This week we harvested 45 broccoli heads! Don't get too excited for us. They were itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny heads. We got a total of 1 pound. I asked Belle to make something special with them, because they were probably the most labor intensive 1 pound bag of broccoli florets ever grown!
We planted them along with
cauliflower and cabbage on September 15. That's very late in the season
for our zone. We didn't use row covers. The
plants went through several days, even weeks of freezing nights. We finally
harvested them because they were showing signs of flowering.
Our goal was to push the growing season as long as possible. We pushed it too far, but in the process we learned a lot. If you're interested, below the pictures in this post, there is a short list of things we learned.
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| broccoli plants under hay to protect from freezing. |
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| a frozen droopy broccoli leaf |
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| a tiny broccoli head less than an inch across |
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| a frozen tiny broccoli head |
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| Winter harvest 1 lb |
What we learned:
1. The broccoli withstood freezing temps quite remarkably. Cabbage withstood them too, though not as well. The cauliflower could not take the freezing weather for more than a week.
2. The broccoli and cabbage (not harvested yet) continued growing, even with short days of light.
3. We believe that with hoop houses we could get a substantial broccoli and cabbage harvest as late as early Dec.
4. Next year, if we have no hoop houses, we'll plant our fall garden brassicas outside in mid August. With hoop houses we'll plant them in early September.
We feel like we have a better understanding of the growing season than we've ever had before. We didn't get much broccoli or cabbage, but we've learned stuff we'd never know if we hadn't done this. Even though it was a lot of work, we're glad we did it.
Mid August is what I shoot for with my unprotected brassicas, except for Brussels Sprouts that take a lot longer. It's all about timing, that's for sure. At least you did get some broccoli for your efforts!
ReplyDeleteThat made me laugh out loud!! I'm sorry! At least you got a harvest, a meal and learned a lesson! That is one pound more then I got!
ReplyDeleteDave, why didn't we talk sooner!
ReplyDeleteRobin, Hey! It's at least worth a laugh... And one meager meal.
Sounds like Mother Nature pushed back... but I bet the resulting broccoli were still delicious!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to determine how much cold my broccoli can handle too. It seems to be growing soooo slow. Did your freezing temps last throughout the day? We've had freezing temps at night, but the days warm up and the lowest temp has been 26oF. Any suggestion on how much cold they can handle?
ReplyDeletediaryofatomato, Ha! that mother nature pushed back is exactly right! The broccoli was our tiny comfort.
ReplyDeleteJulie, You're definitely in a warmer zone than us. You have that advantage. Ours were growing so slow too. Our nights were freezing, but our days were warmer -up to the mid 40s. This week was the coldest at night, even down to 18 degrees. It didn't ruin the broccoli. I would just keep them in the ground and check them daily. There's always the hope that they'll get a little bigger.
too bad my broccoli seedlings didn't make it...lost it a few weeks ago..will start with new ones soon! U have a great day, Jody..:)
ReplyDeleteThere is so many risk in gardening. Each year the weather is different even in the same month. What we usually do is grow 2~3 different varieties as a back up. Because some does well this year but previous year not or the other way around.Maybe can be lucky with both success.By this way, we learn too which variety suits us best.
ReplyDeleteTurns out, I planted my broccoli too late as well. There are 4 plants in the garden with 1-inch heads of broccoli. At least you got a pound of broccoli for your effort :)
ReplyDeleteI am actually more impressed that the broccoli is still alive after some pretty cold night temperatures in the teens. The plants also have no protection. You won't know how far you can push the season unless you try. Even Elliot Coleman suggests experimenting by planting a few seeds and see what happens.
Hangkebon, sorry to hear about your seedlings. You have a great day too. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteMalay-Kadazan girl, I completely agree. There are lots of risks. Thanks for the advice about plant varieties. We've not payed enough attention to that aspect of gardening. Hopefully we can get better at it.
GrafixMuse, I'm glad to know we're not alone. I've been completely impressed too. Thanks for the encouragement to keep experimenting! We sure will.
Getting the timing of planting fall crops is where the learning curve really is. It feels odd, but the time for the fall crops to go in is mid to late summer as they need time to mature before the shortened days and cooler temps slow the growth way down. Once matured and with some protection (depending on the plant) you can be harvesting fresh produce well into the winter. Your harvest of broccoli florets was still really good! I bet it was very tasty too.
ReplyDeletekitsapFG, The great thing about gardening is there is always next year! We're having florets tonight with fresh venison! Mmmm.
ReplyDeleteI have some tiny broccoli heads outside, too, except I have maybe 9-10 of them. I should get a few ounces total, huh? lol
ReplyDeleteTina, 'm so glad there are other gardeners out there like us, experimenting and not always having perfect success but learning all the time. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeletewell even if they are little i am sure they still tastes great!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Pickles, we had them for dinner last night with fried potatoes and venison. They were delicious.
ReplyDeletehey Jody! i wanted to get right back to you.... yep you can grind and render beef fat the same way. technically rendered beef fat is called "tallow" while pork is "lard." i dunno why its different. anyway, just grind it up, put on a LOW heat, and keep an eye on it. once its all melty then strain thru cheese cloth and voila! the best thing to make with tallow - french fries. i'm not even kidding.. there is just something about it.. yum!
ReplyDeleteOhiofarmgirl gave you the facts,You can also make soap with it :o)
ReplyDeleteI have some Brocolli growing and the frost has done a number on it too, but it's all still edible and I'm going to enjoy them..I've already snapped off some leaves and tried them and they are delicious. and your right we are a lot of inexperienced gardners but enjoying the gifts we get any way that's what I call blessed! :o)
Thanks for the encouragement Ginny. And boy was I happy to get Ohio farm girls help! We've got french fries on the menu!
ReplyDeleteHey, that's 1# of good eating. We got about 5 meals (for 2) out of our brocolli -- we savor every bite!
ReplyDeletedr momi, we savored every (tiny) bite too!
ReplyDeleteWe hope we can have your mail address to post the fresh larkspur seeds to you. Have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeleteFound your blog on Malay Kadazan Girls blog so thought I'd take a peep.
ReplyDeleteWe planted a couple of varieties on September 13, they grew on but should sit in the ground now to produce spears early next spring
Malay-Kadazan girl, wonderful! I'll email our address right away.
ReplyDeleteSue, thanks for dropping by. I didn't know whether to leave them or pull them up. Now I know. Hopefully we'll see a few spring shoots too.
I've never gotten terribly huge broccoli heads either. What variety did you plant? I found the Waltham 27s headed out larger than the DeCicco. I agree with you about pushing the gardening limits. I think that's how we best find out about our area and the varieties that do best. I'd say your experiment gleaned you lots of good information and was therefore a great success!
ReplyDeleteLeigh, thanks for the very encouraging thoughts. We are certainly learning a lot. I wish I knew the variety. They were a popular hybrid from Burpee. In the spring when growing conditions were better, they did great. Maybe we'll try the Waltham 27s this spring.
ReplyDeletePushing the season can be really fun. When you think about it, what do you have to lose right? I usually start my fall broccoli on the first of July and transplant them out in early to mid-August. They are usually ready by late December and continue to produce until early December. Now that we're moving to zone 4, I'll probably start them even earlier.
ReplyDelete