6 ft high sprouting broccoli

[Sharron]

Can anyone help, i planted purple sprouting broccoli in april, its now over 6ft tall, (got plants from a local garden centre) i've had no broccoli bigger than a 5p, now its all yellow flowers, and according to the books it should not do much until next year as its a winter crop, will i get anything if i leave it as is now its flowered? or should i give up and pull them out and put on the compost heap???

Cheers

[Cutecumber]

What variety is it?

It sounds as if it has indeed come to fruition earlier than normal, although there are some varieties now which do not require cold to stimulate production. I know that the books tell us to sow our spring brassicas in the previous spring, but it means that they can develop quite early if conditions allow - perhaps a rich soil combinied with the cool summer has been the reason this year? I sow mine much later than recommended, but they seem to do fine.

In terms of its size, I had some Red Arrow broccoli which got to about six foot - but not during the summer.

If you have real flowers, that means the end of the crop, sadly.

[Paulottie]

Welcome to the vine Sharron. April does sound a little early to be planting out established sprouting plants for cropping the following April/May. It may indeed be that they have bolted. You must cut off all flowers..it is one of those 'the more you pick it the more you get crops' ...I guess that is more attractive when there is little else about tho.

Hard luck- mine were eaten by deer last year! It really has been a strange season I have some Brussels, also planted out in April, that are almost as big They look as tho they will turn in in September!

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the vine Sharron. As Paulottie says, cut off the yellow flowering bits and you might get more 'sprouting' bits.

[Snadger]

PSB only has small florets.....but theres plenty of them and they're ever so tasty. If you dont need the space for anything chop of the yellow flowers and stems and see if you can get them to throw up another batch of florets. As everyone says there is usually two kinds of PSB, early and late, the early crops from Christmas and the late from about March depending on what part of the country you're from and when you sow the seeds.

PSB is one of my favourites and at least you've had some tasty spears at a time no one else will have had them!

[wormlady]

Hiya
I thought once your PSB had flowered it made the stalks etc all woody and horrible? If you can get it to produce more florets rather than flowers, by chopping off the flowers, are they still as good to eat? Can you extend the season this way and get more than one harvest off each plant?
Thanks in advance

[Sharron]

Thanks for the advice, i never got to try any as they were too small and had flowered before i had the chance, I put 5 plants in so maybe i'll pull 3 out and cut the flowers off the other 2 and see what happends as they are taking up so much room. On a plus side all the seeds i bought are doing more or less ok, courgettes are ok if i pick very small otherwise they are going mouldy and they are in a greenhouse, i'm told its too much water should i let them totally dry out? what happends if i cut some of the leaves off will they still be ok?

[littleweed]

Wow Sharon, are you sure you didn't buy them from a boy dragging a cow to market?

[blackcatlois]

I've had exactly the same problem with mine this year - must be the weather as someone said earlier - but I'm glad it wasn't just me, I wondered what I might have done wrong!

[Sue]

Sharron
Hi and welcome, if you do have the space to leave one plant flowering the bees will be very grateful, I had one bolt last year and it was covered in bees and I had to wait ages before they'd "finished" with it and I could dig it up.
Sue

[Sebbster]

Sounds like its calabrese to me, the flowers must be cut off and in particular remove the central head. You should then get an abundance of side shoots around 2 weeks later.

Paul, I too have good size Brussels, very early indeed.