broccoli in the south

[rainbowgardener]

So my broccoli is setting heads already. The thing is the plants are little, only about half the size that my broccoli plants in Ohio would get before they started making heads. Our daytime highs have been in the 80's for a week already, so I think that is what has triggered it in to bloom.

Because I was still busy building and filling raised beds, so I didn't get it in the ground until about the end of March. That is two weeks later than I usually would have done in Ohio, which I think means it was probably a month late for here.

So any predictions about what will happen now? It will make heads, they just won't get real big? It may bolt and go straight to flowering before it gets much head at all? It will be 90 deg here by Fri, but then we are predicted to get some cool down and temps back in the 70's by 5/3 and staying there to the end of the 14 day forecast.

[Lindsaylew82]

They don't get very big here for us in years past. We haven't grown them in a few years. I'd very much like to have a fall and winter garden this year, including broccoli. We've never over wintered, but opted for Spring plantings.

[imafan26]

I planted my broccoli December 12 finally after multiple attempts starting at the end of July. I finally got broccoli in March. I have De Cico and it has been giving me small shoots pretty continuously since then. My plants are not that big maybe knee high.

[Lindsaylew82]

Ours never get higher than knee high. Crowns never get larger than 3" across for us. They do give us a few side shoots before they go all out bolt! Just gets so hot so fast here in SC!

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, even in Ohio, my best broccoli and especially spinach were fall planted and over-wintered. Cincinnati doesn't have a whole lot of spring. It seems to go from too cold to too hot very fast. I am really enjoying the long spring here!

I knew I was planting all the cool weather stuff a bit late for here, but I didn't have the beds ready to put them in, in time. Next year all I will have to do is plant! But I am looking forward to doing a fall garden.

[KitchenGardener]

Fwiw, I've been harvesting my broccoli for about a month now (three varieties which I'd have to go look up, haha), but I noticed that there were a few that lagged behind their peers in size. I assumed from the size of the plants (tiny) and the fact that they were making heads (tiny as well) that they were buttoning and they'd be a loss. But they are starting to grow! I'm assuming it was because they were competing with others which have now been cut down. I'm not sure what the end result will be - for sure the heads won't be as big as their peers - but hey, at least I'll get something! This may also have happened as we had a hot for us spell with weather in the high 80's and 90's; now its back to normal 70's.

[imafan26]

Actually, I cannot grow things as large as the northern climates just because I have a shorter day. I think that would probably be true the farther south you go. My broccoli is about knee high, but I kept it in the pot a while and it has been taller closer to 30 inches before. Sun intensity also increases the closer you get to the equator so in summer cool season plants like lettuce will mature faster but smaller and head up, tipburn and bolt faster too.

It is almost impossible to try to start anything in July or August so it is the best time to solarize the garden after the last harvest comes in. During the heat of summer where the temps can hover around the century mark and especially in Kona weather, shading helps. I plant cool season crops under the citrus trees in summer instead of in the open.
The tropical vegetables can take it as long as they get enough water but the temperate plants need more water and sometimes they need some shading from the afternoon sun. Chayote vines actually shrink in summer but will come back again when the weather cools.
I can grow tomatoes year round but rarely do I have a tomato over one pound. I get close but it is rare to get fruit that large unless I cull more tomatoes.
The things that really like the heat are corn, beans, squash, sweet potatoes, and melons. Most people here grow gourds instead of squash and just about everybody knows how to eat an upo gourd. Good thing since the vines can be very prolific.
https://www.stuartxchange.com/Upo.html

Although the days are shorter the growing season is longer.

[rainbowgardener]

Interesting what you said about day length, imafan. I'm less than 400 miles south of where I used to be and not very close to the equator, so I wouldn't have thought there would be much difference, but just for fun, I looked it up. Currently here in Chattanooga area we are have 13 hr and 53 min of daylight. Where I used to be in Cincinnati, they are having 14 hr and 10 min. So they have 17 min more daylight a day. I think that is compensated for by the fact that it is so much sunnier here and the sun is coming in at a more direct angle.

But by the solstice, we will be having 14 hrs 31 min of daylight and they will have 14 hrs and 55 min, so most of an extra half hour. Still may or may not make much difference, but interesting.

I came back to this thread because both my broccoli and spinach are starting to bolt, even though still small. Not too surprising since we've been having temps in the mid 80's most of the time for a couple weeks now.

I knew that I got them in about a month late for conditions here, best I could do because I had to build the gardens. I will plant again in fall and they should do better.

In the meantime lettuce, swiss chard, kale are still going strong....

[gumbo2176]

I never plant broccoli in the late fall/early spring because our weather gets warm pretty fast during spring, heading into summer.

I planted 6 Pacman broccoli plants in early October of 15 and they started slow this time with a good bit of foliage but not much in the way of heads. Then all of a sudden the heads appeared and developed and I got real nice size heads (10+ inches across) and then tons of side shoots for several weeks afterwards. They overwintered just fine, but as soon as it warmed up, they went to flowering, so out they came.

[rainbowgardener]

Since I am new here and having to learn how things do best, I am hoping to do two plantings of the broccoli and spinach, one in mid Aug and one in mid Oct, see how they do.

Mid Aug is always a difficult time to find room in the garden to plant things, though!

[gumbo2176]

Mid Aug is always a difficult time to find room in the garden to plant things, though!

The good this is, broccoli transplants are really small and don't take up a lot of room for several weeks and by that time, a lot of what is already in your garden may be played out. I would think mid August would be ideal in your zone. I plant mine between late Sept. and early Oct. most years. Once I get the okra and its roots out of the ground and turn the soil over, I open up a lot of space since 80 okra plants take a lot of room.

[imafan26]

Variety may also play a part in size too. I guess pacman makes a large head. I plant DeCicco and Italian sprouting, they make small heads but a lot of side shoots and tolerate more heat. I do start them or at least try to start them in July so I will have heads when the weather is still cool around November, that way I can harvest side shoots longer.

The varieties with the best heat tolerance produce smaller main heads but produce side shoots.

[Lindsaylew82]

Rainbow, are you noticing cabbage butterflies, yet? We saw our first yesterday afternoon.

[rainbowgardener]

Have not noticed any yet!

[Susan W]

Just more 2c here from the midsouth. Broccoli is not easy, but put in a few for the bonanza some years! For spring planting, start early and set out as soon as you feel comfortable doing so. It may make nice, and then again may not! For fall planting, tricky. It is hot in Aug and Sept and the cabbage worms will eat it up, what there is. The plants need started under shade cloth, and protected from cabbage butterflies. Sometimes I buy a 6 pack of starts, just because. Spinach should winter, and chard can be a summer greens crop.

Check out a couple of farmers markets, and you can readily see what does, and what doesn't!

Distances? 400 mi south of Cincinnati? Drive miles less than 300 I think, and as crow flies less north to south.

[Gary350]

I live 30 south of Nashville TN I don't plant broccoli in the spring here anymore it gets too hot too quick they always go to seed. I plant broccoli first of September. We don't get frost until after Halloween. We don't usually get freezing weather until Christmas. Broccoli, chard, Spanish, kale, peas, lettuce, turnip greens, Chinese cabbage, carrots, all do very well when planted the first week of Sept.

[Susan W]

Speaking of broccoli, I stopped at a different farmers market today, checking out the who's who and whats. One fellow had broccoli and cauliflower, beautiful! We were vendor neighbors at the market I usually do, and we chatted. He lives over the line in MS, retired from county extension, and now grows lots of stuff. We did have a mild spring, and he starts lots of stuff inside, but I was in awe! He had just picked zucchini, new potatoes and more. Yes, I fell for broccoli, zucchini and potatoes. My eyes got big looking at the pretties!

[rainbowgardener]

Wow! Zucchini already! My potato plants are blooming. I'm thinking that means there will be new potatoes soon?

I harvested some of my broccoli today even though the heads were only 2.5 " across. The heads were starting to loosen up and weren't going to last much longer. Some of the broccoli is in a slightly shadier area, so will be OK for a few more days.

The plants are starting to make little side shoots already.

[rainbowgardener]

You were spot on, Lindsay!! Today I noticed my first cabbage white butterfly fluttering around my garden!

[Lindsaylew82]

Ugh! I hate those things! I barely have nasturtiums poking their little seedling heads out, and I keep catching them hovering....

[Lindsaylew82]

I wanna get one of those little tennis racquet bug zappers.... The only reason I haven't yet is because I'm afraid big kid will misuse!