23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
I'm sorry to hear that your broccoli didn't work out. My Packman broccoli is doing very well, with 2-inch heads already forming. The two Decicco broccoli plants in the same pot have not shown much growth, but they are healthy.
I am baffled by your results and sorry we couldn't help. But I don't see any reason to think your mix won't work for other vegetables.
OK, as I commented in your other post (in Container Gardening) I think your 5-1-1 is to coarse. Plus you have a lot of chunkky perlite. I would've added some some DE (flor dri) to help maintain more moisture, or jus more peat moss. As a result the texture of your mix, it has (IMO) very low moisture retention property. I could see in that video demonstration too. . Just take a look at Ohiofem's 511 texture and yours. I see a marked difference there.
Keep in mind that broccoli , as a member of brassica, is water loving plant and won't mind wet feet. You can give them as much water you want, they won't mind is.
So probably, IMO, 5-1-1 is not an ideal mix for broccoli.
BTW: I am using it for my peppers. I add about 15% DE (Ultra sorb).
Even if he did mulch it with something that I would assume is not poisonous to you via touch or smell, you can just remove it and grow there this season.
However, if you want a better answer, then we will need to know what he mulched with and how long it has been there.
The answer for your mulch problem does depend on what that mulch is and whether it flies in the face of your organic gardening rules and limits, if any. For the most part mulch is not a problem at all.
Mulch is an insulator for moisture and temperature. It should be a dry thing except for rainy times and it is nearly inert. If it is really "mulch" and not a soil amendment (dug or scratched in), and especially if it's an airy mulch like straw and not a dense one like sawdust or bark, it's interaction with the growing soil is very minimal.
You might want to ask over on the Fruits and Orchards forum and see if the growers there have experience with them. Like Wayne said I would speculate the winter cold is the issue since GG is normally a temperate zone variety for further south growing.
Dave
3"? From this day forward, keep a daily eye on them. Don't look for 8-9" heads -- you may not get them. Look for the florets starting to separate. Just a bit of separation, harvest it. Don't cut TOO low on the main stalk as the nodes below the harvest cut is where the sides shoots will form. Once they start to separate, that's it -- it's actually a little past it's prime. So, from there, you know that you want to harvest the other heads just a bit sooner.
Once separated, they'll start to bolt. .I've never noticed a drastic change in taste on bolted broccoli, but the stalks will become woody. Flowers? Well past picking time.
The smaller shoots are just like the main head. They do tend to bolt quicker, so every few days, go out and harvest or check.
After a while you get the feel when a head or shoot is ready. Nice and tight--- good. Separation--- bad.
Side shoots will continue. Just harvest before separation. I've had broccoli go all summer and fall with side shoots. Water well and mulch heavily when it really heats up.
Kevin
This post was edited by woohooman on Tue, May 6, 14 at 12:58
Broccoli needs to be harvested when the individual florets start to separate and before they start looking like they're going to split open. Don't wait for them to reach a specific size. That way lies bolting.
The taste of broccoli depends on the weather. Heat will make the heads and sprouts strong-tasting. Production of side shoots depends largely on the variety. The plant should start to produce side shoots, if it does, after the main head is cut. Production will fall off in the heat of summer. If you leave some varieties until fall, they start up again.
Zuchini -probably bush style, will give you the huge leaves that you are looking for. The bush style will look fuller. In that size pot you should also get some harvest.
There is also an early white bush scallop (its an heirloom) that would be full sized with big leaves by July if planted now-and the squash is delicious.
Mary think about Sweet Potatoes, even the ornamentals. Many different color leaves than mix and match quite attractively. Bright Lites Chard is another attractive one in a mixed arrangement tho I'm not sure if you can find transplants for it still.
Good luck with the display.
Dave
Same here - 16-18" in the gardens. I have planted 2 much closer together in a 15-20 gallon container but they didn't produce nearly as well. Of course that may have been partly the fact they were in a container too.
I don't know if sun scald is as beg an issue in Ohio as further south but if the plant gets the proper nutrients it should shade itself.
I have had occasional sun scorching here in N Ohio, but it's not a problem as it only hits a couple peppers every few years. And I have never had a disease problem with peppers.
Lately, we have gone to growing the small, sweet chilies and only a few bell peppers. We save the seeds every year. They have thick walls like a bell pepper and taste sweeter. They average 2" to 3" long, are early and prolific, and the small ones can be eaten like gum drops as they are uvirtually seedless. We have red, yellow, and orange, and use them just like bell peppers except for stuffing. If I'm activee enough this winter, I will try to offer some on the seed exchange.
What I actually like to do with beans, squash and cukes is start them in styrofoam or plastic cups with holes poked in the bottom. Throw them on a heat mat until they sprout then immediately move them outside for a few weeks until they have a few sets of leaves on them. Then I transplant them to the garden. I find a bulb planter works great for creating a cup-sized hole.
Apparently beans etc don't like having their roots disturbed, but I've never had a problem with this method. Probably helps that I don't let them get large enough to get root-bound. I find that I get much better results doing this than direct planting seeds, especially in the spring when germination can take much longer outside. By moving the plants outside as soon as they sprout I avoid having to harden them off.
Since the plants that did well actually like or at least tolerate a high pH, I'd suspect you have a pH issue. Usually, southwestern soil is quite alkaline.
Also, did you fertilize? The yellowing leaves could be iron, which goes along with high pH, or nitrogen.
Soil test or at least a soil pH would really help.
Soil ph test read 6-7 range with a few areas registering 4-5. This was done on an electric ph and moisture meter. Since I last posted, my tomatoes have been doing much better. In fact, everything except the pepper plants, which are still very yellow (they are blossoming though) has improved. the green onions have new growth and this time the tips of the leaves have not burned off. They are staying green. The top 12 inches of soil still dries up quick and the clay soil below still is very wet. Thanks for all the assistance guys.
Andy
Pull it. Most people only grow kale for one season. You could get some more pickings off those plants but there will be diminishing returns. Better to stick them on the compost heap, dig over the soil, add amendments and grow something else there. (Not another Brassica). Put the next lot of kale elsewhere. I don't know when you'd need to sow it in your climate. Here I sow in early June and plant out in July to overwinter.
If the soil is dry enough to work, you can plant everything on your list now. Frost is not a concern for spinach, chard, beets, any brassica, any allium (onions, garlic, chives), or most veggies in the carrot family (including dill, parsley and cilantro).
I guess you had an even worse winter & spring than we did this year! Let's hope summer & fall make up for it.
Thanks so much everyone!