Broccoli is a type of cabbage that belongs to the cruciferous family. An annual plant grows well in open, sunny areas. What is broccoli? How is a vegetable useful for humans? How to grow cabbage properly? This, as well as an overview of popular varieties, how many days a vegetable ripens, we will consider within the framework of this article.

Description of broccoli cabbage

The birthplace of broccoli is Asia Minor and the Eastern Mediterranean. From Italian "brocco" is translated as an escape, a branch.

What does broccoli look like, characteristics:

  • An adult plant is 60-90 cm in height;
  • At the end of the stem, loose heads of dark green or violet-green color are formed, which are eaten;
  • The green heads are cut before the flowers turn yellow;
  • When the greens are pinched, new buds begin to form, so broccoli bears fruit all season;
  • Calorie content of cabbage - 34 kcal / 100 grams;
  • In appearance, the vegetable resembles a cauliflower.

Broccoli

Broccoli cabbage is appreciated for its appetizing aroma, pleasant delicate taste and useful properties. The vegetable is considered a storehouse of vitamins. It contains vitamins and minerals.

Broccoli composition:

  • Calcium;
  • Potassium;
  • Iron;
  • Phosphorus;
  • Sodium;
  • Magnesium;
  • Manganese;
  • Copper;
  • Iodine;
  • Boron;
  • Chromium;
  • Selenium;
  • Proteins;
  • Carbohydrates;
  • Carotene;
  • Vitamins of group A, B, C, E, PP, K, U.

Due to the high content of vitamin C in cabbage, it is a good antioxidant. Broccoli protein is very high in vital amino acids. Broccoli is nutritionally comparable to beef or chicken protein.

Broccoli contains many vitamins and minerals

Beneficial features

Broccoli is in the leading place in terms of the content of useful microelements. Vitamins and minerals play an important role in humans. By interacting with each other, they have a positive effect on health.

Broccoli

Why broccoli is useful:

  • Vitamin U is used for the treatment and prevention of stomach ulcers;
  • Potassium is responsible for removing excess salts from the body;
  • Calcium makes hair and nails healthy;
  • Magnesium has a beneficial effect on the work of the cardiovascular system;
  • Selenium removes slags, heavy metals.

Broccoli contains beta-carotene - a trace mineral for beauty, health and youth. Amino acids contribute to the production of endorphins.

The protein of green heads contains a protein that is equated to meat or chicken eggs due to the high content of lysine and isoleucine. Compared to animal products, broccoli protein contains no cholesterol. The composition contains substances that help to remove harmful organic compounds.

Additional Information!Broccoli is recommended to be included in the menu for people with heart disease, cardiovascular system. The beneficial properties of broccoli are used to prevent strokes and heart attacks.

The product contains fiber, which allows you to normalize the digestive tract processes, cleansing the intestines. Broccoli participates in the process of bile secretion, facilitates the work of the biliary organs.

Broccoli is a must for diabetics. The vegetable contains substances that normalize the level of insulin in the blood, protect the walls of blood vessels.

Broccoli is a must for diabetics

For problems with the nervous system, regular consumption of broccoli is indicated.Physiologically active components have a positive effect on the heart muscles and the nervous system.

The high content of carotene in broccoli helps to strengthen the retina and lens of the eye.

A decoction of cabbage seeds is used against helminthic infestation.

Regular consumption of vegetables has a beneficial effect on skin condition. Broccoli removes toxins, free radicals, dead cells from the body.

Note!The green heads contain folic acid, which is necessary for pregnant women for the normal formation and development of the fetus.

Broccoli is used in the prevention of cancer. The cabbage contains sulforaphane. The substance is able to slow down and stop the development of cancerous growths.

Contraindications to eating broccoli

Broccoli varieties

Despite the many beneficial properties of cabbage, there are cases when broccoli is undesirable.

What is harmful in broccoli and can be hazardous to health:

  • Do not use cabbage broth for cooking. It contains adenine and guanine - substances that are harmful to the body. Therefore, when preparing vegetable soups, it is not recommended to boil the heads for a long time. With prolonged heat treatment, the beneficial properties of the vegetable are lost;
  • Great harm from broccoli to the body can be caused if you use heads fried in oil over high heat. During the frying process, carcinogens are formed that negatively affect health;
  • It is cautiously recommended to eat raw vegetables for people with gastrointestinal diseases. With increased acidity of the stomach, it is undesirable to include fresh cabbage in the diet.

Types of broccoli

Broccoli, cultivation and care in the open field

There are two main types, according to how broccoli looks like:

  • Calabrese is the most common type. The head of cabbage consists of a large number of dense inflorescences of dark green color on a thick stem;
  • Italian or asparagus broccoli - the plant forms stems with small, loose heads. The stems are eaten. They taste like asparagus.

Broccoli Calabrese

More than 200 varieties of broccoli are known.

The Russian State Register contains 5 varieties:

  • Tonus is an early ripe variety. The heads are dark green. The peculiarity of the variety is the amicable ripening and regrowth of lateral buds;
  • Linda is a mid-season variety with large heads. The weight of the heads reaches 500 g. The color of the cabbage is dark green. New lateral heads are formed at the cut points;
  • Fiesta is a mid-season cabbage variety. Dense green heads are formed on the stem; after cutting, the lateral buds do not grow back;
  • Arcadia is a mid-season hybrid, the plant develops and feels comfortable even at low temperatures. The heads are gray-green, dense, large;
  • Monterey is a mid-late hybrid with a large, dark green central head. The weight can be up to 1.9 kg.

In addition to the listed varieties, the following varieties of broccoli are on sale on the Russian market:

  • Vyarus;
  • Green sprouting;
  • Arcadia F1;
  • Emperor F1;
  • Corvette F1;
  • F1 laser;
  • Fiesta F1;
  • Atlantic;
  • Genoa;
  • Dwarf.

Broccoli variety "Vyarus"

Green broccoli

The variety of cabbage differs from the rest in its nutritional value and vitamin composition. The green color of cabbage indicates a high content of vitamin C.

The varieties of green broccoli are different:

  • By the timing of ripening;
  • The structure and shade of the heads;
  • Fruit weight;
  • Rules of agricultural technology;
  • Taste characteristics.

Varieties should be chosen according to two criteria:

  • Ripening period. Early varieties can be harvested 50 days after planting in open ground, while later varieties can grow 140 days or more. Therefore, it is important to select a hybrid, taking into account the climatic conditions of the area;
  • Productivity. Cabbage can grow and thrive well even when tightly planted. Depending on the variety, the yield ranges from 1 to 7 kg per 1 sq. m.

Green magic f1

An early hybrid of broccoli cabbage. The ripening period from the moment the seedlings are planted on the site is 2 months.

Early variety "Green Magic f1"

The hybrid is grown in seedlings.Grows well in fertile land, can be planted on loamy soils. Seeds purchased in the store do not need to be additionally processed or disinfected.

On a mature plant, a domed head is formed, rich in green. The average weight of the head is 400 g. The vegetable has a pleasant delicate taste.

Agricultural rules

Growing broccoli cabbage from seeds at home is possible even for inexperienced gardeners. Cabbage is planted in open ground with ready-made seedlings. Sow broccoli seeds for germination 5-6 weeks before the planned date of planting in the garden. You can plant seed material at home in containers or in a greenhouse. The recommended planting depth is 1 cm; a distance of 2.5 cm must be maintained between the seeds.

Before sowing seeds, prepare the soil. You can buy ready-made nutritious soil at a store or make it yourself.

Planting broccoli

If garden soil is taken, then it must be disinfected:

  • Warm up the soil in the sun for 1-2 weeks;
  • A day before sowing seeds, water the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Ash, dolomite flour and humus are added to the soil. After planting the seeds, the soil is watered by sprinkling so as not to wash out the planting material. The optimum temperature in the room should be 20-22 degrees, after the emergence of shoots, it can be reduced to 15 degrees. The soil should be moderately moist. Broccoli sprouts should appear in 7-10 days.

Additional Information! Seedlings should be planted in open ground at the age of 35-45 days, starting in mid-May. Cabbage grows well at a temperature of 16-25 degrees, tolerates a sharp drop in temperature to -7 degrees.

The plot for cabbage must be prepared in the fall. It should be level, on a well-lit and warm side of the garden. The garden bed is cleared of weeds, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied. The acidity level should be weak or neutral, therefore, if necessary, lime or dolomite flour is added to the soil. Nitrogen supplements are applied to the site in the spring before planting seedlings.

Broccoli Care:

  • Moderate watering;
  • Weeding;
  • Top dressing;
  • Loosening;
  • Hilling.

Fertilization is carried out 2 weeks after transplanting. Organic fertilizers are applied to the soil. Harvesting is carried out before blooming and yellowing of flowers. When the heads are cut, new lateral shoots grow.

Fertilizer for cabbage

The best varieties of early cabbage for the Moscow region

The early varieties are considered to be the ripening period of 2 to 3 months.

The most popular varieties of cabbage for central Russia:

  • Batavia F1 is one of the best early varieties. Cabbage with rounded heads of dark green color. Seeds are planted starting in mid-March. From 1 sq. m you can get up to 2.5 kg of broccoli. The disadvantage is a short shelf life after harvest;
  • Lord F1 is a high-yielding variety with excellent taste characteristics. Cabbage ripens 60 days after transplanting into open ground. The average head weight is 1.5 kg. The variety is resistant to powdery mildew;
  • Vitamin - ripening period is 75-80 days. The average weight of a head of cabbage is 300 g. The crop must be harvested before the heads become loose. The variety got its name because of its high vitamin content.

Broccoli is a healthy and tasty cabbage that is easy to grow in your summer cottage. The chemical composition of broccoli makes the vegetable an irreplaceable food product, starting from childhood. When choosing a variety, it is important to focus on the climatic features of the area. Knowing the simple rules of agricultural technology, how best to grow broccoli in the country from seeds and recommendations for collecting and storing crops, you can independently prepare a vitamin vegetable for the whole family for future use.