馃ウ Broccoli 路 January
Whether January works depends on which corner of the country you鈥檙e standing in. Here鈥檚 the per-city read, sowing, transplanting and harvesting, plus the spacing, the timing and the family-of-four maths.
Days to harvest
80-120 days
Spacing
50 cm
Cities sowing in January
0
,
Family of 4
Plant 6-8 plants for a family of 4; stagger plantings 3 weeks apart for continuous harvest
January in summer is one of twelve windows the Australian year offers, and whether you can plant broccoli this month depends on which corner of the country you're standing in. Below is the per-city read: where broccoli is being sown from seed, where it's going in as seedlings, and where it's already being harvested.
No major Australian city is sowing broccoli from seed in January. No major Australian city is transplanting broccoli seedlings in January. Harvesting broccoli in January: Hobart.
Across Australia's climate zones, broccoli keeps to tropical, april-july (cool season only); subtropical, march-july; temperate, february-may, july-august; cool, january-march, july-september; arid, march-july. January sits inside that window for the cool zone. The longer version, including the climate-zone-by-zone breakdown, lives on the Broccoli growing guide.
Broccoli is a cool-season crop that requires a long growing period and consistent conditions. In most Australian climates, it is best planted in late summer or autumn for a winter-spring harvest. In cool and highland areas, late winter plantings can succeed if protected from heavy frosts.
If you're planting broccoli this January, the bed prep is the same as any other month: a 30 cm-deep raised bed worked through with compost, spacing of 50 cm between plants, and full sun to partial shade. The crop takes 80-120 days, which means a January planting will be ready around April. Use the raised bed calculator to size the bed and the companion planting guide to fill it out.
For a household of four, Plant 6-8 plants for a family of 4; stagger plantings 3 weeks apart for continuous harvest Expected yield is 200-400g central head plus 200-400g additional from side shoots.
The January broccoli read changes city by city. The list above is the high-level signal; for the exact dates and bed-by-bed planting plan, the Plant Planner broccoli module reads your postcode and your bed dimensions and does the rest of the maths.
Whether January works for broccoli depends on your climate zone. The planting windows are: tropical, april-july (cool season only); subtropical, march-july; temperate, february-may, july-august; cool, january-march, july-september; arid, march-july. In January specifically, the broad rules suggest it's a planting month in the cool zone.
Broccoli takes 80-120 days. A January planting will be ready around April. Harvest the central head when it is tight and dark green, before individual florets begin to open and show yellow flowers. Use a sharp knife to cut the stem at an angle about 15cm below the head. Leave the plant in the ground, side shoots will develop from the leaf axils and provide ongoing harvests for 4-8 weeks.
Plant 6-8 plants for a family of 4; stagger plantings 3 weeks apart for continuous harvest Yield expectation: 200-400g central head plus 200-400g additional from side shoots.
Full sun to partial shade. Moderate to high, consistent moisture, especially during head formation. Soil pH 6.0-7.5. Spacing 50 cm between plants, 60 cm between rows.
The planner reads your postcode and your bed, picks the right window, and emails the reminders the weekend before each task.
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