I only set out eight broccoli tranplants this spring because if it gets too hot too early it bolts. But I had a NEED for some fresh broccoli so took a chance.
They are beginning to set heads. The weather is supposed to be in the 70's next week so I'm hoping that it doesn't get any hotter than that to give them time to finish.
I'll put in my main crop later in the fall, and hopefully have fresh broccoli all winter.
Excellent, HoneybeeNC. That is looking really good!
I planted 4 Packman transplants and am similarly sweating it out. The heads are pingpong sized and I'm happy it isn't too hot here right now. But with mine, one day the leaves looked picture perfect (like yours) and the very next day they looked like they'd been through a hole punch. I really thought I'd get just a few little holes as a warning, but no! Not *too* much damage, but a couple of the leaves were pretty hard hit (and then I sprayed).
So you have been warned, lol. Cross fingers the cabbage loopers are so full from my broccoli leaves that they have no more appetite.
LiseP - I plucked a cabbage looper off a broccoli this morning and a slug off the peas!
I've been growing mine under cover and still got hit. I spent part of the morning spraying BT and spreading ferrous sulfate. Come on little sweeties, lets have din din. I guess they're hatching out from eggs left last winter, but I did see a cabbage butterfly this afternoon.
Cole crops and tomatoes at the same time rare in tx. This is the first time my lettuce hasn't bolted and I have tomatoes in the ground. Weird weather
HoneybeeNC, I pulled a cabbage looper off my broccoil this morning. And then another FIFTEEN. Hard to believe, as I have only seen one cabbage moth but maybe yehudith has got the answer -- the eggs got laid long ago? No idea.
How many eggs does one moth lay? A lot I bet.
There were two army worms on my tomato plant, but my pruners turned two worms into four, in no time at all!
Here's a link about their life cycle http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg324.html
I hope your broccoli does better than mine! I planted forty transplants and got six nice heads of broccoli. Of course, we had record early heat this year. More high eighties and 90 degree days that seem possible in March. Most of the plants bolted and flowered early. I didn't really have the problem with buttoning that I worried about, but only a few plants formed normal, tight, heads. Everything else formed large, loose, heads that went immediately to flowers.
David
Mine have nice tight heads but still small. I'm debating whether to give it up and just harvest small (I could use the room in my raised bed) or hang on a bit longer. The largest is about tennis ball sized, the others look like green pingpong balls.
Our nights are still cool, so the broccoli seem to be heading normally.
Yeah, HoneybeeNC, I think that's it. We're still getting a break on night-time temps. I'll hang on awhile longer. My mouth is watering though!
I gave them some fertilizer yesterday, and watered them well. One of them is producing side shoots and a nice head. If they do bolt (sniff, sniff) I'll eat the leaves instead!
Cut seven of the eight broccoli plants today as they were about to flower. I had water boiling in my steamer as I brought them from the garden - can't get any fresher than that!
