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.
Relevant Events
Vegetable Workshop: Garlic and Brassicas
March 4, 2025
Essex, NY
Blueberry Pruning Workshop
March 26, 2025
Altona, NY
Champlain Valley Apple Pest Management Refresher
March 27, 2025
Chazy, NY
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, Program Assistant
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.
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Upcoming Events
Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Series 2025
January 17, 2025
January 31, 2025
February 14, 2025
February 28, 2025
March 14, 2025
: Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Series 2025
Week 1: Digging Into Pruning and Soil Health
Week 2: Cider Apples - Mechanized Harvesting and Patulin Food Safety
Week 3: The Value of "Eco-Friendly" Marketing - OMRI, Red Tomato, EcoApple, NYS Grown and Certified
Week 4: Biopesticides and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) for Berries
Week 5: St. Peachtrick's Day - Stone Fruit Insect and Disease Management
Remote Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course
February 17 - February 18, 2025
REMOTE Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course
Monday, Feb. 17 and Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025
8 am - 12:30 PM
Held remotely via Zoom (online)
Registration: $10 per person, open to NY state participants only
Includes printed course manual ($60 value), certificate of course completion ($35 value) and online food safety resources.
All produce growers are encouraged to attend this course to learn more about food safety practices recommended for all farms. This course contains NEW information contained in the finalized Subpart E rule on agricultural water. The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) that requires 'At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.' If you've already earned your PSA certificate, retaking this course is a great way to refresh your memory and learn about the new water requirements!
After attending the entire course, participants will be eligible to receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) that verifies they have completed the training course.
From Seed to Success: Turn Your Idea into an Actionable Plan
January 7, 2025
January 14, 2025
January 21, 2025
January 28, 2025
February 4, 2025
February 11, 2025
February 18, 2025
February 25, 2025
March 4, 2025
: From Seed to Success: Turn Your Idea into an Actionable Plan
Do you need a business plan for your farm? Do you have an idea for a new venture, but aren't sure if it will work? This program is for you!
This course is designed for existing farm businesses or those planning to undertake a new farm business venture. Students will work with their farm's data, and the goal of the class is for participants to have a draft of a written business plan for a specific business venture.
During the course, you will learn to:
- Assess whether or not a business idea is a good fit for you.
- Develop a marketing strategy to make a profit
- Use financial tools to evaluate if your business has the potential to be profitable
This online course meets from January 7-March 4, 2025. All course content is available online so you can work on it at your own pace. There will be weekly webinars where you can meet other students and interact directly with the instructor on the content. These webinars will be recorded.