Can broccoli grow in summer?

Generally no, and trying is the most common broccoli mistake. Broccoli is a cool-season crop that forms its best heads in temperatures between about 60 and 70 degrees F, and summer heat above 75 to 80 degrees F makes it bolt, sending up yellow flowers instead of a tight head, and turning the flavor bitter. The strategy is to time broccoli so it matures in the cool of spring or fall, not the heat of midsummer. In cool-summer regions like the Pacific Northwest or high elevations, a summer crop is possible, but for most of the US, avoid summer maturity.

Should I plant broccoli in spring or fall?

Both work, but many gardeners find fall broccoli easier and better-tasting. Spring broccoli races against rising heat, and a late warm spell can make it bolt before the head forms, so timing is tight. Fall broccoli matures into cooling weather, and a light frost actually sweetens it, giving more forgiving conditions and often superior heads. Spring is still worthwhile, especially in regions with a long cool spring, and gives you an early crop. If you only grow one, fall is usually the safer bet in most climates.

How long does broccoli take to grow?

From transplant, most broccoli varieties take about 55 to 85 days to reach a harvestable main head, depending on the variety, and from seed you add roughly another three to four weeks for the seedling stage. Fast varieties like Green Magic mature in around 60 days while larger types take longer. Because of this, gardeners usually start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the target planting date to get a head start. After you cut the main head, many varieties keep producing smaller side shoots for weeks, extending the harvest.

What temperature is too cold for broccoli seedlings?

Broccoli is quite cold-hardy and established plants tolerate light frosts down to about 25 to 28 degrees F, which is why it suits early spring and fall planting. Young transplants should be hardened off before going out and are best set out a couple of weeks before the last spring frost, once they can handle nights in the 40s and 50s. Prolonged exposure of small seedlings to temperatures below about 40 degrees F for many days can trigger premature bolting later, called buttoning, so avoid rushing tiny plants into very cold soil.

Can I plant broccoli from a store-bought seedling?

Yes, transplants are the easiest way to grow broccoli and are widely sold at the right planting times in spring and fall. Choose stocky, healthy seedlings with good green color and avoid any that are tall, leggy, yellowed, or already showing a tiny head, since stressed or over-mature seedlings are prone to bolting or buttoning. Harden them off if they came straight from a greenhouse, plant at the correct seasonal window for your zone, and space them 18 inches apart. Transplants save the 6 to 8 weeks that seed starting requires.

When to Plant Broccoli: Spring and Fall Timing by Zone

Written & researched by Elena Marsh Gardening & Landscaping Editor

Updated June 2026

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The short answer: plant broccoli so it matures during cool weather, never summer heat. For a spring crop, set transplants out 2 to 3 weeks before your last frost date (start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks earlier). For a fall crop — often the better one — count back the variety's days-to-maturity plus a couple of weeks from your first fall frost and plant then, usually mid to late summer. Broccoli heads form best at 60 to 70°F and bolt in heat, so timing is everything.

Broccoli is not hard to grow, but it is fussy about temperature, and the entire skill is putting it in the ground so it heads up in cool conditions. Get the timing wrong and even perfect care gives you a bitter, flowering mess. We do not test the tools we rank; our picks come from aggregated owner reviews and expert consensus, explained in how we rank.

Why broccoli is a cool-season crop

Broccoli belongs to the brassica family, all of which prefer cool growing conditions. The edible "head" is actually a cluster of tight, immature flower buds, and the plant's biology is set up to produce it in cool weather and then flower as it warms. When temperatures climb above about 75 to 80°F, the plant rushes to bolt — the buds open into yellow flowers, the head loosens, and the flavor turns bitter. That is why the goal is always to time broccoli so it matures in the 60 to 70°F range of spring or fall, sidestepping the heat of midsummer. Understanding this one fact prevents nearly every broccoli failure.

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Spring planting timing

For a spring crop, the plan is to get broccoli mature before summer heat arrives. That means starting early:

Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost.
Harden off and transplant 2 to 3 weeks before the last frost, once seedlings can handle nights in the 40s and 50s. Broccoli tolerates light frost.
Direct sowing is possible but riskier in spring, because the seedling stage eats into your cool window. Transplants are recommended.

Spring broccoli races the calendar, so a late heat wave can undo it. In warm-spring regions, choose fast-maturing varieties and get plants out as early as the weather safely allows.

Fall planting timing (often the best crop)

Fall broccoli matures into cooling weather rather than racing away from warming weather, which makes the timing more forgiving and the heads sweeter — a light frost actually improves the flavor. The catch is that you plant in the heat of late summer, so seedlings may need shade and extra water to start.

To time a fall crop, count backward from your average first fall frost:

Find your variety's days to maturity from transplant (often 55 to 85 days).
Add about 14 days as a buffer for slower fall growth and to harvest before hard freezes.
Count that many days back from your first fall frost — that is your transplant date, usually mid to late summer.
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before that transplant date, or in a shaded outdoor spot.

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Planting windows by USDA zone

USDA zone	Spring transplant	Fall transplant
3 to 4	Late April to mid-May	Early to mid-July
5 to 6	Early to late April	Mid-July to early August
7	Mid-March to early April	Early to late August
8 to 9	February to March	Late August to September
10	Grow in winter (fall to early spring)	October to November

These are guides; your local frost dates and a warming or cooling year shift them. In the warmest zones (9 to 10), broccoli is essentially a winter crop, grown right through the mild season and avoiding summer entirely.

Soil, spacing and planting

Broccoli is a heavy feeder that wants rich, well-drained soil with plenty of compost and a pH around 6.0 to 7.0. Prepare the bed with a balanced fertilizer, since brassicas need steady nutrition to build large heads. When planting:

Space plants 18 in apart in rows 24 to 36 in apart. Crowded broccoli makes small heads.
Plant seedlings slightly deeper than they sat in their pots, up to the first leaves, for a sturdy plant.
Choose stocky transplants and avoid tall, leggy, or yellowed seedlings, which are prone to bolting.
Water in well and mulch to keep roots cool and moist — critical for a fall crop planted in heat.

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Care for good heads

Consistent moisture is essential; broccoli needs about 1 to 1.5 in of water per week, and drought stress triggers bolting and poor heads. Mulch conserves moisture and keeps the soil cool. Feed with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer a few weeks after transplanting to fuel leafy growth, then keep it steady as the head develops. Watch for cabbage worms and aphids, the main brassica pests; row covers exclude the cabbage moths that lay the eggs. For choosing a feed, see best vegetable garden fertilizer, and for mulch, best mulch for a vegetable garden.

Harvesting for a long season

Cut the main head while the buds are still tight and green, before any yellow flowers show — once you see yellow, you have waited too long. Harvest in the cool of the morning, cutting the stem 5 to 6 in below the head at an angle so water does not pool on the cut. Here is the bonus: most broccoli varieties then produce smaller side shoots from the leaf axils for weeks after the main head, so do not pull the plant. Keep it watered and fed and you will get a steady supply of small florets extending the harvest well beyond that first head.

Choosing a variety for your window

Days to maturity is the number that makes your timing work, so pick a variety that fits the cool window you have.

Variety	Days from transplant	Notes
Green Magic	~57	Fast; good for tight spring windows and heat
Belstar	~65	Reliable, heat- and cold-tolerant; strong fall pick
Calabrese	~65	Classic; heavy side-shoot production after main head
Di Cicco	~50	Small heads but abundant side shoots over a long season
Marathon	~75	Large heads; excels in cool fall conditions
Sprouting broccoli	varies	Grown for many small shoots rather than one head; some overwinter

For a tight spring window racing the heat, a fast variety like Green Magic gets you a head before it is too warm. For fall, where you have more room and cooler finishing weather, larger types like Marathon shine. If your main goal is a long, steady picking rather than one big head, choose a variety bred for heavy side shoots such as Di Cicco or Calabrese.

Regional note: gardeners in cool-summer areas like the Pacific Northwest, coastal California, and high elevations can stretch broccoli across more of the year, even holding a summer crop that would bolt elsewhere. Sprouting and overwintering types open up an early-spring harvest in mild-winter zones, planted in fall to stand through winter and produce as the days lengthen.

Broccoli shares its cool-season timing with other brassicas and greens, so it pairs well in the same beds and succession as lettuce and spinach — see when to plant lettuce and when to plant spinach. Everything else is at the seeds and vegetable growing hub.

When to Plant Broccoli