Broccoli · 'Ākra, Nineveh, Iraq
When to plant broccoli in 'Ākra
Main outdoor window
11 Feb - 4 Mar
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
25 February
In 'Ākra, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
12 Apr - 12 May
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in 'Ākra
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Start indoors
7-28 Jan
Seven weeks before your last frost, under cover or on a windowsill.
Sow for autumn
10-31 Aug
Counting back 104 days from your first frost so the crop matures in time.
Plant out
11 Feb - 4 Mar
Two weeks before your last frost.
Harvest
12 Apr - 12 May
Broccoli through the year
Against the frost risk in 'Ākra
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in 'Ākra
March has the highest average precipitation (58 mm); July has the lowest (2 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in 'Ākra
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.5°C (34.6°F)34.6°F (1.5°C) | 11.9°C (53.4°F)53.4°F (11.9°C) | 9.0 |
| February | 2.4°C (36.3°F)36.3°F (2.4°C) | 14°C (57.2°F)57.2°F (14°C) | 6.4 |
| March | 6°C (42.8°F)42.8°F (6°C) | 18.7°C (65.7°F)65.7°F (18.7°C) | 1.1 |
| April | 11°C (51.7°F)51.7°F (11°C) | 25.1°C (77.2°F)77.2°F (25.1°C) | 0.1 |
| May | 16.8°C (62.2°F)62.2°F (16.8°C) | 32.2°C (89.9°F)89.9°F (32.2°C) | 0.0 |
| June | 22.7°C (72.9°F)72.9°F (22.7°C) | 39.4°C (103°F)103°F (39.4°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 26.7°C (80°F)80°F (26.7°C) | 43°C (109.5°F)109.5°F (43°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 26.6°C (79.8°F)79.8°F (26.6°C) | 42.6°C (108.8°F)108.8°F (42.6°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 22°C (71.7°F)71.7°F (22°C) | 37.3°C (99.2°F)99.2°F (37.3°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 16.2°C (61.1°F)61.1°F (16.2°C) | 29.8°C (85.6°F)85.6°F (29.8°C) | 0.0 |
| November | 8.4°C (47.1°F)47.1°F (8.4°C) | 20.2°C (68.3°F)68.3°F (20.2°C) | 0.6 |
| December | 3.7°C (38.6°F)38.6°F (3.7°C) | 14.2°C (57.6°F)57.6°F (14.2°C) | 4.6 |
For broccoli, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing broccoli for 'Ākra
- March is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 58 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant broccoli
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 7°C (44.6°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Distinguish heading broccoli from sprouting broccoli
Start a manageable number of plants and transplant them before they become badly restricted in small cells. Space them for their mature canopy and keep the root zone evenly moist.
Harvest heading broccoli while the buds are still closed. Waiting for a larger head after the buds loosen can trade tenderness for open flowers.
Some varieties produce useful side shoots after the main head is cut. Keep a healthy plant only if its variety and remaining season justify the bed space; inspect for caterpillars before harvesting.
Growing in a container
Broccoli needs more space than its seedling suggests. Use a suitable large container for a compact variety rather than crowding several full-size plants into one pot.
What to record this season
When was the main head ready, and did useful side shoots follow? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: RHS calabrese growing guide . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The RHS guide is written for UK growing conditions. Its cultivation advice does not validate the dates calculated for your town.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Start a manageable number of plants and transplant them before they become badly restricted in small cells. Space them for their mature canopy and keep the root zone evenly moist.
Protect tender growth from frost and wait for suitable growing warmth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: duration, wind, plant age and acclimatisation affect damage.
This calendar uses frost-relative offsets as a starting point. Broccoli are timed from 7 weeks before that frost for an indoor start, with planting out 2 weeks before it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for 'Ākra.
The median frost-free season here is 291 days, against 60 to 90 days to maturity for this crop counted from planting out. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Also in 'Ākra
Other vegetables to time
Growing broccoli in 'Ākra
Can I grow broccoli in 'Ākra?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. March is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 58 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
When should I plant broccoli in 'Ākra?
Aim for 11 Feb - 4 Mar in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 12 Mar - 2 Apr - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When might broccoli be ready to harvest in 'Ākra?
The estimated period is 12 Apr - 12 May, based on 60 to 90 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.
How much frost will broccoli tolerate?
Protect tender growth from frost and wait for suitable growing warmth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: duration, wind, plant age and acclimatisation affect damage.