When to Plant Broccoli in NZ: How to Grow Broccoli by Region

Updated October 2026

Get seedlings in from late summer through autumn for the main crop. After the central head is cut, side shoots keep producing for weeks. Cover plants to keep white butterfly caterpillars off.

What it looks like as it grows

🌱 Plant profile: Broccoli, with sowing times for your region, companion plants and common pests.

When to Plant Broccoli in Your Region

Broccoli has two sowing seasons in most of New Zealand, late summer into autumn and again in late winter and spring. These are the months for each of our nine regions, straight from our planting data. Each region links to its vegetable planting calendar, and the Broccoli plant page has spacing, companions and care notes for your region.

From Northland to Nelson and Marlborough, including the central North Island, our data sows broccoli from January to April and again from August to October. The late summer and autumn sowings give the main crop, which heads up in cool weather. Canterbury adds November to its spring window. In Otago and Southland and Central Otago the window runs from September right through to April, because the cooler summers suit broccoli; cover early sowings with a cloche or frost cloth while frosts last, and get the last sowing in by April so the plants size up before winter growth stops. To see what else to sow alongside, open your region's month page, such as February in Auckland or March in Canterbury.

Best broccoli varieties for NZ

• Summer Green F1, Reliable summer-cropping hybrid with a large central head. (Kings Seeds)
• Winter Green F1, Cold-hardy hybrid for over-wintering and late harvests. (Kings Seeds)
• Sprouting Winter Rudolph, Purple sprouting broccoli with masses of tender side shoots. (Kings Seeds, Egmont Seeds)

How to grow broccoli

• Space plants about 45cm apart.
• Sow seed around 1cm deep.
• Position: full sun.
• Ready to harvest in roughly 90 days.
• Seeds germinate in about 8 days.

Growing Broccoli From Seed or Seedlings

Start broccoli in punnets and transplant the seedlings once they are sturdy, or sow direct and thin. Sow seed about 1 cm deep, and expect seedlings in about 8 days. Plant out before the seedlings get cramped in their punnets, because a pot-bound seedling is one of the causes of tiny heads.

1. Choose full sun and firm, rich, well drained soil, limed if it is acidic.
2. Space plants about 45 cm apart, a generous hand-span, so each one forms a full head.
3. Water deeply and consistently, and never let the plants dry out.
4. Feed with a nitrogen-rich fertiliser while the leaves bulk up, then ease off as the heads form.
5. Net the plants against white butterfly, whose caterpillars riddle the leaves.

How Long Does Broccoli Take to Grow?

Our plant data allows about 90 days from sowing to harvest. A February sowing in the north is ready around May, and an August sowing around November. Heat makes the heads open and flower early, which is why the cool season crop is the reliable one. Each plant gives one main head and then side shoots.

When and How to Harvest Broccoli

Cut the central head while the buds are tight, firm and deep green, before any yellow flowers open. Cut on an angle, and the side shoots keep producing smaller heads for weeks. Store broccoli unwrapped in the fridge crisper for up to 5 days, or blanch and freeze it. If your heads stay tiny, our broccoli buttoning guide explains the causes.

Growing Broccoli in Pots

Our plant data rates broccoli as partly suited to containers, in a pot of at least 40 cm. One plant per pot, full sun and steady watering give the best results, and a sprouting type such as Sprouting Winter Rudolph gives masses of side shoots from a single plant.

Companion planting

Grow broccoli near: Beetroot, Onion, Celery, Dill, Rosemary, Sage, Chamomile, Nasturtium.

Pests and problems

Watch for: White butterfly, Aphids, Diamondback moth. See our NZ pest and disease guide for organic control.

When it goes wrong

The most common ways broccoli trips people up, and what to change next time:

Tiny heads that open early

Buttoning, from stress such as cold, dryness, or being pot-bound too long. Keep growth steady with water and feed, and plant out before seedlings get cramped.

Leaves riddled with holes

White butterfly caterpillars. Net the plants or check under the leaves and squash the eggs and grubs.

Plant bolts straight to flower

Sown at the wrong time or heat-stressed. Time it for the cooler seasons in your region.