We've had a couple more inches of rain in the past several days so the open areas at the bottom of the garden are swamped again. It's a good thing they won't be needed until April.

Meanwhile, the eight Packman broccoli plants are putting out lots of side shoots. This morning I cut 15 ounces of them, just shy of a pound.



The second set of cauliflowers are about ready. I cut one of them today as it looked like it wanted to start opening up instead of being nice and tight. The other three aren't far behind but they're all smaller than the first four, being maybe 5-5.5" wide. Next fall I think I'll start setting them out a little earlier and also in four sets of two, ten days apart, not in two sets of four, 3 weeks apart.



The scallion, basil and Red Robin seeds have all popped up and are under the lights. Tomorrow the six arugula sets will be transplanted into a window box and will live out on the front porch.

I'm jealous! I didn't plant a fall garden and now regret it.

Looking good! It's hard for me to figure out how many broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower transplants to start at one time so that there aren't too many or too few.

kath wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2020 7:43 pm Looking good! It's hard for me to figure out how many broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower transplants to start at one time so that there aren't too many or too few.

That's what I'm trying to work on! I learned my lesson when I planted fourteen broccoli plants at once. Gah! I still haven't found a method of freezing broccoli where I'm happy with the results. Soooo, it's now a "fresh eating" veggie only. This fall I started two sets of six plants twenty days apart. Since some naturally finish faster than others, they kind of spread themselves out naturally but not quite enough. This spring I'm going to do four sets of three plants about ten days apart and the first set will get started this Friday.

This fall I staggered the cabbages by using varieties with different days to maturity and all started the same day; 4 Stoneheads (50-65 days), 4 Charleston Wakefield (70 days), 3 Late Flat Dutch (100 days), 3 Red Acre (115 days). It's worked really well!. This spring it will only be Stonehead and Wakefield so they'll finish before the heat comes in. Two plantings of three of each variety.

Packman is my favorite broccoli it is flavorful as well as super productive with all of those side shoots. I'm glad to know that it does as well down there as it does for me up here in the north.

Packman isn't carried by as many vendors as it used to be. In fact, of all the catalogs I get I only found Packman in Jung. However, I can say that from a side by side trial I ran a couple of years ago, Blue Wind will be a good sub if Packman ever goes away. Same size heads, about the same DTM and as productive as Packman in number of side shoots.

Sometimes I think I almost like the side shoots better than the main head, LOL!

imp wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2020 12:49 am Sometimes I think I almost like the side shoots better than the main head, LOL!

No hard, thick "trunks" to deal with.

GoDawgs wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2020 8:27 pm

kath wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2020 7:43 pm Looking good! It's hard for me to figure out how many broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower transplants to start at one time so that there aren't too many or too few.

That's what I'm trying to work on! I learned my lesson when I planted fourteen broccoli plants at once. Gah! I still haven't found a method of freezing broccoli where I'm happy with the results. Soooo, it's now a "fresh eating" veggie only. This fall I started two sets of six plants twenty days apart. Since some naturally finish faster than others, they kind of spread themselves out naturally but not quite enough. This spring I'm going to do four sets of three plants about ten days apart and the first set will get started this Friday.

This fall I staggered the cabbages by using varieties with different days to maturity and all started the same day; 4 Stoneheads (50-65 days), 4 Charleston Wakefield (70 days), 3 Late Flat Dutch (100 days), 3 Red Acre (115 days). It's worked really well!. This spring it will only be Stonehead and Wakefield so they'll finish before the heat comes in. Two plantings of three of each variety.

Those are some really good tips! It's only me eating broccoli, so I really only need 1 plant/week because I also grow cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, etc. Somehow when you plant 1/week they catch up with one another by harvest time, lol. With the attack of the bugs, I like to get all the plants from this family in and out asap, and I've given up growing any but quick maturing varieties, at intervals. It's way too early for me to sow yet. Wishing you all the best!

Those thicker trunks of broccoli get peeled and chunked for stews and soups, LOL, very tender and yummy then. Also good mashed with butter. salt & pepper. Or as a slaw.

I want to ask if you let some shoots bloom in your favorite varieties, pollinate them by hand and get the seed. I'm interested because getting some seeds from abroad is a problem for me.
Vladimír

MrBig46 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 14, 2020 1:55 pm I want to ask if you let some shoots bloom in your favorite varieties, pollinate them by hand and get the seed. I'm interested because getting some seeds from abroad is a problem for me.
Vladimír

Well, I would if I could. So far I haven't found an OP broccoli that grows worth a darn in this particular garden. My favorite that does so well is Packman but it's F1. This fall I'm trying Umpqua as it's been recommended by several folks in here as a good OP. It's a 95 DTM variety but it's already got a button showing even though it's been in the ground just 37 days. The Packman transplanted out the same day isn't showing even a hint of one. Two days ago I saw on TV something about Umpqua, Oregon. I had never heard of that city but it automatically made me think of the broccoli! If it was developed for Oregon's weather, it probably won't do well here.

The cauliflower variety that I finally got to make heads after trying others is Amazing but it too is F1. EDIT: Oops! Amazing is OP.

I do save Vates collard and Premier kale seed as both are OP. I don't have to pollinate by hand because I don't collect seed from them the same year. One year I'll let the fall collards go to seed and collect in the spring. The next year I'll let the kale go to seed. One collection of either gives enough seed for several years.

I planted four Nine Star Perennial Broccoli plants in my plastic tunnel. If they overwinter well, I would like to get some seeds from them for future cultivation. I also need seeds of winter cauliflower Galleon, Winter Roscoff, Walcheren Winter 5, Celebrity and Aalsmeer. (All heterogamous).
Vladimír

MrBig46 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 14, 2020 1:55 pm I want to ask if you let some shoots bloom in your favorite varieties, pollinate them by hand and get the seed. I'm interested because getting some seeds from abroad is a problem for me.
Vladimír

It seems like you would need a very long season in order to produce seed. I set out my broccoli among the earliest of garden seedlings, take the main heads the first week of July, and as many of the later side shoots as I need for my freezer. At some point, I think by August, I lose interest and let the rest go to flowers for the bees, they love the yellow flowers. We always get a freeze by mid-October, before the flowers have a chance to set seed. I suppose if you kept one plant that you did not remove the side shoots from, or did not harvest the main head, you might have a chance at seeds. And you may have a longer growing season than mine.

I let two side shoots bloom on the two broccoli and I pollinate them by hand (it's not self-pollinating). I will have to bag the shoots to avoid unwanted pollination by something else. I will be able to proceed in the same way for cauliflowers, I want to keep the seeds pure. If I succeed, I could harvest broccoli and cauliflower in early spring and there would be plenty of time for the seeds to ripen by autumn.
Vladimír