Why can't I grow broccoli?

chakka35 | 17:25 Fri 19th Aug 2011 | Home & Garden

7 Answers

Last year I grew broccoli from seed. It grew and grew but produced no broccoli florets. This year I grew it from plugs bought at the garden centre and the same thing has happened.
The plants are enormous, between two and three feet high and very wide with lots of large leaves. But not a sign of anything remotely resembling broccoli that one can cut and eat. It hasn't broccled, as my wife says.

What am I doing wrong?

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Clanad

You do know that brocolli takes upwards of 90 days to mature and produce the florets, don't you? Although there's very little that can go seriously wrong with your calabrese, but it doesn't like hot weather very well, so plant it as early as possible. We plant ours here in the western U.S. around April 1 since it will withstand light freezes quite well.
You may wish to try purple sprouting brocolli for next year. It's much easier to grow, has far better taste and is more durable... but... (there's always a but) it's best described as a biennial, meaning, you'll plant it next May or so and wait for it to overwinter for a huge crop the following growing season.
I think you'd be truly amazed at how good they flowers taste compared to the gree and white varieties...

mike11111

Broccoli is merely cauliflower for people with attitude and tastes nowhere near as nice.

hc4361

Although calabrese is a form of broccoli, it is not what we generally mean by 'broccoli' here in the UK.

Maydup

Mine are the same as yours, tall and healthy but no florets yet. But to be honest, I wasn't expecting them to broccle until the winter.

Maybe I'm wrong as this is the furthest I've ever got with them. Usually eaten alive by something ot the other. But I'm still hopeful and about to earth them up for a bit of protection ready for the autumn.

Clanad

Most of the white (or light green) broccollis are calabrese, hc4361... especially if the end result is produced on a thick stalk with large heads and are planted early in the year and harvested on the same year...