Your broccoli water needs sit at about 1-1.5 inches per week during the growing season. That's more than many garden crops but less than heavy drinkers like tomatoes. Broccoli likes steady moisture instead of big soaks now and then.
I've grown broccoli for eight seasons now. The plants that got steady water grew heads twice the size of stressed ones in the same bed. Water makes or breaks your broccoli harvest more than any other single factor you control.
Watering broccoli plants on a set schedule works better than waiting until they look thirsty. By the time leaves wilt, you've lost head size. The stress triggers plants to bolt or turn bitter in ways that no amount of water fixes.
I learned this the hard way my second year gardening. One row got drip lines. The other row got hose watering when I thought about it. The drip row grew 1.2-pound heads. The hand-watered row gave me 8-ounce heads with hollow stems.
Your broccoli irrigation requirements matter more than you might think. Plants use water to move nutrients from roots up to leaves. Without steady moisture, that transport slows down. Cells don't form right and you end up with tough florets.
Garden experts say to check your soil moisture at the 2-inch depth. Stick your finger in the ground near your plants. If it feels dry down there, water time has come. Most gardens need a good drink every 3-4 days in warm weather.
Too much water causes trouble too. I drowned a batch of seedlings my first year by keeping soil soggy all the time. The roots rotted before plants took hold. Your soil should feel like a wrung-out sponge, not wet like mud.
Morning watering works best for your broccoli. Leaves dry off during the day and that stops fungal disease. Watering at night leaves moisture sitting on your foliage for hours. That's asking for mildew and other leaf problems.
Mulch helps you water less often and keeps your plants happy. A 3-inch layer of straw or wood chips around your plants holds moisture in the ground. I cut my watering trips in half after adding mulch. The soil stays cool and damp on hot days.
Drip lines take the worry out of broccoli watering for you. A simple soaker hose on a timer puts water right at the roots. You won't skip waterings or overdo it by mistake. Most setups cost less than $50 to install in a small bed.
My advice: treat your broccoli like it wants a drink every few days. Check that soil often with your finger. Add mulch to stretch time between waterings. Your heads grow bigger and taste sweeter when you keep moisture steady through the season.
Read the full article: Broccoli Plant Spacing for Maximum Yields
