Calabrese
Umpqua Broccoli is a dependable Brassica oleracea cultivar that reaches harvest in just 60 days from transplant, making it one of the faster routes to a robust broccoli head. This variety thrives in full sun with consistent moisture, rewarding attentive gardeners with tight, dense crowns ready to cut before the slightest hint of flowering. Rich in vitamins C and K plus bioavailable calcium, Umpqua brings serious nutritional power to your table in under two months.
Full Sun
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Annual
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What sets Umpqua apart is its speed to maturity combined with the reliable production of dense, harvestable heads. The variety responds well to the standard broccoli growing rhythm, 60 days from transplant gets you from seedling to dinner plate with remarkable efficiency. Its positioning in the Botrytis Group means you're getting the classic broccoli head form that cooks beautifully and stores predictably.
Umpqua's dense heads make it ideal for steaming, roasting, or adding to stir-fries where you want florets that hold their structure during cooking. The substantial stems are edible and worth saving, lending themselves to slicing and cooking alongside the head itself. This is broccoli for the kitchen gardener who wants reliable yields for fresh eating or light preservation.
Start seeds indoors in warm conditions 25 to 35 days before your intended transplant date. This buffer ensures vigorous seedlings ready for outdoor conditions.
Transplant seedlings outdoors on schedule, spacing them 4 inches apart with 18 inches between rows. The 60-day harvest clock begins from this transplant date.
Direct seeding is possible starting in April, though it extends your timeline by 25 to 35 days compared to transplanting. Choose a location with consistently moist soil and full sun exposure.
Watch for the head to develop a tight, dense structure, this is your signal that harvest is near. Cut the main head with a clean, sharp knife when it reaches full size but before any yellow petals begin to emerge, as flowering signals a shift in flavor and texture. Remove at least 6 inches of stem with the head, and make your cut at a slant to shed water away from the exposed center and prevent rot. Once you harvest the main head, don't stop, continue cutting side-shoots regularly to push the plant into producing secondary florets throughout the season.
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