Broccoli
Broccoli is grown on an estimated 800 acres throughout New York State. Multiple plantings are typically grown along with other Cole crops such as cauliflower, cabbage and kale on small-scale diversified vegetable farms. Broccoli is predominantly grown from transplants set in April and May for a spring crop and in late June through August for a fall crop. Broccoli that is harvested in July and early August tends to have very high cull rates due to abnormalities caused by heat stress. Broccoli is cut during the cooler part of the day and sold as soon after harvest as possible, as it does not store well.Fortunately, recent genetic breakthroughs have overcome broccoli's susceptibility to heat stress and broccoli growers in New York look forward to the availability of new varieties adapted to the hot and humid summers of the Northeastern United States. Cornell University is leading an ambitious effort to develop a $100 million broccoli industry in the Eastern United States. Below you will find educational information and results of our research trials.
Sprouting Broccoli and Mini Cabbages for Early Spring High Tunnel Harvests
Elisabeth Hodgdon, Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Providing a diverse offering of vegetables for early spring CSA shares and markets can be a challenge. Offerings usually consists of leftover storage root crops, salad greens, and radishes. Due to their cold tolerance and quick growth, brassicas are promising crops for cool spring high tunnel environments. Last spring, we trialed two varieties of sprouting broccoli and four varieties of small cabbages at the Cornell Willsboro Research Farm to develop seeding date and variety recommendations for our region. We harvested fresh broccoli and tender cabbages in mid-May—excellent timing for the start up of farmers market season.
Broccoli Grower Survey
Elisabeth Hodgdon, Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Our colleagues Christy Hoepting and Chris Smart are excited to be part of a 4-year USDA multi-state project on Alternaria leaf spot and head rot in broccoli, which is starting this growing season. This "Control Alt Delete" project will utilize genomics, population genetics and fungicide resistance profiling to understand the Alternaria pathogen(s) that attack brassicas - "get to know the enemy" so-to-speak. Plus, the project aims to design practical and economically sound strategies to limit losses from Alternaria, which will be relevant to all brassica crops.
Long Island Heat Tolerant Broccoli and Cauliflower Variety Trial
Natasha Field, Field Technician
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Report of the 2019 Long Island Heat Tolerant Broccoli and Cauliflower Variety Trial conducted by Sandra Menasha of CCE Suffolk.
Brassica Project 2018
Amy Ivy, Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Our New England colleagues have launched a regional project related Brassicas, and New York growers and colleagues are welcome and encouraged to join in.
The Brassica Pest Collaborative is intended as a place where growers and extension folks can talk to each other and share observations and questions throughout the season so feel welcome to join and contribute all things Brassica! They are also looking for more growers to join that list and to sign up as collaborators who will implement a practice and collect some scouting records to help them assess efficacy of given practices on real farms. Growers can sign up by emailing brassicapest@umass.edu and include information about your farm, pest issue and what strategy you would like to try to implement.
Can it be True?
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
A product called LandSpring was labeled in NY back in July of 2017 and may help reduce transplant shock of certain crops. Learn more about what it is and how it works.
LandSpring NYS Label
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
2018 Eastern New York Fruit & Vegetable Conference Vegetable Presentations
Presentations from the 2018 ENYCHP Eastern New York Fruit & Vegetable Conference held February 20th and 21st for the vegetable sections.
Organic Production Guides
Robert Hadad, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
Organic Production Guides for fruits, vegetables and dairy are available through the NYS Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. They outline general practices for growing vegetable and fruit crops using organic integrated pest management techniques.
2010 Broccoli Variety Evaluation
Christy Hoepting, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
The 2010 Broccoli Variety Trail consisted of 27 entries from 7 seed companies. Industry standards included Diplomat, Gypsy, Green Magic, Imperial and Windsor. Two varieties, Major and Bl 10, were included to evaluate heat tolerance.
See complete report below
O-zone Injury on Vegetables
Crystal Stewart-Courtens, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Hot, humid weather with stagnant air masses may lead to ozone damage on crops. Ozone warnings were recently issued for much of New York. These warnings are intended for people with respiratory problems and let them know they should limit their outdoor activity and try to stay as much as possible in air-conditioned locations. These warning are also a good indicator that ozone damage may occur in plants.
Swede Midge Website
Julie Kikkert, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
As swede midge continues to spread to more farms and gardens across the United States, a comprehensive website is available to aid in the identification and management of this pest of cole crops.
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Upcoming Events
Agricultural Supervisory Leadership Certificate Program
June 17, 2022
June 23, 2022
June 30, 2022
July 7, 2022
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July 28, 2022
Supervisors are critical to the success of farm businesses. They have a major impact both on employees' daily work experiences and on the production performance of the business. The agricultural Supervisory Leadership certificate helps farm supervisors and managers learn and apply human resource management practices and leadership skills that foster rewarding workplaces and drive business results. Confident managers who thoughtfully apply leadership and management skills improve employee performance, develop teams, reduce employee turnover, and increase employee engagement. The courses within the certificate program will offer extensive practice and engagement activities to build confidence and skill sets.
Getting the Most Out of Every Pass - Calibrating Airblast Sprayers for Best Results
June 29 - June 30, 2022
University of New Hampshire Extension Field Specialist Emeritus, George Hamilton will demonstrate the importance of and best techniques to calibrate air blast sprayers. Proper calibration will ensure effective, efficient, economical and legal spraying. Inadequate spray coverage is usually the cause of poor spray efficacy and additional spray applications. Overuse of some sprays results in unhealthy residues and can lead to fines.
Calibration should be done several times each season, or when you incorporate any new equipment or repairs - from the tractor to the nozzle. Join us for a refresher or send new employees for training. This workshop is open for any grower that relies on an airblast sprayer to deliver plant protectants to fruit or vegetable crops.
Peru Weed Management and Soil Health Field Day
July 20, 2022
Peru, NY
Join us in Peru on July 20th as we discuss orchard weed and soil management! Speakers will be joining us from across Cornell's research and extension teams. Topics will include the results of our herbicide timing trials, new vision-guided technologies for orchard weed spraying, organic weed management options, soil health demonstrations, and a discussion on our statewide orchard soil health survey. DEC credits are pending for this event.