Fall Contest - Show us your Biggest Brassica, Broccoli!

Announcing The Fall Contest of the Biggest Brassica, Broccoli!



Goosegirl has accepted my challenge. She has a little head start as I scramble to find transplants of "premium crop" variety of broccoli. I have high hopes to compete between the power of Mel's Mix including llama poo and llama tea. Will it make up the difference of GooseGirls head start? Stay tuned!



But first - any guy or gal may join us. Just give us a hollar!

And one rule for this game to be fair for those us competing in different zones, your broccoli diameter must be measured before a single flower bud turns yellow. And it must be measured before 2011 ends. Sound fair ? Let's Play!



Llama Momma

Alas, I have no bananas - uh, I mean broccoli! But I will eagerly watch the contest! I don't know who I'll be rooting for yet - let's see who plays! I hope someone from the Coastal and Tropical South has broccoli and will play. I think it can be grown here, but I've never tried and would undoubtedly learn something about how it can be successfully grown here!

Whooo hoooo! Another contest! I love it!

Goosegirl - - I found out my favorite nursery will have transplants ready in about 4 days. We are definately on.

LlamaMomma

sherryeo wrote:Alas, I have no bananas - uh, I mean broccoli! But I will eagerly watch the contest! I don't know who I'll be rooting for yet - let's see who plays! I hope someone from the Coastal and Tropical South has broccoli and will play. I think it can be grown here, but I've never tried and would undoubtedly learn something about how it can be successfully grown here!

Whooo hoooo! Another contest! I love it!

Sherryeo, thank you for your interest! Sorry you don't have broccoli.

I am interested in trying my best, having fun, and learning. Last Fall was my first attempt at sfg, and was quite pleased with the broccoli. But I freaked out at the worms when I salt bathed them in the sink to remove what I thought may be a couple worms. But Hundreds of worms grossed me out! I did not use Bt or floating row covers. I cringe now but I threw all 25 heads back into the compost heap! This year I hope to wage a better war with Bt and f.r. covers.

Well, I guess I will have to actually start paying attention to my scraggly broccoli! They survived the rabbits, survived 115+ heat index, and complete lack of attention by me. Planted by seed in May 2011, it has yet (through no fault of its own) to start developing a head. This is my first attempt to grow broccoli in the far north, so I am very interested to see if there will be any kind of success - no matter how crazy!

GG

A little inspiration...time elapse of broccoli sprouting



Video details are here.

Have fun with this. My Broc was done in July.

I'll play. In fact, my first just popped up this weekend. I plan on having 4 broccoli plants this fall. We'll see, however.

Sherry, I have plenty of DeCicco seeds. If you want a few, just PM me your address, and you can play when your weather cools off in awhile. DeCicco, I doubt, is a huge head variety, but I enjoyed it this spring. Each plant gave me two nice harvests.

Welcome to the Fall Contest, BackyardBirdGardner!

That makes 3 of us so far.

Hope we all learn something new.

LlamaMomma

Thanks Boffer for sharing the neat video, and the music was great too!

The broccoli video was really cool! Really fun to watch them bop their heads around like that

I'd play too, but I didn't grow any broccoli this year

Littlesaphire, my location is Central Ohio, is Jamestown gardening zone that much different? Maybe you can still purchase a few transplants and play with us? I am buying a few transplants from the nursery later on this week.

Looks like we're about the same zone or at least pretty close, Llama momma. However, nurseries around here haven't had transplants since July! I have some broccoli seeds, but I get the feeling it's too late for me to start those

I yanked out my beans and corn and old broccoli and cabbage plants to plant my "long-legged" broccoli and cauliflower starts. I have about 30 squares of plants going. We'll see what happens!

I'll play too! Why not? I'm growing my first ever broccoli, in my first ever garden, so maybe I'll have beginner's luck? It's not a premium variety though I don't think. I transplanted a little six pack of broccoli I bought from Shorty's nursery that was just called "fall blend". I picked it because it said it was vigorous and easy to grow. That certainly seems to be true so far. I've only had them 3 weeks and they are already outgrowing their squares.

Right now the cabbage moths are really enjoying them. I am hand picking worms and eggs off until I can buy some BT. That's getting more time consuming as the plants get more leaves! But I've been house-bound with sick kiddos, so gotta make do.

Anyway, count me in!

Ok, I missed out on the carrot challenge but I just planted 16 broccoli transplants late last week. I"M IN!!!



This will be fun!

Madnicmom - 16 competitive plants from one person, yeah! Thats the spirit!



-Littlesaphire, when I called the nursery they were out of transplants but planned to have more ready the end of this week, maybe call your favorite place to see if they will have them again too?



-Squaredeal, I don't know what long legged broccoli is but I imagine it is substantially taller than other varieties?



-Gwennifer, you said beginners luck, gosh you may not need it with Mel's Mix.



This will be only my second year growing broccoli. One hint - Patience!

Last year I was sure I would never get any heads because there were so many leaves and nothing else for the longest time. I wrote to my local tv garden master. Turned out I needed to be more patient and sure enough about a week after I gave up tiny budded heads began to appear on all the plants. Ohh the happiness.

The garden continues to give joy, patience, commitment, challenges, then delicious fruits of our labor. I stand outside, stare and marvel at how we do our little part, sticking those little seeds in the mix then the incredible knowledge of nature takes over and does the other 95% of the work! Oh my I am gushing, yikes!



Welcome to everyone who wants to play in the 2011 Fall Broccoli Contest! Hope I didn't miss out welcoming anyone else who said they wanted in!

Ok I want to clarify something from my last entry, the reason for writing to a local tv gardener last Fall was that is was my first garden and I did it strictly from Mel's book - but had Not yet been active on the website. Now I am on this website every day. There is great information all over this site!

i see your central Ohio. Are you north of 70? if so, we should have different weather patterns. I didn't believe it til I saw it. the weather is so different north of 70.



edited to add: Here is the kicker ---- We don't eat Broccoli!!!! It's for the parents/father in law!

Does it matter what kind of broccoli?

I'm growing 6 green sprouting calabrese broccoli plants. Planted 2 plants in July and 4 more in August (beginning of the month).

Madnicmom-

Hello neighbor! I am located 15 miles south of 70. Oh yes the weather is different north of 70. Weather patterns seem to often run easterly following directly over 70. So you don't have steamed brocc with melted cheese? Or raw in salad? Or include it in stir fried meals? No cream of brocc soup? Oh dear I am sad for you! I am teasing! But you do have very lucky relatives who get to eat your broc. I am thinking read somewhere the mighty brocc is also one of those powerful stomach and/or intestinal (i think) cancer fighters too. Maybe reconsider if you found a delicious recipe....

AprilakaCCIL - Welcome to the contest! Think there is already about 7 of us in the contest! I did not make any restrictions on the variety to be used. Go for it, we're just comparing notes and having fun to see who winds up with the largest broccoli head diameter before 2011 ends. Just measure the diameter before any buds turn yellow. I hope the time frame is generous enough to include other gardening zones as much as possible while at the same time keeping the contest in 2011. Good Luck!

LlamaMomma



p.s. What? no Guys doing broccoli?? Just because its not a manly CARROT, doesn't mean the rest of the veggies are sissies!

Alrighty then. I'm in with 75 squares of Packman and Thompson that I started from seed in July. Some is under shade cloth; some isn't. It's all about the temperatures.

I'm struggling for innuendos....BBG....heeeelp!!

we have baby seedlings going now....planted them *i think* a couple of weeks ago....they are still small....how big are yours Boffer? ..right now LOL?...your seedlings....LOL....just wanted to see if mine are on track in growing to be able to enter the contest....we have never planted a fall garden before....we are trying....they are only seeds....LOL.....thats my new saying now

hugs

rose

-Welcome Boffer ! Glad you are not exhausted from the last contest:D !!

-Family Gardener, I have to buy transplants to be able to play this fall.



Can someone advise Familygardener as to using seedlings at this point in order to play and measure head diameter by the end of 2011? My guess is it might be too late but I really don't know. Someone Could consider starting a Big Brassica Contest#2 if we need to extend the gardening season fun!?! Just a thought



OK now there are 9 of us willing to share the joy of Big Brassicas !