Broccoli is one of the easiest cole crops to grow. Modern broccoli varieties have been bred to form one large main head. This head is simply a tight cluster of flower buds. After the main head is cut off, multiple side branches and mini heads form along the plant. In most areas, the side branches and mini heads continue to form until the plant is killed by frost, insects, or disease, so from one plant, you can harvest right through summer, fall, and winter (if your climate is warm enough).

Choosing the right broccoli variety for your garden depends on a number of factors, including where you live and what you plan to do with the crop. Broccoli, like all cole crops, likes cool weather. Warm weather makes the heads flower too quickly, resulting in a bitter flavor. Gardeners in warm climates should choose varieties that withstand heat or mature early, before the heat of summer. If you plan to stock up for the winter by freezing broccoli heads, choose a variety with large heads that mature mostly at the same time. If you want a long, steady production of small but tender side shoots, choose an old-fashioned variety with good side-shoot production.

Here's a list of some of the best broccoli varieties to grow. The days to maturity number listed for each variety refers to the number of days from transplanting a seedling into the garden until the harvest of the main head. If you sow the seeds directly into the garden, add another 20 days to estimate the maturity date. Of course, the actual number of days will vary depending on weather and soil conditions. All plants listed reach about 1 to 2 feet (30 to
61 cm) tall:

• 'DeCicco': Heirloom variety produces a 3-inch-diameter (8 cm) main head, multiple side shoots, and tender leaves and stems. Matures in 48 days.
• 'Early Dividend': Hybrid that combines early maturity (43 days) with a large, 8-inch-diameter (20 cm) main head and lots of side shoots.
• 'Green Comet': Early-maturing (58 days) hybrid produces a 6-inch-diameter (15 cm) head and is very tolerant of diseases and weather stress.
• 'Packman': Hybrid that produces a 9-inch-diameter (23 cm) main head in 53 days. Excellent side-shoot production.

Harvest broccoli by cutting the main head when the flower buds are still tightly clustered together without any signs of blossoming - even if the head is smaller than you'd like it to be. After the yellow flowers open, the flavor turns bitter. If you leave a few inches of the main stem on the plant, many broccoli varieties respond by growing side branches that produce little heads.