Why Grow Purple Magic Broccoli? Beautiful, Nutritious Purple Magic Broccoli is an award-winning variety that brings stunning color and exceptional nutrition to the garden. This All-America Selections (AAS) winner produces large, dome-shaped heads that average around 1 pound, with striking purple florets and stems that stand out from traditional green broccoli. Ready to harvest in about 90 days from seed or 60 days from transplant, Purple Magic is an excellent choice for gardeners looking to grow something both unique and productive. Rich in Antioxidants with Outstanding Garden Performance Purple Magic Broccoli gets its vibrant color from naturally occurring anthocyanins—the same beneficial antioxidants found in blueberries and purple cabbage. In addition to its eye-catching appearance, this variety offers excellent flavor and outstanding nutritional value, making it perfect for fresh eating, roasting, steaming, or adding color to your favorite dishes. With its beautiful purple heads, dependable production, and impressive health benefits, Purple Magic is a standout broccoli variety for any home garden. Purple Magic Broccoli Growing Tips • When to Plant Broccoli Broccoli is a "cool season" vegetable that grows best in the fall and early spring months. Broccoli should be transplanted as opposed to being directly sewn in the backyard garden. Plant seeds indoors or in a greenhouse 4-6 weeks before your intended in-ground planting date. Purple Magic Broccoli transplants should be planted outdoors once they have a well-established root ball in their seed starting containers. Aim to put your transplants in the ground in the late summer months for a fall planting or in the late winter months for a spring planting. Broccoli plants should be planted approximately 1' apart along your garden rows. If growing broccoli in raised beds or containers using the square foot gardening method, give each plant approximately 1' of space for best results. • How to Fertilize Broccoli It's always a good idea to apply some pre-plant fertilizer to the soil prior to planting broccoli transplants. We like to sprinkle Coop Gro organic fertilizer on our raised beds or along our rows prior to planting. This ensures the plants have the right nutrients to put down roots in their new soil. As a general rule, the size of the broccoli plant will dictate the size of the main broccoli head that you harvest. To grow large heads of broccoli, you'll want to feed the plants well as they grow. If you have large broccoli plants with large leaves, you're almost guaranteed to have nice heads of broccoli. Once your broccoli transplants start to grow, feed them every 2-3 weeks with a relatively balanced fertilizer. We like to sprinkle Coop Gro around the plants or make a liquid solution of AgroThrive General Purpose and pour that alongside the plants. Either way, make sure they have the nutrients they need to make a big plant. *To learn more about how to fertilize certain cool season vegetables, watch this video. • When to Harvest Broccoli Broccoli heads should be harvested once they reach an acceptable size (usually softball size or larger), but before the heads get "seedy." If you leave broccoli heads on the plants too long, the green beads on the broccoli head will turn yellow and flower. Once this happens, the broccoli texture and flavor will be compromised. Although broccoli is considered a "cool-season" vegetable, the heads can be damaged by freezing temperatures. Mild freezes typically don't bother the plants, but a mild freeze can cause the heads to become mushy. If expecting freezing temperatures while heads are developing, consider covering the plants with a frost protection fabric or harvesting the heads early.