Thursday, March 31, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Spring Vegetable How To: Broccoli
FAQ: I plant Broccoli every year around Mother's Day and the plants produce yellow flowers, but no heads. What am I doing wrong?
The answer is pretty simple – you're planting them too late. Broccoli is a cool season crop you can plant as soon as you can work the soil. I would recommend planting broccoli as starter plants for spring crops, starting with more mature plants will ensure they produce heads before the heat of summer. In early August, you can sow seeds directly into the garden for a fall harvest. The seeds will germinate while the temperature is still warm, and heads will develop as the temperature cools. Even after the central head has been removed, the plants will continue to produce side heads well after frost. If you don't get to planting your broccoli until the early part of May, do not dispare, improved varieties are available that are more heat tolerant ('Green Comet' for example). But be sure to harvest as soon as the central head is 5-6” so the plant doesn't go to flower before you get to enjoy.
- Heather Moister
The answer is pretty simple – you're planting them too late. Broccoli is a cool season crop you can plant as soon as you can work the soil. I would recommend planting broccoli as starter plants for spring crops, starting with more mature plants will ensure they produce heads before the heat of summer. In early August, you can sow seeds directly into the garden for a fall harvest. The seeds will germinate while the temperature is still warm, and heads will develop as the temperature cools. Even after the central head has been removed, the plants will continue to produce side heads well after frost. If you don't get to planting your broccoli until the early part of May, do not dispare, improved varieties are available that are more heat tolerant ('Green Comet' for example). But be sure to harvest as soon as the central head is 5-6” so the plant doesn't go to flower before you get to enjoy.
- Heather Moister
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