Broccoli heads not developing

Larraine Winkler 6/8/2013, 1:13 pm

My broccoli plants are all big leaves and tiny heads. Put plants in early May and weather since has mostly been cool, cloudy and we've had lots of rain. Now they are about 16" tall, huge leaves and almost no head. Any ideas on what's wrong?

brainchasm 6/8/2013, 1:20 pm

I think I would just counsel patience. The part you want is the flower head, and obviously that is the last thing that will grow.

Make sure your broccoli is getting some shade/partial sun.

Way towards the bottom of this link, it gives you a timeline...

http://myfolia.com/plants/149-broccoli-brassica-oleracea-italica-group

**Turan** 6/8/2013, 1:52 pm

The days to harvest on a seed packet are approximations from time of transplanting. Expect to wait from that point about 2 months, which is about 3+ months from sprouting. So sometime in July and hopefully side sprouts into August.

boffer 6/8/2013, 2:01 pm

What you're describing sounds like it could be premature buttoning.

This site (U of MN) may help you decide if it is, and whether or not there are corrective actions to consider.

Otherwise, patience, Grasshopper!

squaredeal 6/8/2013, 11:33 pm

Mine are enormous, and only just early this week have I seen the beginning of a flower head.

**camprn** 6/9/2013, 8:35 am

I agree with Turan, it's early yet. Patience! What a Face

Larraine Winkler 6/9/2013, 12:55 pm

Thanks, everyone. I sort of think the severe lack of sun has something to do with it. Maybe this week Old Sol will make an appearance (raining again right now). I'll just watch and wait.

Larraine Winkler 6/11/2013, 7:59 pm

After more carefully inspecting my broccoli, I am convinced something is wrong and the heads will never develop. As I said previously, the leaves are huge, but heads spindly. One plant is starting to flower. See pictures. Any more ideas? Broccoli heads not developing P6120010

**RoOsTeR** 6/11/2013, 8:00 pm

Threads combined.

**llama momma** 6/11/2013, 8:18 pm

Larraine-
Mine is growing weird too, yours for whatever reason is bolting. I would eat it asap since it is finished and turning into flowers.
Here is a picture of mine, it is trying to bolt and underneath that head is a ring of small heads. In this case I transplanted very late so its my own fault.
Anyway here is mine- think I'll make broccoli cheese soup with it tomorrow morning, leaves and all.
Broccoli heads not developing Sam_1614

**camprn** 6/11/2013, 8:19 pm

Larraine, cut that flower stalk off for supper. Wink

The plant will eventually put out side shoots.

For the new gardeners, it is often unachievable to get the size broccoli head you are seeing in the grocery store. AND, in the grocery store, there are often several flower heads sold in a 'bunch', making it appear larger than it actually is.

**llama momma** 6/11/2013, 8:20 pm

For some reason, on my computer the picture is off center, if you click on the pic you can get another version of it centered correctly.

Larraine Winkler 6/11/2013, 8:31 pm

I can't understand why it would be bolting -- we've hardly had temps into the mid 70s and mostly cloudy with lots of rain. Oh, well, I do think I need to harvest and use what I can. Maybe a fall crop will do better. The broccoli cheese soup sounds great, since I doubt I could make much of a meal out of them.

**llama momma** 6/11/2013, 8:35 pm

They like cold weather that's all I can say. I've had very nice results growing broccs in the fall. If you are growing from seed be sure to check the planting charts if you have the book, in my area I am suppose to plant indoor seeds now to get them ready to transplant later.

Triciasgarden 6/11/2013, 8:46 pm

Larraine something else I noticed is that it seems like you don't have as many leaves as you should on your plant. It may be you have a different variety than mine so I may be wrong. Maybe it was the issue with not much sunlight since you didn't have the heat that would make them bolt. Maybe that is why it did not produce a lot of leaves and a spindly head. How many plants do you have? Are they all doing the same thing? It could be that broccoli has a certain amount of days of life in it. My broccoli usually does what yours is doing when there is a lot of heat so that is strange.

I would cut off the top so your plant(s) can then send the energy into producing side shoots.

Larraine Winkler 6/11/2013, 8:53 pm

All four plants are doing the same thing. In fact, one plant doesn't seem to have a head at all! Bought plants at a reputable garden store. If a fall crop does the same thing, maybe I'll just put it all to radishes next year -- they are pretty reliable. Very Happy

boffer 6/11/2013, 8:55 pm

Larraine Winkler wrote:I can't understand why it would be bolting -- we've hardly had temps into the mid 70s and mostly cloudy with lots of rain....

Broccoli can survive temps into the mid-twenties. However, the right combination of cool temps at the wrong time during the tender development phases causes early bolting (premature buttoning).

Fall often provides bigger heads for many gardeners. Eat the side shoots if any; in a couple weeks it will be time for you to plant your fall broccoli.

**camprn** 6/11/2013, 8:56 pm

Larraine, the weather.... did it warm up some after you put the plant in the garden and then get cold again? That can sometimes trick the plant into bolting and flowering early. That's what happened to my bok choy.

Triciasgarden 6/11/2013, 9:06 pm

I just happened to read this in a book called "All About Vegetables". It says: "Premature flowering may also be caused by extended chilling of young plants, extremely early planting, transplants that are too old or too dry . . ."

Larraine Winkler 6/11/2013, 9:08 pm

It only warmed up for a couple days, then back to chilly, rainy, cloudy. Finally today we saw the sun for a few hours, but supposed to rain again tomorrow. My lawn is almost soggy (and last year we had a drought). Gotta love Mother Nature tongue

The good news is that the eggplants and peppers look good and so do the tomatoes. Peas are starting up the trellis and beans are starting. Zuccinni doing well, but don't see much from the carrots yet. Bunching onions barely visible. But I do love going into the garden each day to see what's up. Hubby is going to build me a garden bench so (when it stops raining) I can sit there and meditate (ahhh).

**camprn** 6/11/2013, 9:14 pm

Larraine Winkler wrote:
The good news is that the eggplants and peppers look good and so do the tomatoes. Peas are starting up the trellis and beans are starting. Zuccinni doing well, but don't see much from the carrots yet. Bunching onions barely visible. But I do love going into the garden each day to see what's up. Hubby is going to build me a garden bench so (when it stops raining) I can sit there and meditate (ahhh).

NICE!!!

Broccoli heads not developing Yoga-yoga-exercise-mental-smiley-emoticon-000680-large

Triciasgarden 6/11/2013, 9:19 pm

**Turan** 6/29/2013, 3:35 pm

How are the broccoli now? Did they make any side shoots?

I just picked my first 4 heads from the Green Goliath plants 55 days from transplanting, right on schedule. We will have them with garlic scapes tonight. These plants already have lots lots of side shoots starting. It looks like the DeCiccio is forming heads. No sign of heads yet on the Calabrese but they are much later than GG (80 days vs 55). I got to get around to mulch them......

quiltbea 6/29/2013, 4:23 pm

I lost both my spring broccoli and my cauliflowers this year due to cold, then hot, then cold again. They bolted before making full-enough heads.
Try again in the fall. Fall brings forth better brassicas because there's no heatwave imminent, just cooling weather, which makes them grow nice and healthy. And the insects are about gone so no bug problem in the fall either.

Larraine Winkler 6/30/2013, 4:53 pm

Once the warm weather came for good and we had some sun, the broccoli perked up. One of the 4 plants produced a nice head and the side shoots on the others keep coming. Everything else is doing good, also. Harvested lettuce and radishes. Zuccini has 6 fruits coming. Should have planted more peas and labeled them better. I put in 3 different types of peas, but only 3 plants of each. Now the labels have worn off and I don't know which plants are which type. Guess I just pick & eat. Only the carrots and bunching onions are slow to come. Next year I need to plant more than one seed in each hole for the carrots -- germination rate not great. Here's a pic of one of the boxes. Broccoli heads not developing P1010011

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