I've tried to grow broccolli twice in my life and never had good results. I rarely get really big plants and what few that do get big have very small heads if any. And if I do get a few heads they usually bolt really fast.
So I am wondering is there something I need to know about broccoli????
Could there be something lacking in my soil?
Help me grow big beautiful heads of broccoli.
Thanks Mike
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pixelphoto
- Senior Member
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:13 pm
- Location: Middle Georgia USA
Hey neighbor! (if a little to the south)
Are you growing your broccoli in late fall, or early Spring? I've only grown broccoli once, and it did OK, but it seemed like a lot of plant! But it held up to cold nights (around freezing) and wasn't too difficult... then again, that was in FL, I haven't tried it here yet.
Anybody?
Are you growing your broccoli in late fall, or early Spring? I've only grown broccoli once, and it did OK, but it seemed like a lot of plant! But it held up to cold nights (around freezing) and wasn't too difficult... then again, that was in FL, I haven't tried it here yet.
Anybody?
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pixelphoto
- Senior Member
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:13 pm
- Location: Middle Georgia USA
EDIT: I found something!
I have a book by Jeff Cox that says to start broccoli in summer. You keep the seedlings cool by protecting them from the west afternoon sun by planting it next to something tall like sunflowers or corn. They like lots of water and nutrients, and temps that never get much above 80.
First he says to make sure the cultivar you choose will let it mature during the cooling days of late August or early September (haha, around here temps were still hitting 100 the past 2 years straight at those times so maybe we should be looking at October.)
The first shoot of finished broccoli, that grows straight up from the top, you go ahead and harvest by chopping it off the top of the plant. Then the plant will put out new sideshoots of nice edible broccoli that you can keep on harvesting. They will only be the size of golf balls or small oranges, but there will be lots of them. Keep harvesting them before any of them start to turn into little yellow flowers, and you should have broccoli right up until frost.
Worth a shot, next year!
I have a book by Jeff Cox that says to start broccoli in summer. You keep the seedlings cool by protecting them from the west afternoon sun by planting it next to something tall like sunflowers or corn. They like lots of water and nutrients, and temps that never get much above 80.
First he says to make sure the cultivar you choose will let it mature during the cooling days of late August or early September (haha, around here temps were still hitting 100 the past 2 years straight at those times so maybe we should be looking at October.)
The first shoot of finished broccoli, that grows straight up from the top, you go ahead and harvest by chopping it off the top of the plant. Then the plant will put out new sideshoots of nice edible broccoli that you can keep on harvesting. They will only be the size of golf balls or small oranges, but there will be lots of them. Keep harvesting them before any of them start to turn into little yellow flowers, and you should have broccoli right up until frost.
Worth a shot, next year!
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pixelphoto
- Senior Member
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:13 pm
- Location: Middle Georgia USA
