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.


More Broccoli Content

Cornell Commercial Vegetable Guidelines Available

The 2019 Cornell Integrated Crop and Pest Management Guidelines for Commercial Vegetable Production are now available!

Written by Cornell University specialists, this publication is designed to offer producers, seed and chemical dealers, and crop consultants practical information on growing and managing vegetable crops in New York State. Topics include general culture, nutrient management, transplant production, postharvest handling, organic production, and managing common vegetable crop pest concerns. A preview of the Vegetable Guidelines can be seen online.

Highlighted changes in the 2019 Vegetable Guidelines include:

• Updated pesticide options for economically important vegetable crop pests.
• New pests: beet armyworm in beets; cabbage looper and tarnished plant bug in lettuce and endive; allium leafminer in onions; and Cladosporium, Cercospora, and Stemphylium leaf spots in spinach.

Cornell Crop and Pest Management Guidelines are available as a print copy ($41), online-only access ($41), or a package combining print and online access ($57.50). Shipping charges will be added to your order. Cornell Guidelines can be obtained through many local Cornell Cooperative Extension offices, or from The Cornell Store at Cornell University or call (844) 688-7620.

Empire State Producers EXPO Proceedings

Proceedings from the Empire State Producers EXPO conference from 2011-2019 are available online.

2018 Cornell Vegetable Program Year in Review

2018 is behind us but we hope that our team's efforts to enhance New York vegetable production continues well beyond! This year, our Specialists gave presentations at 119 events, sharing our knowledge with 3,535 people.

We continue to conduct on-farm research to help answer the questions of our growers. The Cornell Vegetable Program managed 50 research grants and projects in 2018. We extend our gratitude to the 65 farms and organizations that offered us land, labor, and supplies to support our trials! We also want to thank those farmers that gave generous financial contributions to support our work as well.

We cannot forget to thank the 13 Cooperative Extension Associations that partnered with us this year too. We're excited to be adding Steuben County to our list of participating counties in 2019!

Our 2018 Year in Review brochure highlights our research and educational projects.