broccolli question

To keep production going and enjoy your broccoli as long as you can, definitely go for the side shoots. If you have 5 plants producing, you will have a couple of meals a week once they get started.

Some varieties make better side shoots than others, and some come faster than others, too. Last year I grew 'Flash' from seed, and it made new side shoots to edible size within 2 weeks of harvesting the main head. This year, I got transplants of 'Packman' and it seems to be slower.

I agree, leave as many leaves as you can when you harvest the heads. Mine are in Earth Boxes, but I still give them a quick shot of Miracle-Gro after harvesting the first head.

Elaine

After harvesting the main head, I leave the leaves on just for the side-shoots so I get the largest size, then after a while of harvesting side-shoots, I harvest the leaves and they are so good!

Harvested all the large heads and side shoots so pulled it and fed it to cows as it was loaded with aphids. Got 6 more packman plants my husb. picked up for me today. Now its turning cooler they may do even better. i will get them planted tomorrow.
Bonnie
Good luck to all with your brocc.

Gymgirl wrote: >>Then, I shouldn't show you that same broc today, right?
Ok. Bye.>>

LOL, silly girl, of course I want to see it -- jealous or not. I can drool, can't I?
Btw, I have zero broccoli, although I have a couple plants. Not sure what I did wrong or if I'm just way behind everyone. But I'll keep watering them and see what happens! Meanwhile, enjoy some for me.

Need to correct that. Broccoli heads are forming! They are the size of a pea, but I'm encouraged anyway.

Keep an eye on them Lise, they sure do get big quickly once the heads start to form. I've been covering mine on the cold nights just to keep the side shoots coming along. You might want to give them a blankie for this next cold front on the way. They stop if they get too cold, and take a while to get going again after it warms up.

Elaine

Gymgirl -

I like Coronado Crown for heat tolerance, Green Magic for freezing and for fall crop, Flash for sweet flavor, Calabrese for side shoot production, and George's Favorite for disease resistance, flavor, and good freezing quality.

Uh, took this pic this morning...there's another just like it on the row...

Ok...Bye!

And you're inviting the football team over to help you eat those humungous broccoli's, right? LoL They are gorgeous.

I've grown only 3 types of broccoli, and so far, 'Flash' is my favorite, for fast production and flavor, not to mention making lots of great side shoots. Green Goliath and Packman come 'way back in second for me.

Lol!! The football team!!!

Way to go Gymgirl. A beautiful broccoli head.

blasted squirrell wiped out my broccolli and has started on my cabbage and strawberries. wasn't sure what it was until i caught him in the act this morning. i guess squirrell's on the menu this week.

Lol need a recipe? I heard squirrel mignon is great. (Probably killed the joke)

this one looks so old he'd probably have to stew all day to be edible. good gravey though.

What we do in Louisiana with the old ones is pressure cook him and make Gumbo.

Or, grind him up and make sausage!!! LLOOLL!!!!!

Squirrel Sauce Piquante!

Oops. Sorry, it just blurted out.

Shoe (squirrel eater)

My daughter gave me (yet another) squirrel proof feeder for Christmas. A couple of squirrels have tried to get into it, but the birds don't seem to know what it is!

http://rollerfeeder.com/

Susie, getting back to something more practical than making squirrel sausage (wouldn't you need a LOT of squirrels?) there are ways to discourage the little beggars without murdering them. First thing, put out a birdfeeder that the squirrels CAN get at but not too easily. Alternate food source!

A friend uses strips cut from plastic grocery bags tied to stakes, or tree branches or anything close to the plants you need to protect. They make a 'hissing' sound when they blow in the wind, and scare away both birds and squirrels. I haven't tried this as my veggies don't seem to be all that attractive so far (and I have a cat). Doesn't work for fruit trees because the strips get all tangled in the branches and don't hiss enough after that.

There's a spray product (HD and Lowe's carry it) made with black pepper called "Critter Ridder" that if you spray it around a perimeter, the smell is irritating to the squirrels. I tried this around my mango tree last summer and it definitely helped as long as I refreshed it every week or so. Wear a mask and eye protection when you're spraying it or you'll be sneezing. Mothballs also are a great scent deterrent, but I couldn't take the smell myself, so I took them down after a week or so.

I have a motion detector sprinkler called a Scarecrow that is fantastic! It sprays a 3 second burst when it detects motion. It's an impulse sprinkler, so it's a loud powerful spray, and even keeps the raccoons away! You do have to set it up where the wind moving the leaves of trees won't set it off, but it really works. It was expensive, but I've had it 10 years and it still works great. Every time I set it up, the cat comes in wet.

i want to apologize right up front because i know this is goung to sound rude and nasty and it truly, truly isn't intended to be. although i enjoy gardening i do it more out of necessity as do many others. that squirrell ruined about $100.00 worth of fruit and vegetables over the last few weeks. to throw it in a hole or the trash would be senseless killing. we don't kill just to kill and nothing is wasted. i'm truly sorry this is offensive to some but necessary for others.

Hey, you read that wrong. I'm not against killing a squirrel that eats your veggies. By all means eat it if you like. According to the info that came with my squirrel-proof feeder, the average grey squirrel weighs about 7 ounces. I can't imagine one squirrel making a meal for even one person, frankly. Wild hogs, now, that's a varmint worth eating.

Anyway, it just seems to me REALLY senseless to find out the hard way - lose $100 worth of fruit and vegetables then hunt down one varmint. More will come - you will lose more produce every time another critter finds your garden. Keep the varmints out!

If you can do things so that your produce isn't attractive to the squirrels in the first place, you lose less and you don't need to kill the varmints, either. Ammunition costs money, too.

Well being from Louisiana, we eat squirrels. As the red neck saying goes, "It'll make the gravy stink."

All kidding aside, I have a friend that rigged a radio to a motion sensor. He keeps it full volume on an all night station. He hasn't lost any sweet corn to coons in several years. Ought to work on squirrels.

I heard of a ultra sonic animal repelent.

Can't use the ultra-sonic thing if you have pets, though.

I've also heard of the radio idea. Great, if your neighbors aren't close enough to complain. Although the little critters have great hearing, probably you wouldn't have to have it on all that loud for a small garden plot.

I still like the scent repellent the best. Our cat has an entry flap to come in through our screened pool cage. The raccoons were coming in there for a while to drink from the pool, and fighting with the cat, of course. First I make sure now that when the weather's dry, there is water around the garden for them to drink. Plus I now take the hair from my hair brush and tuck it under the rocks outside the cat flap. Have not had an invader since then. It's my scent so it doesn't alarm the cat, but the 'coons don't like it.

I still say the best thing to keep squirrels out of the garden is a dog. I've taught my little dog, Chloe not to go into the raised beds. She and my daughter's dog, Sophie have a great time during the summer chashing these darn rodents out of the garden.

Gymgirl-I chose Arcadia Broccoli as well, but I think that was a bad choice, as I'm just now starting it. I just planted a few. . .could I save and replant for fall? Is there any variety that I could start indoors this late?

Idealpeggy,
I absolutely LOVE the Arcadia Broccoli I planted this season. It is a prolific, robust plant with gorgeous blud-green leaves. It will be on my top 5 list from now on. Yesterday evening, I harvested yet another (this makes the 4th) huge popcorn bowl of broccoli side shoots from the Arcadias.

Here's what I've learned that may help you:
Pic #1 I sowed my seeds on August 6 & 7, 2011
Pic #2 The seedlings on 9/8/2011
Pic #3 Is the Arcadia @ 83 days from sowing the seeds
Pic #4 is an Arcadia heading on 12/18/11, 134 days after sowing the seed
Pic #5 is the side shoots I've been harvesting since the head was clipped

I grew my Arcadia broccolis in the fall/winter, and observe that they truly prefer to grow into the cool/colder temps. They have withstood temps down to the low 30s (just overnight -- nothing sustained for days in a row....), with a minimum of protection (I threw a sheet of clear plastic over the hoop.

They stall and swoon when it gets too hot, or when they need watering. Our 65-70 sunshine has sent most of the plants bolting. However, I have about 5 that continue to put out side shoots. These are located in a more shady part of my yard, where the cool winds blow over them.

My planting calendar says I can start more broccoli now, but I hesitate to do so going into the heat of our summer. These plants need it to be consistently cool/cold during the daytime, sunshine or not!

Hope this helps with your decision to grow them. Please give them a try when your timing is right for your area: having your seedlings ready for plant out just before you go into your cool/cold season.

I'm sure others will come along and add to this discussion in a few minutes!

Hugs!

Linda

Flsusie,

I just found this over on another broccoli discussion thread. And, it shows us BOTH, that there ARE some varieties of broccoli, that are heat tolerant. So. I'm gonna go find myself some Green Magics, and sow some seeds!

Like I truly need another bag of broccoli flowerettes in my freezer....sheesh!

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/assets/information/BroccoliComparison.pdf

Glad to know that Green Magic is good for heat tolerance. I have had great luck growing them here, and maybe that's why. It is one that is frequently recommended for this area.

I was just out of town for a few days and came back to a huge Green Magic head ready to pick, with a few more behind it to look forward to. My husband will be happy to see the last of them. He doesn't like broccoli like I do. But me, I'm ready to plant more seeds!
Lise

Linda,
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your advice-I have read a lot of your postings, and you really know what you're doing. I have done seeds before, but it has been awhile. I'm really a novice. I am wondering about saving seed to plant at a later date. Should one put it in the fridge or what? Also, any idea how long it will last?
All advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Peggy

Idealpeggy,
Thanks for the compliment, but, I do NOT know what I'm doing!!! Most times, I'm flying by the seat of my pants, and relying on the other growers' advice!

When you get that seed-saving temperature answer, let me know, too!

I've always just kept my seeds in their packets, in a huge carry-all bag in the dark closet, somewhere!

LiseP,
Been MISSING you, girl! Now, I know why. Post a pic of that broccoli (if it isn't digested by now...)!

Two days ago, I picked another HUGE batch of Arcadia broccoli flowerettes. That variety is definitely on my short list, simply because it is such a beautiful plant in and of itself -- what broccoli? Those blue-green leaves will be a gorgeous addition whenever I get around to my edible landscaping plan!

P.S. I need to go buy a freezer just to hold all the broccoli packets!

Linda

I saw some university agricultural department as saying the ideal temperature for storing most garden seeds is 38 degrees F. This is true not just for broccoli seed, but almost any seed you can name.

Most household refrigerators are in the range of, what, about 40-45 at their medium setting? Close enough. Lower than 38 is a bit risky, little mini-microclimates below freezing can occur. Lower than 38 is still much, much better than a room where temps often rise above, say, 80 F.

In Albuquerque, we tend to take low humidity for granted, but for the rest of you, I'd suggest using Weather Underground or a similar site to keep an eye on the humidity. You want to pack your seeds into airtight containers on the driest day you can find that will still work for you. And then pack your little airtight containers into another airtight container to keep the humidity out.

Reason you want to do all this on a fairly dry day is, out of any humidity present in the room air while you're packing the containers, the moisture can condense when it's been in cool storage for awhile.

Little dessicant capsules, little paper bags of dessicant, such as come with many over-the-counter medications and some food products, they can be helpful in seed storage.

Thanks, Linda. I was out of town 1 week, then 1 day rest followed by company for a day and other company for 4 days -- and then a horrible cold! I don't know which end is up. I'm behind on all the seeds I meant to have started by now, but luckily the seeds that I did start are mostly still kicking. They need some attention though.

Anyway, here is that lovely Green Magic.

That is a good-looking head of broccoli.

Petronius-Thanks SO much for the informative advice!
Linda-My Arcadia sprouted!!! I'm so excited!! It's in a really cold room under a grow light.

That's just great, Peggy! Post a few pics here when you can.

I have enough broccoli in the freezer to last until next winter! This has been a really good winter for us as far as growing broccoli is concerned. There are still plants out there with good sized side shoots, but some of them will have to be pulled soon because it's pea sowing time!

Bee,
I hear yah! I discovered one of my broccoli plants is TOTALLY infested with APHIDS!!!!

I'm gonna take it down today, and, hopefully don't spread too many aphids around. I figure a LARGE garbage bad over it first, then, nip it in the bud!

Linda

My other alternative would be to release a container of Ladybugs on it....they'd have a feast!

Gymgirl - as long as your aphids don't have wings, you should be able to corral them successfully.