Broccoli problems

Hi. Last year I planted broccoli and got a lot of leaves but no heads...what did I do wrong? Thanks... By the way, I just put fertilizer around the plants after they grew a bit, but I followed directions so I don't think I over fertilized, but you never know.

If your plants got normal size, they should have given you broccoli IF you waited patiently. Broccoli of course can be destroyed by the imported cabbage worm, but you would have noticed the damage. Stunted plants never do much, but that is primarily caused by overage transplants. Some cultivars come in early, others take the whole season. More detail needed.

I direct seeded them in the ground in early spring. They never grew full size. I'm not really sure what happened. Thanks

Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower do much better as transplants.

OK That's good because I just planted about 100 broccoli plants into the garden...hopefully they'll work out this time!

Sounds kind of late to be planting broccoli in Ohio, like 2 months late. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Yes, I kind of knew it was getting too late to plant the broccoli but the kids wanted to give it a try so I thought it couldn't hurt. We want to try a fall planting too...is that possible and when should we start our seeds? Thanks for the advice!

It is not to late, I just put in my second planting of broccoli and in 80 days they should be ready and that is only the middle to end of September, for Kansas there are no frosts until October and for Ohio it should be fine also?

I don't think broccoli actually cares much about light frosts, and I believe brussels sprouts and parsnips actually improve in flavor with a frost or two. I have yet to successfully grow any of them, just so you know.

So lotsofkids just how many are lots? I have 8. deanna

You're one up on me...I have 7...so far! :)

Update here...We just harvested a ton of broccoli...yeah Everything worked out great this time around. We had a cooler and wetter summer here than normal, so that probably helped offset a later planting.

Lotsofkids, glad you are planting brocc. I hope you don't pull up the stalks up until spring. Brocc does its best in cooler weather, and will swamp you with gorgeous side shoots all winter if you have plenty.

Next winter, keep it picked and it will keep coming every time there is a warm spell. If everyone gets tired of it, feed it to the chickens for a while, but keep it picked. You will not believe what brocc does for eggs until you see it for yourself. You get the richest darkest orange yolks you could dream of.

The fertilizer feeding range of brocc is between 6.5 and 7 pH. Lower than that it needs some lime to sweeten it some. Here its worst bug enemy is the root maggot. It gets into radishes too and many mustard family crops. It lays its eggs in the spring on the stems at soil level, and the maggots then enter the crisp flesh of the stalk and go down into the roots stunting the whole plant.

Hope all this is somewhat helpful. You have to be patient with many of the cole crops because, they are just waiting for cool wet weather to
go on into their glory and finish. Frank

Thanks Frank...Sadly, I pulled all the stalks already because the side shoots were turning yellow very quickly. I am putting in another fall planting, so I will definitely leave those stalks in. Thanks...I would've pulled those too if you hadn't posted here.

Next year, try some of those outstanding fingerling potatoes. You can find a mixed bag in Safeway, bagged as gormet potatoes, but it wil have several kinds in it. I grew Butterfinger one year and pulling up a hill of those was like pulling up small bannanas out of the ground. Washed, and into the microwave,5 minutes they're done. Garlic butter, hmm, I am getting hungry talking about it. Frank