Broccoli question

[tanyanicolekalin]

Hi guys.. I just have a quick question, I have planted a broccoli plant which was grown from seed about three months ago. I have two in the greenhouse and three outside in garden bed. The greenhouse broccoli is growing much better than the outside ones. But I have read because of the humidity the heads don't grow as well compared the ones outside. Any advice please. Should I take out of the greenhouse? I live in Victoria Australia

[Bins Garden]

I have grown sprouting Broccoli for many years, I start them off from seed, and transfer them to the shade house, once they have sprouted. I grow them until they are well established, then transfer them to the garden.
I have grown them in the shade house to maturity a few years ago, but i also found that they do not do well, so I just keep to the garden.
Cheers

[tanyanicolekalin]

Thank you how long does it take for you to grow them from seed until harvest? I have taken them out of the greenhouse and put them in the shade to see how they go. Hopefully they produce better as now it's spring here the days are really hot in the greenhouse

[jayendra]

Squish the soil down about a foot around the plant for tighter heads - they like warmer roots so plant near a sunny wall in winter/spring

[Bins Garden]

Hi, Tania
I started my seeds around mid May, they were in my shade tunnel for around 6 weeks, and transplanted out into a very fertile area, I placed an upended 3 Ltr milk bottle with the bottom cut out, top removed and buried 1/3rd in the middle of 4 plants. I then half fill the container with small stones this unit becomes a reservoir for watering.
I began harvesting the broccoli about the middle of August, it takes around 3 month, but this would depend on the fertility of your soil.
I hope this helps Cheers Bin

[tanyanicolekalin]

Thank you I am still waiting. One plant has a head but the ones in the ground are taking longer

[Bins Garden]

Hi Tanya,
How fertile is the soil you have put them in, if it is good soil, perhaps patience may help good luck

[tanyanicolekalin]

Well I had a look at them tonight. The leaves have all spots on them now. I had them in the greenhouse then took them out. Could I have shocked them? I will attach a photo

[tanyanicolekalin]

[tanyanicolekalin]

Can anyone help me please

[Bins Garden]

Hi Tanya,
I looks like something is robbing your plant from its chloraphil, I had a problem a couple of years back that was possibly similar. Take a magnifying glass and have a look on the underside of the leaves, you are looking for some sort of mite that you should just about see. I used a microsope that connected to my computer, but a magnifying glass should do the trick. They suck the sap from the plant.
Greenhouses, and shade houses are notorious for attracting sap suckers, because they lack the predeters that would normally attack them, the attack may have happend before you transplanted your brocoli.
Good luck Bin

[tanyanicolekalin]

Thank you will have a look. The leaves are very brittle and basically break off when you touch it. Will the affect the broccoli head at all?

[Bins Garden]

Yes I think it will effect your yeld.

[tanyanicolekalin]

Nothing is under the leaves I think it might just be sun scorch

[Bins Garden]

Hi Tanya,
Sun Scorch it may be, coming from a shade house they like to be acclimatised first, what state do you live in and is it very hot over there, I would not have thought so, at this time of year. In the middle of summer would have been a different thing, anyhow, are other leaves showing the same problem.

[tanyanicolekalin]

It's only the ones that I transferred from the greenhouse to the veggie patch. The ones that grew up in the veggie patch are fine, although they have no heads just leaves.

[Pam]

What percentage of the leaves are affected tanya? If it's just the odd leaf I wouldn't worry about it affecting your crop too much, expecially given that your brocoli looks fairly close to harvest already. If you think it looks more like sun scorch than something fungal I'd just ignore it or cut them off.

[tanyanicolekalin]

[tanyanicolekalin]

It's not many of the leaves just an odd few. When shall I harvest the larger head roughly how wide?

[Pam]

The size they will get to will vary a bit with the conditions, so it's really just a matter of harvesting it while they're still firm. It may just be the angle of the shot, but it appears there's possibly a slight tinge of yellow there already, meaning they should already have been picked.

Cut just below the head, and you'll get a few small heads develop at the base of the leaves.