When to plant broccoli
Broccoli is a cool-season crop that tolerates light frost and prefers to grow in cool weather. Spring broccoli races summer heat; a fall crop maturing in cool weather forms tighter heads.
- Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before the last spring frost.
- Transplant outside 2 weeks before the last spring frost, up to the date itself.
- For a fall crop, sow 11–14 weeks before the first fall frost.
About 65 days from planting to harvest.
Get exact dates for your garden
Planting dates by hardiness zone
| Zone | Typical last frost | Start indoors | Transplant | Fall crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2a | May 24 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 10 – May 24 | — |
| 3b | May 17 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 18 – Jul 9 |
| 4a | May 12 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 – Jul 13 |
| 4b | May 8 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 25 – Jul 16 |
| 5a | May 3 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 29 – Jul 20 |
| 5b | May 1 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jul 5 – Jul 26 |
| 6a | Apr 29 | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jul 11 – Aug 1 |
| 6b | Apr 22 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jul 16 – Aug 6 |
| 7a | Apr 16 | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | Jul 19 – Aug 9 |
| 7b | Apr 5 | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Jul 26 – Aug 16 |
| 8a | Mar 29 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Aug 1 – Aug 22 |
| 8b | Mar 16 | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Aug 8 – Aug 29 |
| 9a | Mar 3 | Jan 6 – Jan 20 | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Aug 19 – Sep 9 |
| 9b | Feb 20 | Dec 26 – Jan 9 | Feb 6 – Feb 20 | Aug 29 – Sep 19 |
| 10a | Mar 2 | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Aug 25 – Sep 15 |
Zone rows use the median frost dates of all ZIP codes in that zone. Zones measure winter cold, not season length, so two places in the same zone can have frost dates weeks apart — use your ZIP code for real dates.
When to plant broccoli in major cities
| City | Median last frost | Start indoors | Transplant | Fall crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | Mar 13 | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Aug 11 – Sep 1 |
| Portland, OR | Feb 25 | Dec 31 – Jan 14 | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | Aug 25 – Sep 15 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Apr 25 | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | Jul 12 – Aug 2 |
| Denver, CO | Apr 30 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | Jul 6 – Jul 27 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Apr 23 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jul 10 – Jul 31 |
| Chicago, IL | Apr 10 | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | Jul 30 – Aug 20 |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 27 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | Jul 19 – Aug 9 |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 4 | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | Jul 27 – Aug 17 |
| Columbus, OH | Apr 20 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jul 18 – Aug 8 |
| Boston, MA | Apr 4 | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | Aug 3 – Aug 24 |
| New York, NY | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Aug 14 – Sep 4 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Aug 11 – Sep 1 |
| Washington, DC | Mar 29 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Aug 2 – Aug 23 |
| Charlotte, NC | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Jul 28 – Aug 18 |
| Nashville, TN | Apr 1 | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Jul 25 – Aug 15 |
| Atlanta, GA | Mar 25 | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Aug 3 – Aug 24 |
| Dallas, TX | Mar 2 | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Aug 23 – Sep 13 |
Growing broccoli: quick facts
| Frost tolerance | Hardy: survives hard frosts, down to about 25°F or colder |
|---|---|
| Soil temperature | at least 40°F to germinate; 45–85°F is ideal |
| Planting depth | ¼–½ in |
| Spacing | 18–24 in |
| Germination | 5–10 days |
| Days to harvest | about 65 days from planting out |
Typical figures from university extension planting guides. Seed packets give the best numbers for a specific variety.