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UC IPM Home > Homes, Gardens, Landscapes, and Turf > Vegetables > Cultural Tips
How to Manage Pests
Pests in Gardens and Landscapes
Time to plant
Cole crops include crops in the mustard family such
as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and cabbage.
They are hardy, cool-season vegetables. Ideally they
are best grown when the average air temperatures are
between 60° and 65° F. However, seeds germinate best
with slightly warmer temperatures of around 70° F so you
can start your seed indoors if you are planting later
in the season. The lower temperature threshold for growth
is 41° F and the upper about 77° to 86° F. Temperatures
in the upper range can stimulate cole crops to produce
seed heads especially if they have begun to head or reverted
to producing only leafy growth or no growth at all. Prolonged
periods of temperatures below 50° F can also stimulate
seed-stem elongation in cole crops.
All plants can be planted from transplants, shoots, or roots. Broccoli and cabbage are suitable
for a small garden if compact varieties are grown. In suitable climates, broccoli can be planted
more
than once a year for a continuous harvest. |
Planting
Dates for Cole Crops in California* |
Direct
seed or transplant |
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Broccoli |
Brussels sprouts |
Cabbage |
Cauliflower |
North and North Coast
Monterey County north |
Feb.–April
Aug.–Sept. |
Feb.–May |
Jan.–April
July–Sept. |
June–July
Jan.–Feb. |
South Coast
San Luis Obispo County south |
June–July
Jan.–Feb. |
June–July |
Aug.–Feb. |
July–Oct.
Feb. |
Interior Valleys
Sacramento and
San Joaquin valleys |
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July–Aug. |
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July–Aug. |
Desert Valleys
Imperial and
Coachella valleys |
Sept. |
July–Aug. |
Sept.–Nov. |
Aug.–Sept. |
| *Areas are large, so planting dates
are only approximate, as the climate may vary even
in small sections of the state. Contact experienced
gardeners in your community and experiment on your
own to find more precise dates. |
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