Broccoli

This broccoli was bought and planted as a seedling the beginning of February.  I am very proud of my broccoli and her siblings.  They have become my children - I love them, take care of them and protect them from harm.  In return, they give me delicious fresh broccoli right from my backyard.  It's an awesome feeling of accomplishment.  Summer is right around the corner and I feel my anxiety kick in as I am scared for my children.  The desert sun can be harsh to anything living.  In the next couple days, I will be preparing them for the heat and cross my fingers that they make it through the summer.

First bud 03.01.2012

As a first time gardener, my one mistake was planting these in a bed that received absolutely no shade for the summer (Southeast Wall).  I've learned that broccoli favors and grows better in cool weather. They have done very well for our late winter and early spring but I will have to see how they do through our summer.  In the future, if I plant more broccoli, I will be planting them on the West Wall of my yard where they will receive enough sun but will be protected from the afternoon sun during the summer.  I will be building a cold/hot frame to protect them during the scorching hot summer days and monsoon season. The frame will also protect them from our winter frost as well.  My only challenge is building the frame strong enough to withstand the sand storms but I guess that is my husbands job to figure out. :)

2"-3" buds 03.19.2012

Some things I've learned along the way:

1) If your noticing that the head is not getting bigger, cut the first head of the plant off.  Enjoy the little bushel of broccoli with some ranch dressing.  Once the first head is cut off, more will start to sprout and bigger too.

2) If the broccoli root gets too warm, your broccoli buds will bolt into pretty yellow flowers.  I've read that the flowers make the broccoli bitter so better to cut it off and place it in a vase on your dining room table.  If anyone knows anything different, please comment.

3)  To try and harvest your broccoli before it bolts, here are some signs:

              a. Deep green color is starting to turn lighter yellow green - harvest and enjoy.

              b. The buds are about the size of the head of a striking match - harvest and enjoy.

New growth 04.12.2012

So, I've harvested the first buds already and now new ones are shooting from the sides.  The heads are also bigger this time around. Some are about 3"- 4" and the individual buds are still very small so I will leave it alone for a week or so.  I check them daily because it sucks when they turn into flowers and I've lost my harvest time.  The flowers are good for collecting seeds if you'd like to do that. I'm not there with collecting seeds yet...one step at a time.