Growing Broccoli Rabe (Raab): A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 10, 2026
Broccoli rabe, also spelled raab, isn’t a true broccoli despite the name. It’s a leafier, faster, more pungent brassica grown for its young leaves, stems, and small flower buds all together, with a distinctly bitter, mustardy edge closer to a turnip green than standard broccoli.
Fast and hardy
Direct-seed is recommended, sown 1 to 2 inches apart, a quarter to a half inch deep, in rows 18 to 24 inches apart, thinned to 4 to 6 inches. It’s hardy to light frost and prefers soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Transplanting also works: sow 2 to 3 seeds per cell 3 to 4 weeks before moving out, keeping soil warm, above 75°F, until germination, then cooling seedlings to around 60°F air temperature to grow on.
Flea beetles are the main threat
Fabric row covers on young plants are the most effective pest control here, since flea beetles target this crop hard. Control flea beetles with azadirachtin or pyrethrin if row covers aren’t enough, and use B.t. for cabbage worms.
A short, fast harvest window
This is a quick crop, ready in about 45 days. Keep picking young leaves, stems, and flower buds continuously for a harvest that stretches 2 to 4 weeks, rather than cutting the whole plant at once.
Broccoli rabe has no recorded companions or antagonists in our data. See the full companion guide for broccoli rabe for how it’s tracked. At 4 plants per square foot, it’s a fast, repeat-harvest brassica for the Garden Designer, a good early-season crop before slower brassicas come in.
Source: Broccoli Rabe (Raab): Key Growing Information, Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Companion planting guide for Broccoli Rabe (Raab) · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 2-11. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Method: Direct sow: Direct-sow outside. Broccoli Rabe (Raab) doesn't transplant well, or doesn't need the extra time indoors.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Broccoli Rabe (Raab) plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: 4 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1-1.5 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- 'De Cicco' broccoli rabe: Johnny's Selected Seeds recommends this as a favorite multi-cut, open-pollinated Italian heirloom for spring or fall planting, one of their most established broccoli rabe offerings. (source)
- 'Spring Raab' broccoli rabe (best for: season-long planting): Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this as the most versatile broccoli raab for growing throughout the season, a hybrid alternative to De Cicco where a longer sowing window matters more than heirloom status. (source)
Cited from the source shown next to each variety. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement.
Where to buy broccoli rabe seeds
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See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing broccoli rabe (raab)" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Broccoli Rabe (Raab): Not a true broccoli despite the name; a leafier, faster, more pungent brassica grown for its young leaves, stems, and small flower buds together.
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