Broccoli takes a long time to mature, so be patient! Once you harvest the main head of a broccoli plant, it will often keep producing smaller side shoots that can be enjoyed for months to come. One ounce of broccoli has an equal amount of calcium as one ounce of milk. Learn more about the amazing health benefits of broccoli. I did spray soapy water on the broccoli leaves as aphids had arrived Those darn squirrels are so cute, but they are nibbling away at my young broccoli leaves!
Every day a notice just a couple more leaves gone. It could also be rats, as I do see them around this urban neighborhood which boarders on wilderness.
I have never seen a bunny, so I don't think it's bunnies. Deer would just take out the whole plant in one go! That stinky dear spray may be helping a little.
The bunnies are tough characters, for sure. I have planted Broccoli on your recommendation in my backyard garden it is doing well. This is the first time I have planted some vegetable. Thank You! Thank you for your article. I'm planning to plant broccoli in my home garden. This was helpful. My broccoli plants are not forming heads. They are just sprouting top stems with the small flowers. The leaves are healthy and I have mulched the plant How do I get them to produce the broccoli head.
Most broccoli plants produce heads in cool weather; only a few produce in temps over 85F. Additionally, the folks at the Missouri Cooperative Extension Service suggest that broccoli that is planted too late in the spring will experience heat stress and flower early.
Transplanting an oversized transplant will often result in premature flowering. Other causes of early flowering include nitrogen stress too little or overhardening. I live in Upstate NY, Zone 5. Since then the weather has gotten quite warm, degrees for several days. I have left the plants in the garden - is there a chance I will get side shoots once the weather cools off? The plants don't look stressed or have pests. I have in the past, gotten a-lot of side shoots as late into November, but I don't remember having the plant being "dormant" no shoots for so long.
Appreciate your insight. Perhaps it depends on the weather. Broccoli is a cool-season crop, after all. We planted seeds after last frost. We have greens that have come up but no green heads. What went wrong? I live in Ontario Canada and have the same problem. Leaves only after 8 weeks and taller than tomato plants. I had to pull them out so tomatoes get their share of the sun.
First time trying to grow Broccoli. I also planted from seed. Not all plants, even those in the same family, grow at the same pace. My broccoli plants have gotten about 18" in height but haven't gotten a head on them. Any ideas? Broccoli likes to be kept cool. Or, is it too cold? Another reason for lack of heading is a lack of nutrients or water. Is your soil nutrient-rich? Spread some some nitrogen such as fish emulsion. Another issue can be watering. Water the broccoli plants deeply and infrequently, about 1 to 2 inches of water per week.
I have planted my seeds in a burpee starter container 4 days ago and they have sprouted, if I wait weeks before transplanting them outside after hardening them it will be around June 3rd here in Massachusetts our last frost is around the first week of May.
I don't want to transplant them in June if that's bad timing and they won't grow. Thank you! Read the information above, Franciele. Broccoli likes cool weather. Conditions in different parts of Massachusetts as anywhere can vary widely. While we do not write seed packet directions, that time range is suggested to give the grower a wide window of opportunity to get seed started.
Remember that time from seed to transplant is not included in this figure. Plant or thin seedlings 18 to 24 inches apart in the row and allow 36 inches between rows. Space plants one foot apart in all directions in beds. Use starter fertilizer for transplants and side-dress with nitrogen fertilizer when the plants are half grown.
Provide ample soil moisture, especially as the heads develop. The edible part of broccoli are compact clusters of unopened flower buds and the attached portion of stem. The green buds develop first in one large central head and later in several smaller side shoots.
Cut the central head with 5 to 6 inches of stem, after the head is fully developed, but before it begins to loosen and separate and the individual flowers start to open show bright yellow. Removing the central head stimulates the side shoots to develop for later pickings. These side shoots grow from the axils of the lower leaves.
You usually can continue to harvest broccoli for several weeks. For more information on aphids, see our feature in the Bug Review. Imported cabbage worms are velvety green caterpillars. The moth is white and commonly is seen during the day hovering over plants in the garden. Cabbage loopers "measuring worms" are smooth, light green caterpillars. The cabbage looper crawls by doubling up to form a loop and then moving the front of its body forward.
The moth is brown and is most active at night. Diamondback worms are small, pale, green caterpillars that are pointed on both ends. The moth is gray, with diamond-shaped markings when the wings are closed. The damage caused by diamondback larvae looks like shot holes in the leaf. The larval or worm stages of these insects cause damage by eating holes in the leaves and cabbage head.
The adult moths or butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves but otherwise do not damage the plants. The worms are not easy to see because they are fairly small and blend with the cabbage leaves.
Cabbage worms are quite destructive and can ruin the crop if not controlled. They are even worse in fall plantings than in spring gardens because the population has had several months to increase. About the time of the first frost in the fall, moth and caterpillar numbers finally begin to decline drastically. For more information on cabbage worms, see our feature in the Bug Review.
Harvest the central head when the individual florets begin to enlarge and develop and before flowering begins. Size varies with variety, growing conditions and season of growth; but central heads should grow to be 4 to 6 inches in diameter, or even larger. Late side shoots may reach only 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Yellow flowers may appear before the heads are ready to harvest during periods of high temperatures.
Planting too late in the spring or failing to give the plants a good start contributes to this condition. Premature flower development also may be caused by interrupted growth resulting from extended chilling of young plants, extremely early planting, holding plants in a garden center until they are too old or too dry, and severe drought conditions.
Small heads that form soon after plants are set in the garden are called "buttons" and usually result from mistreated seedlings being held too long or improperly before sale or planting. Applying a starter fertilizer at transplanting gets the plants off to a good start but cannot correct all the difficulties mentioned.
Since broccoli grows best in cool weather, your garden plan should produce a fall and spring harvest. The large central head is the spring harvest and smaller side shoots will be ready in the fall. Harvest when the head is large and firm, with a compact cluster of small flower buds with none open enough to show bright yellow flowers. Look for bright green or purplish-green heads. Yellow flowers and enlarged buds are signs of over-maturity. Store the broccoli, unwashed, in loose or perforated plastic bags in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator.
Broccoli left unrefrigerated quickly becomes fibrous and woody. Store fresh broccoli in the refrigerator for days. After you've harvested a plant's central head, you can encourage extended side-shoot production by scratching a little nitrogen-rich fertilizer such as fish meal or aged manure into the soil around its base.
Freezing temperatures can cause chilling injury that turns buds purple and sometimes softens heads, though they are still good to eat. Just don't let heads freeze and thaw repeatedly.
Offer cold-weather protection with floating row covers, which provide an additional 4 to 8 degrees worth of warmth — shielding harvests from heavy freezes and extending the season by up to four weeks.
You can also cover broccoli with tunnels or a cold frame, which can boost daytime temperatures by 10 to 30 degrees. Insect pests are generally less prevalent in fall than in spring. But if your broccoli does suffer an infestation of destructive caterpillar pests such as cabbage loopers, you can control them with Bacillus thuringiensis var.
For best flavor, harvest broccoli heads while the buds are just starting to swell but before the yellow petals start to show. Keep an eye on the head because when it begins to spread open, the individual buds start to flower. Harvest the central head by cutting the stalk at a slant, about five to eight inches below the head. This encourages side-shoot production for continued harvests.
Diffley says it's important to harvest broccoli in the morning before the plants heat up, because broccoli has a really high respiration rate. Now that you're set to grow the best-tasting broccoli ever, be sure to keep that flavor intact by not overcooking.
Check out the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen's favorite way to prepare broccoli below:.
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