When to plant broccoli?

Updated 4 November 2026 · By the Orto editorial team

Heading broccoli, calabrese, is sown from March to June: indoors in March and April and outdoors from April, and after April it is better sown in place because transplanting in warm weather makes it flower. In Sicily the natural cycle is autumn, winter and spring, between 10 and 25 °C; Campania sets no month and gives 15-18 °C, with looser heads above 25 °C.

Young broccoli seedlings freshly transplanted with blue-green leaves

When, by region

	North	Centre	South
Sowing	From March to June. Indoors in March and April, 2 cm deep. Outdoors from April to June. After April, direct: in warm weather a transplant makes it flower.	Umbria's guide does not fix a month. Transplant at 10-15 cm tall, before the heat. At least 2 years between crops, and no other brassicas in between.	In Sicily the natural cycle is autumn, winter and spring. Summer transplants bring it forward; autumn transplants are cut in winter and spring. No calendar month is written.
Temperature	Soil at 13-16 °C. Heat opens the flowers before the head is full. Cut at 10-15 cm, still tight.	As in the north. Umbria does not write a degree threshold.	In Sicily, between 10 and 25 °C. In Campania the optimum is 15-18 °C; above 25 °C the heads are looser. Cauliflower has the same threshold.

Calabrese is the green head. Sprouting broccoli is a different crop, and the RHS sows it from February.

March to June, indoor sowing in March and April, outdoors from April, 2 cm, transplanting at 10-15 cm and cutting the head at 10-15 cm, are from the RHS calabrese page. Sprouting broccoli, a different crop, is sown indoors from February and outdoors from April to July: that is the RHS broccoli page. Soil at 13-16 °C (55-60 °F) is from University of Minnesota Extension. The 15-18 °C and the 25 °C limit are from Campania, for cauliflower, broccoli and the other cabbages together. The autumn-winter-spring cycle, 10-25 °C and summer or autumn transplants, are from Sicily. The 2 years with no other brassicas are from Umbria. Cauliflower is in when to plant cauliflowers. The months are in the March calendar, April, June and September.

Calabrese, not sprouting broccoli

In the shops the green head is called broccoli. In the garden the RHS calls it calabrese: one central head, ready from mid-summer to mid-autumn, 3 or 4 months after sowing. Sprouting broccoli makes smaller clusters on long stems, and the RHS sows it indoors from February and outdoors from April to July. The dates below are for that head.

Two seeds per module, 2 cm (¾ in) deep, and leave the stronger plant. Transplant at 10-15 cm (4-6 in), deeper than before, lowest leaves level with the soil, and firm well. After April the RHS prefers sowing in place: three seeds every 30 cm (1 ft), then one plant. Larger varieties go to 45 cm (18 in), rows at least 45 cm apart. The pot is in the homemade seedbed.

The head, the mesh, firm soil

Cut the head at 10-15 cm, still tight. In the heat the flowers open fast. After the cut, smaller heads grow on side-shoots, for a couple of months. Insect-proof mesh, pinned to the ground, keeps out pigeons and insects. Prepare the soil firm: if you dig late, tread it. The pH the RHS prefers is at least 6.8, and lime, on acid soil, goes on the winter before, against clubroot.

In Campania the written density for cauliflower is 2-3 plants per square metre. For broccoli the number is not there: use the RHS 30-45 cm. Water, only in dry spells once the plant has roots, is in watering. A check in growth, from drought or a late transplant, sends it to flower with a small head.

Where not to return

In Umbria, cauliflower and broccoli do not return for 2 years, and no other brassicas go in between. The RHS keeps them in the cabbage bed, for the same reason. The plan, including clubroot, is in crop rotation, under pests and diseases.

In mid-autumn the RHS sows in modules, under cover, for a spring crop, and keeps the plants in an unheated greenhouse through winter. In Sicily the natural cycle is already autumn, winter and spring: summer transplants bring it forward, autumn transplants are cut later. Compost from the previous autumn is in the compost guide.

In the app

Every plant in the catalogue has its own sowing calendar, and weather alerts for your area help you judge whether to sow now or hold off.

Frequently asked questions

Are heading broccoli and sprouting broccoli the same plant?

Not for the RHS. Calabrese makes the large green head, and is sown from March to June. Sprouting broccoli makes clusters on long stems, and is sown indoors from February and outdoors from April to July.

When do I sow in the north?

From March to June. Indoors in March and April. Outdoors from April. After April, in place: in warm weather a transplant makes it flower. The soil, for University of Minnesota Extension, at 13-16 °C.

What about the south?

In Sicily the natural cycle is autumn, winter and spring, between 10 and 25 °C. Summer transplants bring the harvest forward; autumn transplants are cut in winter and spring. Campania sets no month: 15-18 °C, and above 25 °C the heads are looser.

How far apart?

The RHS: 30 cm, or 45 cm for larger varieties, rows at least 45 cm apart. Transplant at 10-15 cm tall, deeper than before. In Campania the plants per square metre are written for cauliflower, 2-3, not for broccoli.

Can I plant it where cabbage was?

Not in Umbria: at least 2 years, and no other brassicas in between. That covers cauliflower and broccoli. The RHS keeps them in the same bed as the cabbages.