You can have great success with broccoli in northern climates. It’s a cool-weather crop that doesn’t mind cold nights or even moderate frosts, and grows best in daytime temperatures between 10C and 24C.

Broccolis and the other cabbage-related crops (“cole crops”) like their soil pH in the normal-to-slightly-alkaline range. Many soils in our region, including mine, fill the bill. However, if your soil is peaty or sits on a layer of rock, it may be on the acid side and not good for the cabbage family. Grow blueberries, beets or potatoes on this instead. If you know that your soil is somewhat acid but you’d like to try broccoli, you can give the pH some help by using bone meal and wood ash as fertilizers, along with possibly amending with a load of non-acid topsoil.

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this site, you can make a special contribution to biodiversity by growing your own broccoli. According to Michael Pollan in his recent book, In Defense of Food (a very good read, by the way), half of all the broccoli grown in the USA is one variety: Marathon. Nothing wrong with Marathon as a variety, but if you’ve been gardening for a while you know that different broccolis have different colours and subtly different flavours. Try many!

In 2008 I tried two early varieties, Windsor (56 days) and Belstar (66 days), both from Johnny’s Seeds. Intending them for the farmers’ market in late August, I planted in mid-June – but that was a mistake. Both varieties took longer than I expected to reach maturity, and picking did not start until late-September on Windsor, and mid-October on Belstar (after I was finished at the market).

The days-to-maturity quoted on seed packets can be tricky (this is my excuse). Some seed houses count the days after emergence, and others count the days after transplant (in species that are commonly transplanted). Whatever the case, in my experience it takes 10 weeks from emergence to maturity in early broccoli here in Thunder Bay region.

Aside from my timing problems, both varieties performed well. I think Windsor is the more attractive of the two, as it has the bluish colour that veggie consumers seem to look for. It also forms lots of side-shoots after the main harvest. My Belstar planting never had time to form side-shoots, but it’s reputed to provide lots of them. Side-shoots are always a boon whether you eat the broccoli yourself or sell it – bunched side-shoots are just as attractive as whole heads, and many customers actually like bunched broccoli better because they get lots of tender stems.

This year (2009) I’ve planted Windsor, and again I’m late, but I’ll have it on my stand by mid-Septmber.