Broccoli, Unpqua

Umpqua is named for the region in Washington State. First developed in 1990 by Tim Peters from Adaptive Seeds, Umpqua is a great open pollinated variety of broccoli with 5 to 6 inch wide heads. It also produces a ton of side shoots over a long harvest time making it a great garden variety. It tends to do best for fall harvest.

Broccoli: An old plant that was first documented grown in Italy before the Roman empire. We mostly eat the large clusters of flowers buds and the stems. Look to grow this early in the spring or in the fall when the cool weather helps keep it from getting too bitter and the flowers from opening.

Growing Tips: Broccoli can get pretty large, so make sure to plant them a good 18 inches apart to make sure they have plenty of light as they develop. Broccoli loves well drained, fertile soil so don’t skimp on adding compost before planting time.