sow for fall | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | Apr 2–16 | May 7–28 | May 25 – Jun 22 | Jul 1 – Oct 8 |
| Zone 3b | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 5 – Jul 3 | Jun 20 – Aug 5 · Aug 27 – Oct 19 |
| Zone 4a | Mar 17–31 | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 8 – Jul 6 | Jun 15 – Jul 31 · Aug 30 – Oct 22 |
| Zone 4b | Mar 13–27 | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 11 – Jul 9 | Jun 11 – Jul 27 · Sep 2 – Oct 25 |
| Zone 5a | Mar 8–22 | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 15 – Jul 13 | Jun 6 – Jul 22 · Sep 6 – Oct 29 |
| Zone 5b | Mar 6–20 | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 20 – Jul 18 | Jun 4 – Jul 20 · Sep 11 – Nov 3 |
| Zone 6a | Mar 4–18 | Apr 8–29 | Jun 26 – Jul 24 | Jun 2 – Jul 18 · Sep 17 – Nov 9 |
| Zone 6b | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 2–23 | Jul 2–30 | May 27 – Jul 12 · Sep 23 – Nov 15 |
| Zone 7a | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | Jul 5 – Aug 2 | May 20 – Jul 5 · Sep 26 – Nov 18 |
| Zone 7b | Feb 8–22 | Mar 15 – Apr 5 | Jul 12 – Aug 9 | May 9 – Jun 24 · Oct 3 – Nov 25 |
| Zone 8a | Feb 1–15 | Mar 8–29 | Jul 18 – Aug 15 | May 2 – Jun 17 · Oct 9 – Dec 1 |
| Zone 8b | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Feb 24 – Mar 17 | Jul 24 – Aug 21 | Apr 20 – Jun 5 · Oct 15 – Dec 7 |
| Zone 9a | Jan 5–19 | Feb 9 – Mar 2 | Aug 6 – Sep 3 | Apr 5 – May 21 · Oct 28 – Dec 20 |
| Zone 9b | Dec 7–21 | Jan 11 – Feb 1 | Aug 25 – Sep 22 | Mar 7 – Apr 22 · Nov 16 – Jan 8 |
| Zone 10a | Nov 29 – Dec 13 | Jan 3–24 | Sep 6 – Oct 4 | Feb 27 – Apr 14 · Nov 28 – Jan 20 |
| Zones 10b–11b | Frost is rare here, so grow broccoli in the cooler months, from fall to early spring. | |||
Questions about broccoli
When should I cut broccoli?
While the buds in the head are tight and deep green, before any yellow flowers open. Cut the main head with a few inches of stem.
Why did my broccoli flower before making a head?
Heat or stress. Broccoli that meets hot weather while young, or goes out as an overgrown seedling, can bolt into small, loose heads. Time it for cool weather.
