BROCCOLI UPDATE

Behold the Brocolli!

Perhaps I'll always be amazed at the miracle that is gardening!  When I planted the seeds for my brocolli I offered a short prayer for the little ones to grow and provide food and inspiration for me and my neighbors.  This was my first go at fall/overwintering gardening and I wasn't sure that I'd get a crop.

This time of the year is pretty harsh and the only protection this brocolli has is it's own innate ability to  deal with the intensity that nature throws its way.  Its thick walls that store the food it needs to survive.  The waxy leaves that shed water easily.  The many leaves that allow the cabbage worms to feed freely while not affecting the crop to severely (tho I think one plant may be surrendered to the pests - the jury is still out).

 

                    (at transplant)

               

                               (mid October)

        (today)    

I'd say they are doing pretty darn well.  On two or three plants I'm starting to see signs of mold and I think some kind of rust!?!  I'm cutting those leaves off, but I know once that sort of thing sets in it's pretty hard to eliiminate it.  My goal is to minimize the effects so that I can still get a harvest.  I'm seeing the damage on the outer/older leaves so I think I may have some time to get a head or two.

I've got twenty plants and at least half already have "eatable" size heads.  I'm not sure when I'll start harvesting.  My sense is that I've got another couple weeks for things to get bigger.

Some more pics:

(about 1 month after transplanting - end of September.  sorry about the weird angle.  you'll see on the left, I was using a floating row cover to minimize pest damage)

(about 1.5 months after transplanting - mid October)

(today - mid November)