Hi Hank!

By 'broccoli' do you mean cauliflower? If you do, then yes, they need that much room. If, on the other hand, you're growing either calabrese or purple sprouting broccoli then you can reduce the spacing a tad. Hope this helps. Watch out for the slugs and snails!

Thanks for that B. No I mean Broccoli, I made 12 dishes of it with onions to freeze just yesterday ( damn silly diet ! ). I was hoping 12 inch spacing might suffice.

Well, with regular broccoli, the closer the spacing, the more leaves and the less head you get. For variety, try it steamed plain, with a little salt, and lemon pepper sauce at serving.

Thanks for that Tug, but I dislike broccoli intensely and can only eat it in a curry or as a soup but I get your drift. I just have to eat it, spinach too because of this awful diet

Hmmm...maybe with a zippy marinara and mozarella....
I was hoping that the lemon pepper sauce would help, Hank, since I never did like broccoli myself, 'til I had it that way. Oh, well. I'll keep looking for likely recipes. Would any dark green veggie do?

Thanks Tug, am looking at kale at the moment but it would have to be in a soup or curry. But am doing ok just now.

Tuscan--aka "dinosaur"--kale isn't as rank tasting as other kales, so it might help. Diets are a blamed nuiscance, and I know it as well as anyone, but there is no point in suffering any more than you have to. ;)
Blessings and healing on you, Hank!