Broccoli ?

jerzyjen 5/23/2010, 9:08 am

My broccoli plants look big and beautiful, but they still have no head! Is this normal? I remember having tiny little heads last year and was wondering if im heading down the same road and if there is anything i should be doing now to help. This photo is the largest one i have now. Started it from seed back in January and planted in March. I'm in NJ - zone 6b.

lisaphoto 5/23/2010, 9:11 am

Mine look exactly the same, and I was wondering about them too. Interested to see the responses

**camprn** 5/23/2010, 9:39 am

My guess is that it will be a while yet, maybe a month or perhaps longer. The plants look nice and healthy! Nice job. Very Happy

jenjehle 5/23/2010, 9:46 am

I was wondering the same thing... will be watching this post closely!!

My broccoli plant is big and beautiful with a little tiny green broccoli head in the middle. And I mean tiny... the size of a pea! Have to squint to see it! But I'm glad it's there. Here's hoping it grows to be big Broccoli ? 418730

and yummy

Lavender Debs 5/23/2010, 10:28 am

Keep an eye on it!!!! The monsters in the grocery store are not what you might get at home. Watch the buds, yours should get a little bigger because they will swell BUT you will want to cut it BEFORE it starts to look loose. After loose come flowers. You can still eat it then but it is a little sweeter before it flowers. It should make more "side shoots" after the central head is cut. Sometimes they end up being slightly larger than the central head if the central is small.

Enjoy!

boffer 5/23/2010, 10:40 am

LOL In my experience, yours looks normal! I planted mine on 2/20, and I've never had one look like this so fast-so of course I have to find something to worry about!

Broccoli ? 100_2216

Lavender Debs 5/23/2010, 11:30 am

I would be thinking about clipping that head.....to me it looks ready. And, um Boffer, your marigold is blooming? Wow!

boffer 5/23/2010, 11:37 am

Lavender Debs wrote:And, um Boffer, your marigold is blooming? Wow!

Is it not supposed to be? Liz brought home 3 twelve packs, all with flowers that survived the transplant. :idea: for the other thread that's current again

Lavender Debs 5/23/2010, 11:52 am

You amaze me B. My chives and thyme are blooming but not mairgolds. Sweet.

Back to broccoli (do not be decieved by the monsters of Monsanto) Real broccoli can be small and very tender OR something to brag about at the next fair.

Broccoli ? May_2220

No buds in sight....
Broccoli ? May_2221

nancy 5/23/2010, 12:39 pm

jerzeyjen - my broccoli look just like yours. They were planted March 30 as transplants. I see no head yet, but I have faith it's coming!

SirTravers 5/23/2010, 1:01 pm

Mr brocolli was planted in between Jen's and Boffers....I think it was March 18th when I set that box up. The heads on my brocolli are just about the size of a half dollar coin so I'd say everything is right on track.

Dietryin 5/23/2010, 1:55 pm

nancy wrote:jerzeyjen - my broccoli look just like yours. They were planted March 30 as transplants. I see no head yet, but I have faith it's coming!

No head either! Planted March 19th, Zone 5A.

Judge Kemp 5/23/2010, 8:28 pm

Well, I assumed I had about 3 weeks left on the broccoli, even though it was looking good last week. The package said 55-65 days, so I figured no way it could be eaten. Just checked on it today, and it was starting to flower.

Here it was last week:

And, it went to flower today. I chopped it and another one and there are already two heads growing under it. I'll be steaming two big heads tomorrow for supper!

**camprn** 5/23/2010, 8:58 pm

Sweet!

bullfrogbabe 5/23/2010, 10:41 pm

No heads on my broccoli yet.

Started it from seed indoors March 15 and transplanted them outside April 25. It is getting big, has several large leaves, and the stems are thickening (almost has a cross section of a nickel). The timeline in Mel's book suggests I shouldn't expect to harvest anything until late June.

The 2 broccoli I planted last year only produced itty bitty heads that weren't even big enough to call "a bite". The stems didn't thicken and the heads were puny. This years crop already looks bigger, so I am hopeful that this is a sign of better things, hopefully broccoli to come.

bullfrogbabe 5/24/2010, 2:33 pm

My broccoli as of May 24, 2010:
Broccoli ? Img_0010

cherriesjubilee 5/24/2010, 7:02 pm

It looks wonderful! Best of luck with your broccoli.

carolintexas 5/25/2010, 3:46 am

once you harvest your broccoli will the plant grow another one? what about cauliflower...do you just get one head from a plant?
she asked with much embarrassment at being such a noobie Broccoli ? Icon_redface

plb 5/25/2010, 8:20 am

It's actually a very good question! Once you harvest your broccoli, the plant will grow a few smaller florets. For cauliflower, it won't produce anything after harvesting the first head, so just chop it, put it on the compost bin and use the square for something else!
Also, I wouldn't worry (yet) about the broccoli not heading. If they do that too early you'll get very small heads. This is a plant that takes a long time to get to maturity... Mine are not showing any sign of heading either.

cherriesjubilee 5/25/2010, 10:04 am

Yes, I did get some side shoots after the main head was cut. Make sure you only cut off a head with about 4 or 5 inches of stalk -- not lower than that!

Don't make a mistake like I did last Fall. I decided to apply some organic fertilizer, about once per week, once my broccoli plants started growing good. I had lots of beautiful, large, leafy plants, but no heads. All the nitrogen went into growing good-looking leaves.

Learned my lesson this Spring. Just Mel's mix, and I actually got some broccoli crowns. I've started broccoli transplants indoors, and used transplants purchased from the store. I plan to try both again this coming Fall.

Good luck.

Little Thumb 5/25/2010, 10:26 am

Just give them a little more time. I had the same problem and was wondering if I would ever have some broccoli. I finally started to see some head growth and ever since they are growing very fast.

Little Thumb 5/25/2010, 10:30 am

Well I tried to post this before but it didn't work.

Hope it works this time.

vfclead 5/25/2010, 1:52 pm

I'm just down the road in Wilmington, DE and in the same boat. The stems and leaves are HUGE (shading my sweet red pepper plant and corn behind it) but no head yet. We'll keep waiting and watching along with ya!

Jennifer

jenjehle 5/26/2010, 8:47 am

Little Thumb wrote:

Well I tried to post this before but it didn't work.

Hope it works this time.

When I was reading through the posts, I came to this picture. And for a moment I thought "I don't remember posting a picture of my broccoli" b/c this looks EXACTLY like mine. I quickly realized this was NOT my broccoli but am glad mine is coming along the same as others Smile

extremesoccermom 5/26/2010, 8:57 am

Your broccoli looks wonderful. I have grown it for a few years now but I have a big problem with a green caterpillar. They eat more broccoli than my family every year. Does any one have any ideas how I can combat these little buggers. I currently check my plants twice a day and hand pick them off. I don't want to use a commercial pestaside but the family does not like finding cooked caterpillar in their vegetables.LOL. Broccoli ? Icon_wink

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