Broccoli is a cool weather full-sun crop able to be sown directly but, for earliest starts, begin indoors 6-8 weeks prior to final spring frost or in mid-summer about 3 months from autumn frost. Plant 2-3 seeds 1/2” deep per cell or 4-6” apart in the garden in organic, fertile, and well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-7.0.
Seeds germinate in 3-14 days, thinning out best starts every 12-18” in the garden once true leaves establish. Broccoli heads grow fullest with full sun but, for warmer regions, plants will benefit from midsummer shade. For warmer grow zones, try a cultivar with a quicker harvest and maturity date to best accommodate for a shortened cool spring season.
Broccoli is a timeless annual staple of the home garden found just as often growing in the garden bed as on the kitchen counter. Broccoli has always been a tolerant frost hardy favorite, but is currently in its renaissance as a vitamin-rich crop popularly used in indoor gardening such as microgreens, sprouts, and hydroponics. Like other annual Brassicas such as cabbage, kale, and cauliflower, broccoli requires very similar growing conditions with similar harvest windows.
Most varieties of broccoli are ready to harvest in about 85 days from sowing. Using a small knife, remove the main head above the smaller florets once reaching a diameter of about 5-6”, allowing secondary side shoots to continue maturing for harvest. Heads will taste bitter if no longer compact and have begun to flower. Like other Brassicas, the entire broccoli plant is harvestable and edible and even considered to taste best after a few light autumn frosts.
Bred by the University of Massachusetts, Waltham Field Station, Waltham, MA around 1950.Waltham 29 broccoli produces uniform high yields, good color, cold resistance, dwarf compact plant, and big side shoots.
Popular at Farmers Markets. Main heads are 4-8" with steady side shoot production after main head is harvested. Good cultivar for freezing.
Does extremely well on the East Coast and Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Commercial grown broccoli, the stuff you buy at the store, contains incredible amounts of chemicals. There can be over 50 known chemicals used in growing broccoli. Protect your families health and grow your own! It is the only way to be sure you are getting safe, organic and nutritionally valuable food.
Waltham 29 broccoli seeds mature into robust 24-30" tall garden brassicas with classic blue-green floreted heads brimming with essential Sulforaphane.
Waltham 29 broccoli is a cultivar of Brassica oleracea var. italica specifically grown to withstand the cooler gardens of the American Northeast and Pacific northwest. Recently, non-GMO broccoli has been experiencing a renaissance as a sprout, microgreens, and garden vegetable crop because of the natural-occuring compound Sulforaphane exclusive to members of the brassica (cruciferous) family.