Growing broccoli in open ground in the Moscow region

Despite the fact that broccoli can be grown without problems in your own summer cottage, many people in Russia and the CIS countries still consider this vegetable exotic. The fears of gardeners associated with the lack of harvest are unjustified - the climatic conditions of Russia are ideal for its cultivation. We'll tell you how to grow broccoli at your dacha in open ground in the Moscow region.

Is it possible to grow broccoli in the Moscow region?

Broccoli, like any cabbage, does not like excessively hot weather and grows well in humid climates and heavy rainfall.

In central Russia, which includes the Moscow region, a temperate continental climate predominates. The average daily air temperature here in summer is +16...+25°C, and these are the most suitable conditions for the growth and development of broccoli.

Reference. The best varieties broccoli for growing in the Moscow region and other regions of the Middle Zone - Tone, Gnome, Vitamin broccoli.

Methods for growing broccoli in open ground in the Moscow region

In the climatic conditions of the Moscow region, broccoli is grown seedlings and seedless methods, sowing seeds directly into open ground. It is also possible to grow crops indoors - sowing seeds in a greenhouse allows you to get the earliest or, conversely, late harvest of vegetables.

Reference. At growing broccoli using seedlings, the first harvest is harvested in early summer.

Growing seedlings

Agronomic techniques for growing and caring for broccoli seedlings are similar to the requirements for sowing cauliflower seeds. At the same time, broccoli ripens earlier - from the moment of sowing the seeds to planting the seedlings in open ground, a little more than a month passes.

To obtain a high-quality product, it is important to prepare planting material and check its expiration date, select and prepare a permanent place for growing vegetables on the site, calculate the timing of sowing seeds and transplanting seedlings into beds.

When to plant broccoli seedlings in the Moscow region

Seeds for seedlings are sown from late March to early April. In this case, by the time of transplantation into open ground, the seedlings will be strong and will have time to form a developed root system.

Reference. According to the lunar calendar, favorable days for sowing seeds in 2020: March 4, 5, 11-14, 17-18, 27-30 and April 9-10, 14, 18-19, 25-27.

Soil and container for seedlings

The soil for growing seedlings should be light, loose, nutritious, have a neutral acidity level, good moisture and air permeability.

You can use a ready-made substrate purchased in a specialized store or make it yourself by mixing equal proportions of coarse river sand, wood ash, humus and turf soil.

Important! When using soil from the garden, you should not take soil in which cabbage, radishes or radishes previously grew.

A self-prepared soil mixture for disinfection is pre-calcined in the oven at a temperature of at least +180°C or spilled with a saturated solution of potassium permanganate.

As containers for seedlings, choose plastic containers with a height of more than 20 cm or separate containers for each plant - cups, peat pots or cassettes, etc.

Preparing and sowing seeds

Before sowing, the seeds are calibrated by manually selecting the largest specimens. After this, they are wrapped in gauze and left for 20-30 minutes. immerse in water that has been standing for 2-3 days and heated to +50°C, and then for 2-3 minutes. placed in a cold place (+10°C). This allows you to disinfect planting material and get rid of spoiled grains that will float in cold water.

Then the seeds are slightly dried, soaked for 6-7 hours in a solution of a growth stimulant (Epin, Heteroauxin), washed under warm running water, put in a cold (+3...+5°C) place for 1-2 days, then lay it out on a napkin and dry it.

Reference. Pelleted (coated with a nutrient coating) seeds do not require pre-planting preparation.

Sowing rules:

1. A layer of drainage 1-1.5 cm thick made of expanded clay or small pebbles is poured into the prepared container.
2. A layer of soil mixture (6-8 cm) is poured on top.
3. Planting trenches are made in it every 5-7 cm.
4. Place the seeds in them, deepening them by 1-1.5 cm.
5. Water the ground and cover the container with glass or polyethylene.

The container with the crops is kept at a temperature of +18…+22°C. After the emergence of seedlings, the glass or polyethylene cover is removed, and the air temperature is sharply reduced to +10°C.

Seedling care

A week after seed germination, the air temperature in the room with seedlings is set to +16°C during the day and at least +8°C at night.

Water the plants based on the condition of the soil. It should not dry out or be excessively wet.

If the entrances are thickened, a pick is carried out 2 weeks after their appearance. At the same time, fertilizers containing molybdenum and boron (MonoBor, Mikrovit, Chelatonik) are applied.

Reference. You can avoid the need for picking by sowing a maximum of 15 g of seeds per 1 square meter.m.

15-20 days before the intended transplantation of seedlings into open ground, the seedlings begin to harden. To do this, containers with plants are taken out onto the balcony or street every day, first for 3 minutes, gradually increasing this time.

The seedlings are transplanted into open ground in late April - early May, when the seedlings have formed 6-8 true leaves and strong roots.

Transplant algorithm:

1. On the prepared area, beds are formed, maintaining a distance of up to 50 cm between them.
2. Every 30-35 cm, planting holes with a depth of no more than 25 cm are dug in them.
3. Add 0.5 tbsp to each. wood ash.
4. The seedlings are removed from the containers along with a lump of earth.
5. Place them in planting holes and sprinkle them with soil so that only a rosette of leaves remains above the soil surface.
6. The plantings are watered and the ground is mulched with straw or humus.

In case of frost, the plantings are covered with spunbond or lutrasil.

How to grow without seedlings

To grow broccoli using the seedless method, choose a well-lit place with loose, light and fertile soil with an acidity in the range of pH 6.7-7.4. If the soil is acidified, lime or dolomite flour is added to it at least 1 year before planting this cabbage.

The site is prepared in the fall: the ground is dug up along with rotted manure or compost at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 square meter. m, add for every 1 sq. m. soil 20-30 g of superphosphate and potassium salts and 1 liter of ash.

Planting material is prepared in the same way as when sowing seedlings.

Reference. The best predecessors are onions, carrots, peas, potatoes and pumpkin crops. Broccoli should not be planted after radishes, radishes or any type of cabbage.

When can you sow seeds in open ground in the Moscow region?

The time for sowing seeds in open ground depends on weather conditions. In the case of a warm early spring, broccoli is sown in early May, if there is a risk of return frosts - in the middle or end of the month.

During the season, broccoli seeds can be sown in the ground several times, but no later than the beginning of July, so that the cabbage has time to produce a full harvest.

Sowing algorithm

There are 2 ways to sow seeds:

• densely in rows with subsequent thinning of seedlings to a distance of 30-35 cm between seedlings;
• into prepared holes, dug 30-35 cm from each other, 2-3 grains.

The seeds are buried 2 cm, sprinkled with earth, watered and mulched with humus to eliminate the possibility of it drying out and cracking.

Shoots, as in the case of seedlings, appear after 7-10 days.

Caring for broccoli in the Moscow region

Broccoli is an unpretentious crop. Caring for plantings involves fulfilling standard agrotechnical requirements - regular watering, fertilizing, weeding, loosening, protection from diseases and pests.

Watering

Plants are watered 1-2 times a week, focusing on the condition of the soil - it should not dry out or be waterlogged.

Reference. The soil must be constantly moistened to a depth of 20 cm.

After watering, the soil between the bushes and rows is loosened to eliminate the possibility of a dry crust forming on the surface and to improve the access of oxygen and moisture to the roots of the plants. At the same time, weeds are removed.

If the summer is rainy, the soil is loosened and weeded at least once a week.

Feeding and fertilizers

For the first time, fertilizers are applied 2 weeks after transplanting seedlings into beds or 20 days after emergence if seeds are sown directly in open ground.To do this, use a mullein solution (200 g of manure and 1 tsp of urea are diluted in 10 liters of water) at the rate of 1 bucket per 8-10 plants.

Then the broccoli is fed 15-20 days after the first application of fertilizers and at the end of summer with a solution of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers to stimulate the formation of large heads.

Reference. To obtain an additional harvest, after cutting the main head, the cabbage is fed with a solution of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (20-30 g per bucket of water).

Protection from diseases and pests

Broccoli is susceptible to all types of rot, mosaic disease, Alternaria blight, downy mildew and Fusarium wilt. To prevent fungal diseases or treat them, use Bordeaux mixture or the drug “Topaz”.

To get rid of insect pests, plantings are treated with insecticidal preparations (Actellik, Foxim, Rovikurt).

Conclusion

The Moscow region is one of the most suitable regions for growing broccoli. This crop grows well in a temperate continental climate, does not make serious demands on the soil composition and requires simple care - watering, fertilizers, loosening and weeding, protection from diseases and pests.