Growing broccoli: timing, spacing and costs by zone

When to plant

Broccoli: cool-season, hardy to frost. Plant when soil reaches 55–75°F. Dates below are averages worked out from each zone's frost dates — check your own field.

• Zone 6b (Boone NC): set out March 27 – April 17; fall planting June 25 – July 16. First picking around June 7 – July 5.
• Zone 7b (Raleigh): set out March 11 – April 1; fall planting July 9 – July 30. First picking around May 22 – June 19.
• Zone 8b (Charleston SC): set out February 15 – March 8; fall planting August 2 – August 23. First picking around April 28 – May 26.
• Zone 9a (Gainesville FL): set out January 28 – February 18; fall planting August 18 – September 8. First picking around April 10 – May 8.

Setting it up

Grow as transplants, started about 6 weeks before last frost. Space plants 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart, about 0.25 inch deep. Expect roughly 65 days to first harvest.

Field notes

Harvest the central head while buds are still tight; side shoots continue for 4–6 weeks after main cut.

How it fits each zone

• Zone 6b: excellent — Broccoli is well suited to Zone 6b. Standard planting dates work with minor adjustments for microclimates.
• Zone 7b: excellent — Broccoli is well suited to Zone 7b. Standard planting dates work with minor adjustments for microclimates.
• Zone 8b: excellent — Broccoli is well suited to Zone 8b. Standard planting dates work with minor adjustments for microclimates.
• Zone 9a: good — Cool-season crops bolt fast under Zone 9a heat. Prioritize the fall planting window and use shade cloth for any spring succession.

What it costs per acre

• 2022 Broccoli Budget (University of Georgia CAES — Agricultural & Applied Economics, 2022): about $2,745 per acre in transcribed costs.
• Broccoli (CCD-CP-88) — 2017 budget (University of Kentucky — Center for Crop Diversification, 2017): about $5,530 per acre in transcribed costs.
• Eastern Broccoli Production Enterprise Budgets (EB 2020-12) — Western New York, 2020 (Cornell University — Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, 2020): about $182 per acre in transcribed costs.
• University of Delaware Broccoli budget — 2023 (University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, 2023): about $4,444 per acre in transcribed costs.

These are published budgets, not your costs. Plug your own numbers into the breakeven calculator before you commit ground.

Before you plant

Line up who will buy it and at what price before seed goes in the ground. See the planting calendar for your exact zone.