When will my romanesco broccoli produce?

[serial_killer]

I started them on the first of the year, these are 1/2 and 1 gallon pots, is that enough soil or will they need more to bloom?

[Tinybu88les8]

You have a ways to go. I planted romanesco broccoli October and they are easily twice the size of yours. Mine actually just started to sprout a baby romanesco broccoli last week. I'll take a picture and upload it when I get a chance.

[RyanDe680]

I'm curious to see what they look like as well.

[cynthia_h]

The outer, larger leaves can be cut and mixed with kale, chard, etc. in sautéed greens. The leaves are terrific! And increase the yield of each plant considerably.

By the time our broccoli romanesco produced heads in Fall 2009, we had gathered several rounds of leaves. Definitely got our money's worth (work's worth, etc.) out of those plants.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[serial_killer]

Thank you thank you. My problem is space so removing leaves will help with that for sure, it wont hurt to do it now? Starting tomorrow the weather is going to be nice for the next 5 days so they'll get to go out. Is that is enough dirt, and if not what size pot is big enough (2 are in 1 gallon, 2 are in 1/2 gallon pots)?


How long does it usually take, google searching said 90 days seed to harvest and I'm more than 1/2 way threw that now, I'm not anxious, just trying to plan when replacements should be started.

[applestar]

I want to say 3 gallon pots would probably be better.... My Romanesco's were at least 20" across last year. I don't know that I would repot the bigger ones because they might not tolerate the repotting at this point, but maybe you could uppot the smaller ones.

[serial_killer]

Thank you. Usually when I need to re-pot I just cut away the plastic pots and set it straight down into a larger one, I don't like the flimseyness of these nursery pots but I use them just for that reason, cant just cut away thicker ones.

[RyanDe680]

So then is it best to prune back some of those leaves? I'd like to know this for the future and if someone has done this with good results.

How would that increase the yield? Allowing the plant to focus on the head more than the leaves?

[cynthia_h]

It is not pruning to harvest the outermost leaves of the plant. I only took the largest leaves at one time.

The "greater yield" = leaves + head, when looked at from season's end.

Cynthia

[RyanDe680]

Here's a pic of mine.

These are 3 weeks old