Mississippi · zones 8a–9a
When to plant broccoli in Mississippi.
Sow or transplant between Jan 20 to Feb 17 in a typical year, keyed to Mississippi's median last frost around Mar 13. A second, fall sowing fits Jul 26 to Sep 4. Dates below are state medians; your ZIP code shifts them by days to weeks.
The 2026 windows
Broccoli dates for a typical Mississippi season.
1 · Start indoors
Dec 9 to Jan 6
About 6 weeks before set-out. Warm spot, real light.
2 · Set out
Jan 20 to Feb 17
Keyed to the ~Mar 13 last frost. Sow 0.5" deep, 18" apart.
Fall round
Jul 26 to Sep 4
Counted back from the ~Nov 9 first frost.
Harvest
~60 days later
~1.2 lb per plant over ~3 weeks.
Mississippi spans more than one climate: Zone 8 is the most common zone, but the state runs 8a to 9a. That's why the planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not your zone: mountain and coastal gardens in the same state can be three weeks apart.
Mississippi growing notes
Mississippi grows two very different broccoli soils.
The Delta versus the Piney Woods
Mississippi's geography splits broccoli growing into two problems. The Delta counties in the northwest carry deep alluvial clay, rich but slow to drain, where broccoli roots can sit wet enough after a spring rain to invite clubroot and other rot. Gardeners there do best building a bed 6 to 8 inches above grade with several inches of compost worked through it, rather than planting directly into flat Delta ground.
South and east of the Delta, sandy Piney Woods and coastal soils drain almost too well and hold nutrients poorly, which shows up as broccoli that heads early and small. That ground wants the opposite fix: more organic matter for water and nutrient holding, plus a side-dress of nitrogen around the time heads begin to form, since sandy soil simply cannot bank fertility the way Delta clay does.
Fall is the forgiving season
Mississippi's growing season averages 241 frost-free days statewide, among the longest in this region, though the hill country up in the northeast corner runs noticeably shorter than the Gulf Coast counties do. Statewide or not, that length works against spring broccoli: the jump from cool to genuinely hot arrives fast, and broccoli forced to head in rising heat throws small, loose, quick-to-flower heads instead of a tight crown. Transplants set for fall, timed to mature as the weather cools rather than warms, consistently outperform spring plantings across the state.
De Cicco and Belstar both mature reliably into Mississippi's mild fall without stalling the way a spring planting does in rising heat, and De Cicco keeps throwing a scatter of small side shoots for a month or more once you cut the main head, turning one transplant into several pickings. Set transplants out with enough lead time to finish heading before the season's first hard freeze; Mississippi's fall stretch is long, but it is not endless.
Flea beetles hit seedlings hardest
Flea beetles are the Mississippi broccoli problem people underestimate, riddling young transplant leaves with a shotgun pattern of tiny holes within days of setting them out. The damage looks worse than it is on an established plant, but it can stunt or kill a fresh transplant outright. Row cover from the moment transplants go in the ground through their first 3 weeks blocks the beetles during the only stage that truly matters.
Cabbage worms and loopers show up later as green caterpillars that blend into the leaf color; check the undersides of leaves weekly for pale yellow egg clusters and crush what you find. Aphids cluster on the newest growth in humid stretches and wash off with a firm spray from the hose, which is usually all a home planting needs.
In Mississippi: watch for
The pests that find broccoli here.
With about 241 frost-free days, broccoli spends longer in the ground here than in most of the country, which widens the window in which cabbage worms & loopers can find it. Scout weekly from midseason and act on the first signs.
Green caterpillars chewing ragged holes; green droppings.
Organic fix: Handpick, cover with netting, spray Bt.
Gray-green clusters tucked into the leaf folds.
Organic fix: Blast with water, then insecticidal soap.
Tiny holes peppering the young leaves.
Organic fix: Row cover from day one; diatomaceous earth.
Black rot
Yellow V-shaped wedges cutting in from the leaf edge, veins blackening inside.
Organic fix: Pull infected plants, water at the base, keep brassicas out of that bed 3 years.
Seedlings wilt, yellow and stall for no reason; white maggots tunnel the roots.
Organic fix: Row cover before the flies are up, when yellow rocket blooms; rotate the bed.
Your season math: Mississippi gives broccoli about 241 frost-free days, and it needs roughly 60 days to a first harvest. It's a one-planting crop, so time that single sowing well.
Planting broccoli in Mississippi: questions
When should I plant broccoli in Mississippi?+
In a typical Mississippi year, sow broccoli or set out transplants between Jan 20 to Feb 17, keyed to the state's median last frost around Mar 13. There's also a fall window: Jul 26 to Sep 4. Your exact dates shift with your ZIP code and microclimate.
When do I start broccoli seeds indoors in Mississippi?+
Start seeds inside about 6 weeks before set-out: roughly Dec 9 to Jan 6 for a typical Mississippi season.
What USDA zone is Mississippi?+
Mississippi spans zones 8a–9a, mostly zone 8. But frost dates, not zones, set planting time. The free planner uses your ZIP code's actual frost dates.
How many broccoli plants do I need?+
Depends who you're feeding. The crop page has exact counts per household size, or the free planner does the math for your family in about 60 seconds.