broccoli emerges quickly, so it is probable that the soil is too hot. I started mine in a shaded plant bed in mid July and they are a couple inches tall at the moment.. Should be perfect transplant around labor day.

Gotcha. So can I wait until sept to direct sow or should I start them inside? Or should I start them outside out of the sun and then transplant?

I start them in a shaded spot in July. Transplant in September, harvest thanksgiving into January. They will not stand much lower temps than 22 degrees so I would expect that you are too late to start seeds now. December can get into the teens in most zone 7.

I started mine outside in 85F hot summer and they grew just fine with daily watering. Alas, someone ate all the nice looking seelings that were a few inches tall.

Pest pressure in the summer is very high and my fall crop plantings are not going well, my carrots also got eaten as did some lettuce that made it into summer -- and I have a fence around my garden.

I found that direct seeding did not work as well as starting seeds in plastic pots where I can control things. Out in the garden the flea beetles or something would half-way decimate the young seedlings.

I have already transplanted #2 planting of broccoli. I find them to have NO stress that way.

Just seeded my first planting last saturday in outdoor shaded seed boxes. One and two year old seed sprouted on tuesday.

This post was edited by grandad on Wed, Aug 13, 14 at 16:28