I didn't plant any this year, but I never seem to have good luck with cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. I try to stay organic, sometimes we get lots of worms, the broccoli is always small and/or bolts. Don't know what it is I do wrong! I don't have much luck with melon or winter squashes either. Any tips?
Those are pretty sensitive to heat, sun and moisture swings. I think it all boils down to length-of-day more than anything, get that right and the rest takes care of itself. It always amazes me that after I've cut the last of 50-60 heads of broccoli & cauliflower, I'll swing by the store and see people buying starts. Another important thing about broccoli is knowing when to cut it. If you intend to preserve it, blanching & freezing is my preference. Blanching must be done with FIRM heads, not the slightest bit loose in the process of bolting. It's not uncommon for us to cut 6-10 heads a day, skip a day, cut 5 more, skip a day and then cut 20. It's kind of the opposite of how we pick other things that usually ripen heavily at first and then trickle off, broccoli seems to trickle into perfection.
When you're growing broccoli in bulk, you've got to factor in the logistics of trucking it from the garden to the kitchen!
Thanks. But I'm blessed with having a double lot. The property line is about where the garden fence is. I would have no backyard at all if we didn't. And I have to control the urge to plant more.80gr I am jealous of your garden lol. Wish I had the space for a bigger one!
I'm excited for you. IIRC, you were fighting a big wet drainage issue last year and had, if I may, horrible results. It feels good to see it going like gang-busters, doesn't it?Our garden took off way beyond our expectations. We've never done a good job of getting a garden going and this year after all the work building the beds and filling them with dirt we probably planted way too many plants in that space expecting that not all of the plants would make it. Well..... the veggies are alive and well. At this point I'm just going to be mowing around wherever the garden spills over into the yard until after harvest time. I apologize for the terrible quality of the photos.
Can one of you smart gardeners tell me why my Asparagus looks like miniature trees? This is year two, they are very thin and grow tall with lots of shoots off the main stalk. I don't know what I'm missing.
Suggestions appreciated.
That is completely normal. You want to let them go to seed after they are done producing. Mine always look like that after I stop harvesting.