Best Fertilizer for Broccoli

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GardenSays

Work about 0.1 lb of nitrogen fertilizer (e.g. 21-0-0 or blood meal); use a low- or no-phosphorus product unless your soil test says otherwise into your 32 sq ft bed before planting.

Fertilizer: nitrogen
Amount: ≈ 0.1 lb
Next feeding: Not yet sourced

For a 32 sq ft bed, that's roughly 0.1 lb (2 oz) of fertilizer, spread evenly and worked into the top 6 inches a few days before planting. A soil test beats any rule of thumb — if you have one, follow it instead.

Don't use a 'Weed and Feed' product — the herbicide in it will kill vegetable plants.

Do this this week

1.Spread ≈ 0.1 lb of nitrogen fertilizer (e.g. 21-0-0 or blood meal); use a low- or no-phosphorus product unless your soil test says otherwise evenly over the 32 sq ft bed
2.Work it into the top 6 inches a few days before planting
3.We don't have a sourced follow-up schedule for this crop — watch the plant instead

Calculated result · 2 verified sources · Checked 2026-07-18 · How we decide

The link reopens this exact calculation.

Why

We don't have a sourced sidedress trigger for broccoli plants yet — after the pre-plant application, watch the plant (pale, slow growth may signal genuine hunger) rather than us guessing a follow-up schedule.

One balanced pre-plant application plus a fruit-set sidedress matches how demand actually rises.
A genuine heavy feeder for nitrogen — named explicitly alongside tomatoes and beets in extension guidance; UMN's own guide frames phosphorus/potassium as soil-test-first since many Minnesota soils already have enough P.

When this doesn't apply

Soil test results override this: high-P soils need nitrogen-only products.
Beds heavily amended with compost each year may need only half this rate.

How this was calculated

1. Feeding profile
Broccoli: A genuine heavy feeder for nitrogen — named explicitly alongside tomatoes and beets in extension guidance; UMN's own guide frames phosphorus/potassium as soil-test-first since many Minnesota soils already have enough P.
2. Pre-plant rate0.3 lb/100 sq ft (our estimate)
nitrogen fertilizer (e.g. 21-0-0 or blood meal); use a low- or no-phosphorus product unless your soil test says otherwise: 0.3 lb per 100 sq ft (midpoint of published extension rates), worked into the top 6 inches
3. Your bed≈ 0.1 lb (2 oz)Calculated result
0.3 lb/100 sq ft × 32 sq ft

Data sources

University of Maryland Extension — Fertilizing Vegetable Gardens — "Heavy feeders" like tomatoes, broccoli, and beets should receive 3 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. (checked 2026-07-18)
University of Minnesota Extension — Growing broccoli in home gardens — Many Minnesota soils have enough phosphorus; unless your soil test report specifically recommends additional phosphorus, use a low- or no-phosphorus fertilizer. Side-dress when plants are about four inches tall. Do not use any fertilizer containing a weed killer ("Weed and Feed"), as it may kill your vegetable plants. (checked 2026-07-18)

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