I am wanting cauliflower, broccoli and some of that fancy Romanesco....I saw someone in 8b say that they couldn't plant the Romanesco until September because it gets so hot here. (sorry, forgot who said that?). It gets awful hot here too, up to 105 in the dog days....Although Collards (considered a cole) do very well here, as well as turnip greens. What advice can anyone give please?
Cole crops in zone 8a..when should I plant?
Here I set transplants of Cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage in late March. Have already started from seeds in coldframe. I have to use short season cultivars, because we hit triple digits routinely from late June to September. Collards I only grow in winter, also set cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage plants late August-September for fall crop. I don't grow the Romanesco cauliflower, but it should work with a cultivar that heads in less than 70 days. I have to harvest in June, or the heat takes them out. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=Cauliflower%2C+Romanesco&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
Thank you FarmerDill! Appreciate the help..☺
I have not successfully grown Broccoli, Cauliflower, etc. here. You might want to check out these calendars:
http://www.settfest.com/files/DrBobRandallCalendar.png
http://www.settfest.com/files/Vegetable_Planting_Calendar_Chart_for_Travis_County.pdf
http://www.settfest.com/files/Vegetable_Planting_Calendar_for_Harris_County.pdf
I have successfully grown broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and other brassica's for 25 years down here. Those planting guides are not realistic--any broccoli planted in February down here is going to bolt to seed really quick. And it will up there if it heats up too fast. They do much better in the fall. This shot of Green Goliath was taken yesterday--the seeds were thrown out 10/19--it will be a race to see if it stays cool for another week and it doesn't start to bolt and finishes heading up.
I know the Houston Organic Co-op, which I am one of MANY providers for, delivered broccoli, cauliflower, toi choi, and swiss chard in this week's delivery. I usually start setting out transplants of broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts in late August and successively every two weeks or so on the broccoli until the end of November.
Debbie
edited to add--a couple of those Harris County planting tables are from the early 90's, definitely outdated now
This message was edited Feb 19, 2009 11:51 AM
dreamer - I am also in Zone 8a and have already started onions, potatoes, sugar snaps and sweet peas, all doing well so far.
Here is a planting schedule for our Zone 8a
http://oldtowncommunitygarden.blogspot.com/2007/03/garden-planting-schedule.html
Thank you everyone! Great information. dmj, I would love to come and meet you some time and maybe even see your coop. My big sis and mom(in nursing home) live in Katy.
It's not my Co-op--it's the Houston Organic Co-op; I just work mainly the west Houston part. Dmail me when you are down this way.
=)
The reason broccoli, cauliflower, etc. is not grown through the winter up north is the heavy freezes right? Well Houston does not have heavy freezes. So I could maybe see successive plantings in the last week of September (marginal), through October, to the first week of November. The late ones would probably get less sunlight due to the angle of the sun and grow more slowly.
Then in the spring, as you say it's a race to harvest before it gets hot and causes the plants to "bolt".
I really want to grow these this fall. I had trouble with seedlings for some reason this year. Maybe old seeds.
My broccoli (direct sown seeds last September) has bolted. BTW, I'm the one who grew the romanesco.
I have all of the the above mentioned cole veggies in the ground now from last fall. They have over wintered here fine with temps. getting into the teens and I don't cover them. Now that the temps have warmed up they are starting to grow and produce. In my area (not necessarily zone) we start our spring crop in mid Feb. Somewhere on this site I have seen Broc., Caul. referred to as biannual but I have no idea why.
Lisa
I think the bi-annual just means to plant in the fall and harvest in the next year in the winter. My broccoli is trying to bolt but my last few cabbages are big and holding. The onions and garlic are going strong.
okay, I am learning here so please bear with me. I understand what "bolting" means in the broccoli, etc. What I don't understand please, is are you able to harvest successfully from those plants until the plants begin to bolt, and then you can't? I know that some of the coles take so long to form and be ready to eat, and I would hate to grow it and have it bolt before I got to enjoy any of the harvest from it. Thanks
The "buds" of Broccoli and Cauliflower are thousands of tiny flowers. The goal is to pick it the day BEFORE the flowers open. Once the flowers open, the plant is said to have "bolted".
Here's a picture of Broccoli that's been allowed to bolt:
http://flickr.com/photos/dalefarwalker/2333978932/
There are things you can watch for, such as the head becoming less tightly packed, and of course if we have a heat wave that will cause the plants to bolt. I think the biggest mistake is waiting for cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage etc. to reach the size of the massive heads encountered at the grocery store. Those are not encountered in the home garden unless circumstances are perfect. You can always pick early, you can't pick late. ;)
Even if your broccoli has started to flower, it will still be tasty, just perhaps a tiny bit bitter.
Once you do pick your cabbage, etc. you can cut an X shape about 1 inch down into the stem, dividing it into 4 sections. Each of the 4 quarter-stems will eventually produce a small cabbage head.
Again, I have not successfully grown cole crops here so I look to others for the best advice on this until I learn how. ;) Most of what I am posting is things I have read, not experienced, and I've gotten yelled at before for not mentioning that, so I thought I would. ;)
Planted in early October, I would hope that 4 months is sufficient to get a crop, but sunlight and warm days can be finicky.
In the spring, they will often go straight to seed (bolt) while the head is relatively small if it warms up too quickly. Mine are still holding, but I'm looking at them twice a day.
I would never eat broccoli that's flowered--it's REALLY bitter in my opinion.
This message was edited Feb 20, 2009 4:20 PM
Bolting is probably a poor term for broccoli and cauliflower as you want to develop seed heads. That is the part most folks eat, altho the leaves can be used as greens. The problems are two fold. If the growth pattern is interupted early you get small heads about the size of a quarter ( that is buttoning). I f conditions are not good for optimal growth, the plant and subsequently the flower heads will not attain much size. They are still good, but yield will be poor. In the case of broccoli, the heads have to harvested before the buds open. When you see the first yellow, harvest those things. cauliflower is a modified seed head, so flowering is not a usuall occurance. Pick them before the curd starts to seperate and take on a "ricey" appearance. Cabbage heads split open and the seed stalk pushes up through the head, not a good thing unless you are a seedsaver. Most of the family, like collards, turnips, rutabagas, mustard, kale and the like send up seedheads( bolt) most of the edibles parts are not very good at this point, altho the turnip seed heads make a good substitute for broccoli raab
Thank you all for such excellent information, pure gold to a beginner like me. One last question....Are cole crops like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage repeating producers on the same plant or once you harvest the head the plant is a done, one time deal. Sorry if you answered this and I overlooked it.
Depends, Cabbage will sometimes form mini heads after the head is cut. see Feldons post above. They are not worth it to me, but to each his own. cauliflower is a none shot plant. Most but not all broccoli will produce side shoots for several weeks after cutting the main head.
I grew a broccoli last year called Early Dividend that produced big side heads all year long, sometimes as big as the main head.
This year, it seems to be discontinued and I can't find it.
Early Dividend is very good,eaquick maturing (45 day spring) and widely available.
http://www.twilleyseed.com/ http://www.veseys.com/us/en/store/vegetables/broccoli/earlydividend
http://www.driftwoodgardens.com/broccoliearlydividend.htm http://www.etowahseeds.com/servlet/Detail?no=196 http://www.twilleyseed.com/ http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&cid=pext00007&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=5060
Haha, okay now, please don't shoot me! But...........I have to wonder for me personally to invest all the time, space, energy and watering costs just to produce a coupla heads of broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower. Allright, I'm ducking now, LOL! Turnips or Collards I can see, because I can continue to pick off of them for a higher total yield.
I know, there is nothing more satisfying on earth that growing it yourself, and store boughten ain't the same, but considering how much of those veggies my family requires just to make one meal.....For me easier to buy those at the store in bulk and really have enough to make a few meals.. That is why I was so happy you answered the questions I had concerning yield. (really ducking now....)
Ah thanks, FD! That was the best broccoli I've grown.
Broccoli gives a very good yield per unit of space. Most families will not use an entire head per meal, The side shoots ( Florets) will easily equal the head in weight, giving you 4-5 lbs of broccoli per plant. Cauliflower of course is just 1-2 lbs per plant, but it is expensive and the plants don't take a lot of space.
I just wish I could grow them year round. I had Calabrese broccoli this year and it was good but I wouldn't grow it again. It makes a moderate head and then a bunch of small florets that were a pain to harvest. The taste was excellent. I'd try to wait for the florets to get a little larger and it would flower (bolt) overnight even back in early January.
The first lesson for vegetable gardeners is to learn to eat in season. One can have fresh vegetables all year long south of the Mason Dixon line, but you have to use variety and enjoy each vegetable in its due season. Broccoli does freeze well, but I would not want it 365 days a year. Spring and fall is enough with maybe some frozen on rare ocassions in between. There are plenty of summer vegetables anyway. Winter is a bit more sparse, root crops and greens mostly.
I enjoyed hearing all the good advice from ya'll. I have seeds....I think I will wait until Fall, plant what I bought and give it a whirl! Cabbage, Romanesco, Broccoli and Cauliflower. I may be surprised at how much I get. Thanks for the excellent explanations of bolting! Helped me a lot.
Farmerdill makes an excellent point, it really hit me. Eat in season, as it comes without thought of high yield and quantity. Just enjoy a lil quality, hehe! Thanks dill ☺