Brassica oleracea var. italica • Hybrid

This is the most popular broccoli at nurseries in the Austin area. It is especially prized for its ability to produce abundant harvests during warm spring temperatures and part of its “magic” is its quick 60 days from transplant to harvest.

JOY MAX SCALE ✦✦✦✦✧

✦ Excellent heat tolerance

✦ Does well in grow bags with lots of compost

✦ Great side shoot production after you harvest the main head

✦ Crunchy and delicious

✦ Hybrid bred resistant to foliar powdery mildew

✧ Most brassicas aren’t joy max for me because it’s usually a bit of a struggle. If it isn’t the squirrels, it’s the caterpillars. So just be watchful. Green Magic is one of the easiest varieties to grow though so I hope this is the breakthrough broccoli for you.

Basic Growing Information

Sow indoors, or direct sow in outdoor beds 1/4” deep after temps are below 85°. (Not recommended in Austin). Seedlings should be ready to transplant in 3-4 weeks. definitely by the time they have 5-8 leaves. Broccoli is a moderate to heavy feeder that does best in humus-rich soil amended with composted manure. Mix 1/2 cup complete organic fertilizer into the soil under each transplant. Direct Sow: 1/2” deep, 4-6” apart, then thin plants to 18” apart. Harvest when the flower buds are still tightly closed. Ice broccoli after harvesting to preserve the crunch.

Tips for Growing Broccoli

• For best results, make sure all your seed starting trays are sanitized and you have a nice, sterile seed starting mix

• Start these seeds indoors and then set out once it’s in the 60°s and they have 4-5 true leaves. Harden off for a week before planting in the ground, and then protect from cutworms and pillbugs once in the soil so they don’t disappear overnight. Broccoli prefers cool temperatures. Wait until consistently cool days to set outside for best results.

• Squirrels also tend to really love my brassicas, so consider a placement you can see from a window for defensive purposes. 

• Broccoli will suck all the calcium out of the soil, so add some bone meal or pulverized eggshells to your soil mix. 

Companion Planting

Celery, potatoes, radishes, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, & onions.  To repel brassica pests, plant near dill, rosemary, mint, garlic, marigolds, nasturtiums,  or thyme.  Avoid: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, mustard greens, beans, squash, strawberries.