I just saw a video of you from years ago talking about your dream of having an epic homestead. It's so amazing to see your dream come true! Wonderful job!!!!
Love it, I'm sitting here in Scotland struggling to grow peppers and tomatoes and you're over in San Diego struggling to grow broccoli, why is the challenge part of the fun in gardening?
A lot of Cauliflower can be 80-100 day varieties and that timing can be a huge struggle when you grow in a four season zone. Cauliflower planted too early in the summer for fall will struggle to germ cause it's so hot but if you wait then it gets frozen 😂😂 Broccoli is a bit easier for me but I haven't given up on either one and last season was the first time I was able to actually harvest a bit of Cauliflower and I've been growing for many many years 😂 I seem to have better luck waiting for fall to plant it though. Broccoli is a bit more forgiving for me.
I’m in 7b & grow cauliflower and broccoli every year. I never get any thing but leaves. But I just keep growing them because the leaves taste great. We eat them like cabbage!
My personal fave way to eat broccoli leaves, esp Chinese style: 1. Pick tender leaves or my fave - the young-ish tender side shoots with 2-3 sets of leaves attached. 2. Wash and blanch them in a pot of boiling water with a dash of oil added to the water (any oil except for olive, never use olive oil in Chinese cooking), for 2-3 mins (just until the green of the leaves and stem darken but not so long that it starts to go brownish. 3. Fish them out of the water and arrange the stems on a plate (can ice bath them but I find broccoli doesn’t need it unless I’ve left it to boil for too long). 4. Heat a generous amount (think Jamie Oliver amount) of oil (veg/canola etc - not olive) on the stove. Don’t need it super hot, if it starts smoking then take it off the heat and let cool a bit). Add a teaspoon or however much you like of chopped/crushed garlic, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar (optional), a dash of soy sauce. The oil will start spitting so work quickly (or combine that seasoning in a separate bowl and pour it over the broccoli, then pour the hot oil directly on top of the seasoned broccoli - it’ll make a cool ‘tsss’ sound). You basically want the oil and seasoning to end up poured over the broccoli. And dig in! Sooooo delicious. Even my veg hating children will occasionally eat it (which is saying something).
i had some broccoli plants two years back that bolted early. instead of tossing them, i transplanted them to the pollinator garden to see what would happen. they looked pretty with their tiny yellow flowers & the bees loved them, so i left them & have been treating them like the other perennial blooming plants ever since. zone 10b magic!
I love bees and understand their fragility and value, although I just want to remind everyone to have as great of a variety of native flowering species as possible if you can afford it. There are countless moths and other insects that are plant-specific pollinators and are often underserved by gardeners.
Back in the UK we only grew cauliflowers and purple sprouting broccoli. Never the green stuff. That wasn't really around back when my parents bought the land in mid 1960s. We grew brussels and various cabbages as well. My Dad had taken over his dad's council allotment as a young man so knew the secret was firm ground. Purple sprouting broccoli is a far superior animal to calabrese. A delicate taste. The flower heads are looser. Anyway here in S Spain I have tried ro grow it in a big tub in my tiny patio. Sadly for me the flowers bolt really quickly in the hot climate ( currently in March 19 in the daytime.) But I have left the plant growing for 3 years so the insects can gorge. Plus some cabbage white butterfly caterpillars denuded it of leaves in February.
This was so fascinating and insightful! It just makes me appreciate how much work goes into producing my favourite veggie 😋 Would love to be able to grow my own sometime soon
I can absolutely vouch for bolted cauliflower being good for pollinators...I have yet to successfully harvest broccoli or cauliflower myself, but a couple of years ago, I started a bunch of purple cauliflower and had a good amount of plants. I waited too long to harvest (kept waiting for the heads to size up, but they didn't) and the heads turned into tons and tons of tiny flowers...like in this video. The bees LOVED them and were all over them. So I would say, even if you fail at growing food for yourself, you still can grow food for the pollinators. 🐝
I'm in PA. I fail at all brassicas because of the bugs 🐛 I bought big spools of tulle, I'm hoping if i can cover them soon enough that those white/yellow moths/butterflies won't be able to lay their eggs.
Nice video. Thanks. I have an extra tip for when harvesting the head of the Broccoli. Try to cut it at an angle. That way water flows off and that reduces the risk of rot in the stem. I live in the Netherlands where temperatures and humidity can be perfectly balanced for rot and mold. I also eat the leaves of the plants as a snack wile tending the garden. Love the content.
Thanks for the info on broccoli and cauliflower! I planted some last year and was thrilled that the heads finally grew. I also planted cabbage. I made 32 pints of the best sauerkraut. I hope I get more answers to problems by getting to watch your programs.
@@sandrajohnson9926 Hopefully. We are getting snow again this weekend. It's been a bountiful winter, and we are thankful for the water, even though it presents challenges as well.
I think I'm just in the worst possible area for broccoli. Winter gets too cold, but the rest of the year is too hot. The plants themselves actually do really well, but they flower like a mustard green would most of the year, and don't have enough time to form full heads in the winter in between freezes. I've just resorted to using them as kale. It's pretty much the same thing, right? 😂
Try putting your brassicas in portable containers in the winter. Leave outside on days that aren't too cold and bring them into the basement or garage to shelter against heavy freezes. My climate has mostly cool days in winter punctuated with some freezing nights and rare frozen precipitation. Portable containers are very helpful!
Extra tip for those living in colder climates: if it's still not warm enough by the time you need to transplant the seedlings outside, place an empty glass jar upside-down over each plant, it will act as a mini-greenhouse. Or you can build a "greenhouse lid" to cover the entire lot, out of plastic foil stretched over a simple wooden frame (some 4-6" wide pieces of plank nailed together in a square will do just fine).
Thanks! I find the struggle with our springs to be the unpredictable temperatures. It’s not unusual for temps to swing from 60s to all of a sudden being in the 80s, though we never know when we might have an unusually cool or hot spring.
I'm using cloches that I bought at the dollar general and they even have a vent ontop for air circulation if it gets to hot over top of my broccoli. I'm in N.Y zone 6a and have the same problem with crazy weather.
Ive been looking for videos because im at the start of autumn and want to get ready for winter. Ive had 0 luck in the past, and knowing how many times you've mentioned struggles in the past with brassicas, I genuinely feel more confident now knowing that its worked for you lol
I haven't tried broccoli since 2014 and it didn't go well, but I have some seeds started so let's see how it goes. I'm in NY so hopefully I didn't get them going too soon for the frost
Thank you for the video. I'm not sure that I understand the comment regarding purple seedlings. "Walk away and reset? Are you saying start over? I'm winter sowing for the first time and not sure what to do. I did see a few purple leaves on my broccoli.
Tried broccoli and cauliflower in zone 7a last spring and everything was going great until it got hot very early and abruptly. Plants started bolting and I couldn't do anything about it. I think I'm going to try a fall planting this year. Just have to look up when to start the seeds and when to transplant.
Broccoli flowers are yummy - don't discount them! Eat the ones that pop out after you've done your harvests of course, and let them get to full bloom so the sweetness develops.
Hey Kevin, how many years did it take to master Broccoli and Cauliflower? I had really good luck with cabbage though. I have to try again with Brussels Sprouts and broccoli/Cauliflower. I will be so happy when I finally master brassicas. I've tried twice so far.
The bee's really do love it! Plus get true to life seed, when there's no kale, collie or cabbage flowering at the same time, to cross polinate.. Can do your own broccoli sprouts fad! 😂😂
One of my dream is to move to San Diego, so watching your vid just makes me feel so happy. Broccoli is super tricky, in Arizona. I just uploaded a short about Romanesco Broccoli fail... started from seed but grew long and wired color! But then one of the 6 Romanesco is growing perfect!! They are all planted from seed exact same day!!!! The only difference is the successful one was in sunny spot where other 5 was in bit more shade... hmmm
Can y'all do a video talking about where you've gone to learn all of this information? I know a lot of it is experience, but knowing when to harvest produce is one of the hardest parts for me. Love the videos!
I grow these every year, and fail every year... but at least the chickens get fresh greens for many months... I will try starting them towards the end of March, to put out May 24, just after our last frost date... but I am afraid they would be too big to keep in the house after 2 months!
Yum, I definitely time my cruciferous seeds wrong in my zone 9b garden! one of these days I'll get it right.. I love how your new flying friends gather on the power lines behind you about a minute into the video, by the way!
Totally unrelated to video but maybe someone can help me. Just started my gardening journey a couple weeks ago. And right now my leaves on my cilantro are drying up but the soil is still wet. Could it be that the direct sunlight is too much? It is current on the south side of my house and gets plenty hours of sun, maybe too much? My mint on the other hand looks great! It transplanted soo well. :) P.S. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Can you please do a video about the reasons behind brassica's turning purple and not being a purple variety? I grew Georgia Champion collards they were doing great. I did a the cut and come again method and when the next leaves came in they were turning purplw. These seeds were direct sown in October, zone 9b, raised beds.
This was timely and confirms what I had heard. I'm in west central Florida and I planted in Dec - too late. The plants have matured, but no heads are forming on my cauliflower or brussel sprouts. I had heard from another Florida grower that I have to start plants about October 1st. So I will pull these plants out and restart then. I did get lucky with starting tomato seeds in my garage in December. I'm harvesting cherry tomatoes right now.
Cauliflower is a heavy feeder too... a good dose of nitrogen when it's getting close to curd production can send it soaring, it also likes consistent watering. Good luck! Cauliflower can be quite finicky 👍👍
Central florida here too and I've grown plenty planting after that time. Problem is this year and the last we got hit with crazy hot temps early on and the cold didn't start till late. I usually plant from oct to dec to stagger harvests. All my broccoli and cauliflower are bolting now thanks to the crazy heat wave we just had and are providing pollinator attraction at least until I replace them with something else. If you like tomatoes check out everglades tomatoes they are native to florida and will produce all summer when everything else is dead. They are tiny, but pack a lot of flavor.
@@FoxTenson I believe it. Not a cold enough winter. Going to plant Jolene tomatoes from Johnny's as they are hybridized for blooming and fruiting in heat.
Definitely the crops I have the most trouble growing. Almost gave up on them, but now yet! I’m going to experiment with new timings, following other more experienced gardeners in my area. I did grow them successfully once, when I started gardening. It’s that beginner luck! Never came back 😢
Keep trying and figure out what works for you, and you’ll begin seeing some good harvest. Since you have previously had trouble, the key is paying close attention and ensuring you do it right from seed all the way up to harvesting. Broccoli are also light sensitive, so they will want less light/heat then your other veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers. Anyway I hope you have success this gardening season !
The camera work on this video is incredible 🤩 I started more broccoli, against my better judgement because I've never been successful, but maybe THIS time it will be different! 😂
My personal fave way to eat broccoli, esp Chinese style: 1. Pick tender leaves or my fave - the young-ish tender side shoots with 2-3 sets of leaves attached. 2. Wash and blanch them in a pot of boiling water with a dash of oil added to the water (any oil except for olive, never use olive oil in Chinese cooking), for 2-3 mins (just until the green of the leaves and stem darken but not so long that it starts to go brownish. 3. Fish them out of the water and arrange the stems on a plate (can ice bath them but I find broccoli doesn’t need it unless I’ve left it to boil for too long). 4. Heat a generous amount (think Jamie Oliver amount) of oil (veg/canola etc - not olive) on the stove. Don’t need it super hot, if it starts smoking then take it off the heat and let cool a bit). Add a teaspoon or however much you like of chopped/crushed garlic, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar (optional), a dash of soy sauce. The oil will start spitting so work quickly (or combine that seasoning in a separate bowl and pour it over the broccoli, then pour the hot oil directly on top of the seasoned broccoli - it’ll make a cool ‘tsss’ sound). You basically want the oil and seasoning to end up poured over the broccoli. And dig in! Sooooo delicious. Even my veg hating children will occasionally eat it (which is saying something).
Shouldn't be that hard. Look up your growing zone, and time things accordingly. Start seeds. Prepare garden beds, or raised beds. Plant starter plants, water, mulch, or remove weeds. Sunshine, rain, and time, and you can harvest some beautiful veggies. 🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦😋
6 to 8 weeks towards last frost for starting your starts then getting your starts in the ground for them to enjoy the colder climate. Got it, I also heard that Cauliflower in particular can keep on growing even as low as 10F as well. Wonder if you could as a result grow these as winter crops in milder frosting zones?
Last winter my cauliflower grew through 20° nights but then we got a really cold snap that dipped to 0 and it killed them off but they can definitely take a bit of cold that even the brussel sprouts couldn't.
I'm in 9B, I bought a bunch of brocoli starts like OCT/NOV and planted them outside, I just harvested 6 of 20, the other 14 are flowering. I think the starts I got from the hardware store were too mature when I planted them
Im in MA Zone 6. We found broccoli this year at the nursery and knew nothing about growing it other it can be tricky. This year spring has been nothing but clouds and off/on rain, depressing as hell. I used almost a yard of stone at the bottom of my raised bed to help with drainage and used a lighter soil mix than usual and still battling over watered (by mother nature) HOWEVER the broccoli that I just threw in with no high hopes, all have broccoli heads. I'm guessing beginners luck and next year, I'll probably get nothing but I'll enjoy the success this year 😂
I am 2 seasons into growing a dozen broccoli and loosing ⅔ of the primary crop because they all are ready to harvest at the same time and the rest bolt within a day or two in area 9B sacramento.
I have tried for over 10 years to grow broccoli and just can't do it. "Last frost" can be anywhere between mid-March and late April in my region. Have had slightly better success with cauliflower but nowhere near satisfactory. It really bums me out I can't seem to grow these, though I do grow cabbage very well.
I totally made the mistake of leaving the small cauliflower in the plant too long. I live in East County E.C. CA, and I noticed my cauliflower growing this weird flowers from the plant. So, I missed harvesting the plant on time. Plus I planted it in February. Thanks to this video I will definitely keep on eye on my next plant. Question can you eat the leaves of the plant?
Had a broccoli I bought as a starter, kept producing through the winter freezes! Last year got great growth from seed, but never flowered! I am in Western Wa state, and my kale & spinach kept going thru winter freeze, but my numerous broccoli plants in different locations did not flower! Grrrr
we finally got our broccoli to grow last season, and it was almost time to harvest, and then we had a really hot day and it just spurt out and went too far. so devo!
I keep trying to get my timing right. My cilantro started bolting in February because it was in the 80s for several days here on the west side of Houston. I tried some different brassica varieties that do better in warmer climates, but I don't think it worked out this year. I started some in the fall and another batch inside over winter... I will try again next year
After the broccoli has finished producing heads, hit them with some cow manure and they will produce a prolific amount of leaves, use young ones in salads and mature leaves cook like kale . They are milder tasting than kale.
I grew cauliflower with nothing but dog poop just to see if it would work I had huge heads of cauliflower , never ate them went straight to the compost but they definitely grew well
I got one or two really nice heads of broccoli in the fall here in NC, but I still have yet to get a good cauliflower head... trying again this spring I am sure I will eventually get it right haha
It’s been hard to grow brassicas here (E TN 7a) in the spring. This February it was in the 70s and 80s (warmer here than CA!) so the brassicas would have bolted. It’s supposed to be a cold rest of March so it might be a good time to plant soon.
I need some seeds please . I been asking a lots growers but to no avail I'm in the carribbean I'm been following u for a while now . Link me up if u can do that me pls
I just saw a video of you from years ago talking about your dream of having an epic homestead. It's so amazing to see your dream come true! Wonderful job!!!!
Thank you Agape :) it's thanks to people like you who watch and enjoy our vids :)
Yes I love seeing people manifest their dreams into reality. It lifts my spirit so much. 🥰 Such a beautiful thing.
That is awesome
Same. I remember him starting his gardening channel and now look, @epic gardening, has his own empire going 👏👏
Love it, I'm sitting here in Scotland struggling to grow peppers and tomatoes and you're over in San Diego struggling to grow broccoli, why is the challenge part of the fun in gardening?
LOL we all want what we can't have in this life
A lot of Cauliflower can be 80-100 day varieties and that timing can be a huge struggle when you grow in a four season zone. Cauliflower planted too early in the summer for fall will struggle to germ cause it's so hot but if you wait then it gets frozen 😂😂 Broccoli is a bit easier for me but I haven't given up on either one and last season was the first time I was able to actually harvest a bit of Cauliflower and I've been growing for many many years 😂 I seem to have better luck waiting for fall to plant it though. Broccoli is a bit more forgiving for me.
UK zone 8, I planted my Broccoli last summer and am now harvesting sprouting broccoli.
Love Botanical Interests!
I’m in 7b & grow cauliflower and broccoli every year. I never get any thing but leaves. But I just keep growing them because the leaves taste great. We eat them like cabbage!
Don't forget you can eat the leaves.
My personal fave way to eat broccoli leaves, esp Chinese style:
1. Pick tender leaves or my fave - the young-ish tender side shoots with 2-3 sets of leaves attached.
2. Wash and blanch them in a pot of boiling water with a dash of oil added to the water (any oil except for olive, never use olive oil in Chinese cooking), for 2-3 mins (just until the green of the leaves and stem darken but not so long that it starts to go brownish.
3. Fish them out of the water and arrange the stems on a plate (can ice bath them but I find broccoli doesn’t need it unless I’ve left it to boil for too long).
4. Heat a generous amount (think Jamie Oliver amount) of oil (veg/canola etc - not olive) on the stove. Don’t need it super hot, if it starts smoking then take it off the heat and let cool a bit). Add a teaspoon or however much you like of chopped/crushed garlic, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar (optional), a dash of soy sauce. The oil will start spitting so work quickly (or combine that seasoning in a separate bowl and pour it over the broccoli, then pour the hot oil directly on top of the seasoned broccoli - it’ll make a cool ‘tsss’ sound). You basically want the oil and seasoning to end up poured over the broccoli. And dig in! Sooooo delicious. Even my veg hating children will occasionally eat it (which is saying something).
i had some broccoli plants two years back that bolted early. instead of tossing them, i transplanted them to the pollinator garden to see what would happen. they looked pretty with their tiny yellow flowers & the bees loved them, so i left them & have been treating them like the other perennial blooming plants ever since. zone 10b magic!
Awesome. Feed the bees!
I did the same. It was my main pollinating plant. I also just used the leaves
Try letting some carrots bolt as well. The flowers are so pretty and the bees love them.
I love bees and understand their fragility and value, although I just want to remind everyone to have as great of a variety of native flowering species as possible if you can afford it. There are countless moths and other insects that are plant-specific pollinators and are often underserved by gardeners.
Back in the UK we only grew cauliflowers and purple sprouting broccoli. Never the green stuff. That wasn't really around back when my parents bought the land in mid 1960s.
We grew brussels and various cabbages as well. My Dad had taken over his dad's council allotment as a young man so knew the secret was firm ground.
Purple sprouting broccoli is a far superior animal to calabrese. A delicate taste. The flower heads are looser.
Anyway here in S Spain I have tried ro grow it in a big tub in my tiny patio. Sadly for me the flowers bolt really quickly in the hot climate ( currently in March 19 in the daytime.) But I have left the plant growing for 3 years so the insects can gorge. Plus some cabbage white butterfly caterpillars denuded it of leaves in February.
This was so fascinating and insightful! It just makes me appreciate how much work goes into producing my favourite veggie 😋 Would love to be able to grow my own sometime soon
I can absolutely vouch for bolted cauliflower being good for pollinators...I have yet to successfully harvest broccoli or cauliflower myself, but a couple of years ago, I started a bunch of purple cauliflower and had a good amount of plants. I waited too long to harvest (kept waiting for the heads to size up, but they didn't) and the heads turned into tons and tons of tiny flowers...like in this video. The bees LOVED them and were all over them. So I would say, even if you fail at growing food for yourself, you still can grow food for the pollinators. 🐝
@epicgardening Is this real?
I'm in PA. I fail at all brassicas because of the bugs 🐛 I bought big spools of tulle, I'm hoping if i can cover them soon enough that those white/yellow moths/butterflies won't be able to lay their eggs.
I look under the laves for the grubs and get rid of them.. Otherwise mine would look exactly the same😂
Broccoli boys
Nice video. Thanks. I have an extra tip for when harvesting the head of the Broccoli. Try to cut it at an angle. That way water flows off and that reduces the risk of rot in the stem. I live in the Netherlands where temperatures and humidity can be perfectly balanced for rot and mold.
I also eat the leaves of the plants as a snack wile tending the garden.
Love the content.
Thanks for the info on broccoli and cauliflower! I planted some last year and was thrilled that the heads finally grew. I also planted cabbage. I made 32 pints of the best sauerkraut. I hope I get more answers to problems by getting to watch your programs.
Here you are harvesting, and in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, we are growing seedlings indoors to put out whenever our 10+feet of snow melts.
How long does that take? That's nuts!
I hope by June you can plant.
@@sandrajohnson9926 Hopefully. We are getting snow again this weekend. It's been a bountiful winter, and we are thankful for the water, even though it presents challenges as well.
We all have different climate challenges!
@@epicgardening would a climate and light controlled growing system work well for brocolli? Like an indoor aeroponics farm for example
Planting in late fall in So Cal and placing A LOT of blood meal under the plant works wonders!
I think I'm just in the worst possible area for broccoli. Winter gets too cold, but the rest of the year is too hot. The plants themselves actually do really well, but they flower like a mustard green would most of the year, and don't have enough time to form full heads in the winter in between freezes. I've just resorted to using them as kale. It's pretty much the same thing, right? 😂
Try putting your brassicas in portable containers in the winter. Leave outside on days that aren't too cold and bring them into the basement or garage to shelter against heavy freezes. My climate has mostly cool days in winter punctuated with some freezing nights and rare frozen precipitation. Portable containers are very helpful!
Just grow other flowering brassicas… Yod Fah, Rapini, Yu Choy Sum, Purple Sprouting, etc
@@countryroads190 Yeah, this is what I should've done.
@@dispmonk What's interesting is that what my broccoli produces in the spring and fall actually looks like yod fah.
plant those in the fall!!!
Extra tip for those living in colder climates: if it's still not warm enough by the time you need to transplant the seedlings outside, place an empty glass jar upside-down over each plant, it will act as a mini-greenhouse. Or you can build a "greenhouse lid" to cover the entire lot, out of plastic foil stretched over a simple wooden frame (some 4-6" wide pieces of plank nailed together in a square will do just fine).
Thanks! I find the struggle with our springs to be the unpredictable temperatures. It’s not unusual for temps to swing from 60s to all of a sudden being in the 80s, though we never know when we might have an unusually cool or hot spring.
I'm using cloches that I bought at the dollar general and they even have a vent ontop for air circulation if it gets to hot over top of my broccoli. I'm in N.Y zone 6a and have the same problem with crazy weather.
Awesome video🌹🌹
I couldn’t get either one of those to grow for me. Maybe with your tips I may try again. Thanks
I was just out harvesting broccoli 3 days ago it was so delicious✨️💛
Ive been looking for videos because im at the start of autumn and want to get ready for winter. Ive had 0 luck in the past, and knowing how many times you've mentioned struggles in the past with brassicas, I genuinely feel more confident now knowing that its worked for you lol
Excellent tips. Thanks for another great video.
I haven't tried broccoli since 2014 and it didn't go well, but I have some seeds started so let's see how it goes. I'm in NY so hopefully I didn't get them going too soon for the frost
Thank you for the video. I'm not sure that I understand the comment regarding purple seedlings. "Walk away and reset? Are you saying start over?
I'm winter sowing for the first time and not sure what to do. I did see a few purple leaves on my broccoli.
Yes, I meant start new seeds
@@epicgardening I was afraid that was what you meant 🥴... Thank you!
I gave up. We have some unseasonably warm days in NOVEMBER and it will bolt.
Bummer :
Tried broccoli and cauliflower in zone 7a last spring and everything was going great until it got hot very early and abruptly. Plants started bolting and I couldn't do anything about it. I think I'm going to try a fall planting this year. Just have to look up when to start the seeds and when to transplant.
Yeah, the fear of starting them too late or too soon when trying a fall planting is definitely real.
Broccoli flowers are yummy - don't discount them! Eat the ones that pop out after you've done your harvests of course, and let them get to full bloom so the sweetness develops.
Thank you for sharing. 😊.
Hey Kevin, how many years did it take to master Broccoli and Cauliflower? I had really good luck with cabbage though. I have to try again with Brussels Sprouts and broccoli/Cauliflower. I will be so happy when I finally master brassicas. I've tried twice so far.
What zone are you in? I'm 6b and have much better luck waiting until fall to plant most brassicas (aside from cabbage, it's a champ).
@Old Bear zone 5b in Maine. If I had a cold frame or covered bed of some sort it would probably work. Winter arrives at different times each year.
I always let some of my broccoli go to flower in the spring. The bees LOVE it.
The bee's really do love it! Plus get true to life seed, when there's no kale, collie or cabbage flowering at the same time, to cross polinate..
Can do your own broccoli sprouts fad! 😂😂
Thank you Epic Gardening
Tying the leaves is very important and the reason is that the sun will damage the heads forming on cauliflower if you don't.
I started broccoli inside for the first time still patiently waiting for it to sprout
Lots of water, keep them bottom watered.
We set our broccoli starts out earlier this week in Zone 6. Covered, of course.
@sandrajohnson9926 thanks, I live in 5b so it'll be a little bit before we move them out
One of my dream is to move to San Diego, so watching your vid just makes me feel so happy. Broccoli is super tricky, in Arizona. I just uploaded a short about Romanesco Broccoli fail... started from seed but grew long and wired color! But then one of the 6 Romanesco is growing perfect!! They are all planted from seed exact same day!!!! The only difference is the successful one was in sunny spot where other 5 was in bit more shade... hmmm
Our biggest challenge with these are the cabbage moths. Any suggestions for stopping those?
You can spray with pesticides or you can cover with netting. Those are your options.
Can y'all do a video talking about where you've gone to learn all of this information? I know a lot of it is experience, but knowing when to harvest produce is one of the hardest parts for me. Love the videos!
I grow these every year, and fail every year... but at least the chickens get fresh greens for many months... I will try starting them towards the end of March, to put out May 24, just after our last frost date... but I am afraid they would be too big to keep in the house after 2 months!
This is your year!
So, then it's not just me. These Brassicas are very difficult to grow successfully. Ok. I will keep trying. The pests are awful too.
They are, but you got this
@@epicgardening thanks ❤️
@@epicgardening how long did it take you?
I love it, perfect timing as Australia heads into Autumn. But how do I stop those pesky green caterpillars from demolishing my brassicas?
Insect covers
Try a very fine mesh bird- insect cover. Learned that the hard way. Amazon sells them if you can't find it anywhere.
Grow under cover or use BT
Yum, I definitely time my cruciferous seeds wrong in my zone 9b garden! one of these days I'll get it right.. I love how your new flying friends gather on the power lines behind you about a minute into the video, by the way!
Totally unrelated to video but maybe someone can help me. Just started my gardening journey a couple weeks ago. And right now my leaves on my cilantro are drying up but the soil is still wet. Could it be that the direct sunlight is too much? It is current on the south side of my house and gets plenty hours of sun, maybe too much? My mint on the other hand looks great! It transplanted soo well. :) P.S. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Can you please do a video about the reasons behind brassica's turning purple and not being a purple variety? I grew Georgia Champion collards they were doing great. I did a the cut and come again method and when the next leaves came in they were turning purplw. These seeds were direct sown in October, zone 9b, raised beds.
Already shared this video with someone I know who struggled and could not get broccoli to grow. Hope this helps them.
This was timely and confirms what I had heard. I'm in west central Florida and I planted in Dec - too late. The plants have matured, but no heads are forming on my cauliflower or brussel sprouts. I had heard from another Florida grower that I have to start plants about October 1st. So I will pull these plants out and restart then. I did get lucky with starting tomato seeds in my garage in December. I'm harvesting cherry tomatoes right now.
Cauliflower is a heavy feeder too... a good dose of nitrogen when it's getting close to curd production can send it soaring, it also likes consistent watering. Good luck! Cauliflower can be quite finicky 👍👍
Central florida here too and I've grown plenty planting after that time. Problem is this year and the last we got hit with crazy hot temps early on and the cold didn't start till late. I usually plant from oct to dec to stagger harvests. All my broccoli and cauliflower are bolting now thanks to the crazy heat wave we just had and are providing pollinator attraction at least until I replace them with something else. If you like tomatoes check out everglades tomatoes they are native to florida and will produce all summer when everything else is dead. They are tiny, but pack a lot of flavor.
@@FoxTenson I believe it. Not a cold enough winter. Going to plant Jolene tomatoes from Johnny's as they are hybridized for blooming and fruiting in heat.
I am late to the party. I just learned you acquired Botanical Interests, as I am about to place an order with them. Congratulations Kevin 👏👏👏
Appreciate your business!
Definitely the crops I have the most trouble growing. Almost gave up on them, but now yet! I’m going to experiment with new timings, following other more experienced gardeners in my area.
I did grow them successfully once, when I started gardening. It’s that beginner luck! Never came back 😢
Keep trying and figure out what works for you, and you’ll begin seeing some good harvest. Since you have previously had trouble, the key is paying close attention and ensuring you do it right from seed all the way up to harvesting. Broccoli are also light sensitive, so they will want less light/heat then your other veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers. Anyway I hope you have success this gardening season !
Timing is everything ✨️
I needed this video. Got my first cauliflower but broccoli was dismal.
Leaves are tasty too!
One mistake I made the first time was planting the cauliflower to close to each other.
The slow motion broccoli spanking was a nice touch 😂
The Broccoli leaves are good too! You cook them like collard or mustard greens. I freeze them and pull them out as needed to add to a meal.
The beautiful wonderful green broccoli leafes are edible and delicious too. WASTE NOTHING AT ALL. 🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦
I just subscribed to your channel! Love the information you provide here!
I have a garden every year but you never stop learning new techniques!
Thanks for the info
When you get tired of bolting plants.. you know more about brocaly and cauliflower than you are giving yourself credit for..
The camera work on this video is incredible 🤩 I started more broccoli, against my better judgement because I've never been successful, but maybe THIS time it will be different! 😂
My personal fave way to eat broccoli, esp Chinese style:
1. Pick tender leaves or my fave - the young-ish tender side shoots with 2-3 sets of leaves attached.
2. Wash and blanch them in a pot of boiling water with a dash of oil added to the water (any oil except for olive, never use olive oil in Chinese cooking), for 2-3 mins (just until the green of the leaves and stem darken but not so long that it starts to go brownish.
3. Fish them out of the water and arrange the stems on a plate (can ice bath them but I find broccoli doesn’t need it unless I’ve left it to boil for too long).
4. Heat a generous amount (think Jamie Oliver amount) of oil (veg/canola etc - not olive) on the stove. Don’t need it super hot, if it starts smoking then take it off the heat and let cool a bit). Add a teaspoon or however much you like of chopped/crushed garlic, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar (optional), a dash of soy sauce. The oil will start spitting so work quickly (or combine that seasoning in a separate bowl and pour it over the broccoli, then pour the hot oil directly on top of the seasoned broccoli - it’ll make a cool ‘tsss’ sound). You basically want the oil and seasoning to end up poured over the broccoli. And dig in! Sooooo delicious. Even my veg hating children will occasionally eat it (which is saying something).
4:42 This version is actually *preferred* in other cultures because the texture is WAY better than a huge rubbery ball. Try it.
I've been trying to grow cauliflower for 2 years now - Nothing!!
Broccoli and other brassicas are heavy feeders. Feed the soil well before you plant them. I love the purple sprouting broccoli.
Shouldn't be that hard. Look up your growing zone, and time things accordingly. Start seeds. Prepare garden beds, or raised beds. Plant starter plants, water, mulch, or remove weeds. Sunshine, rain, and time, and you can harvest some beautiful veggies. 🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦😋
So I feel like mine are legit all leaves. Am just too early? Not looking in the right place? Or are my plants just not producing? 🤦♀️🤦♀️ HELP ME!!
6 to 8 weeks towards last frost for starting your starts then getting your starts in the ground for them to enjoy the colder climate. Got it, I also heard that Cauliflower in particular can keep on growing even as low as 10F as well. Wonder if you could as a result grow these as winter crops in milder frosting zones?
Last winter my cauliflower grew through 20° nights but then we got a really cold snap that dipped to 0 and it killed them off but they can definitely take a bit of cold that even the brussel sprouts couldn't.
Both of these will tolerate mild frosts for sure
@@oldbear6813 That absolutely make sense and I sure the sudden HARSH drop is really done them in too. Thank you so much for sharing that with me. :)
@@epicgardening Awesome thank you so much for this and sharing your valuable insights on these crops for sure. :)
The thumbnail. 😂... That's how I predict my broccoli would turn out... But hopefully not with these tips in mind! ✌️😘🥦
I'm in 9B, I bought a bunch of brocoli starts like OCT/NOV and planted them outside, I just harvested 6 of 20, the other 14 are flowering. I think the starts I got from the hardware store were too mature when I planted them
Im in MA Zone 6. We found broccoli this year at the nursery and knew nothing about growing it other it can be tricky.
This year spring has been nothing but clouds and off/on rain, depressing as hell. I used almost a yard of stone at the bottom of my raised bed to help with drainage and used a lighter soil mix than usual and still battling over watered (by mother nature) HOWEVER the broccoli that I just threw in with no high hopes, all have broccoli heads. I'm guessing beginners luck and next year, I'll probably get nothing but I'll enjoy the success this year 😂
I am 2 seasons into growing a dozen broccoli and loosing ⅔ of the primary crop because they all are ready to harvest at the same time and the rest bolt within a day or two in area 9B sacramento.
I have tried for over 10 years to grow broccoli and just can't do it. "Last frost" can be anywhere between mid-March and late April in my region. Have had slightly better success with cauliflower but nowhere near satisfactory. It really bums me out I can't seem to grow these, though I do grow cabbage very well.
I totally made the mistake of leaving the small cauliflower in the plant too long. I live in East County E.C. CA, and I noticed my cauliflower growing this weird flowers from the plant. So, I missed harvesting the plant on time. Plus I planted it in February. Thanks to this video I will definitely keep on eye on my next plant. Question can you eat the leaves of the plant?
Had a broccoli I bought as a starter, kept producing through the winter freezes! Last year got great growth from seed, but never flowered! I am in Western Wa state, and my kale & spinach kept going thru winter freeze, but my numerous broccoli plants in different locations did not flower! Grrrr
GREAT VIDEO!!! The bees will be happy this year, but I'll start earlier next year!!
Thank you! my first time growing califlower and it came out like the frankenstine you showed, 🤣🤣🤣🤣I had no idea why.
I love how your crow buddies show up in the beginning of the video lol
Dang it I’m in SoCal too should not have listened to the guides that said February planting cause there’s no frost! All of mine flowered!
we finally got our broccoli to grow last season, and it was almost time to harvest, and then we had a really hot day and it just spurt out and went too far. so devo!
The climate would be better suited for Asian Sprouting Vegetable such as Yod Fah, Gailaan etc.
I keep trying to get my timing right. My cilantro started bolting in February because it was in the 80s for several days here on the west side of Houston. I tried some different brassica varieties that do better in warmer climates, but I don't think it worked out this year. I started some in the fall and another batch inside over winter... I will try again next year
Awesome! Thank you!
The other way to know it's a flower head is to not harvest it soon enough and suddenly have a BUNCH of flowers start to mature
After the broccoli has finished producing heads, hit them with some cow manure and they will produce a prolific amount of leaves, use young ones in salads and mature leaves cook like kale . They are milder tasting than kale.
I live in the Greater Memphis area. When should I drop broccoli seed? Thank you!
Growing my first crop of broccoli, these tips are helpful.
In zone 5b here, put transplants in last week of May or first week of June. Get nice heads and then alot of shoots.
Just found out about summer broccoli that you can grow in the 100F weather, maybe those would be better for you?
Crow homies saying what's up in the background!
I grew cauliflower with nothing but dog poop just to see if it would work I had huge heads of cauliflower , never ate them went straight to the compost but they definitely grew well
I've failed to get seedlings for broccoli to grow, they just give up after a while, way before our last frost.
When I've had flowering broccoli, the flowers were very sweet. Not sure what he meant by it being bitter
I got one or two really nice heads of broccoli in the fall here in NC, but I still have yet to get a good cauliflower head... trying again this spring I am sure I will eventually get it right haha
It’s been hard to grow brassicas here (E TN 7a) in the spring. This February it was in the 70s and 80s (warmer here than CA!) so the brassicas would have bolted. It’s supposed to be a cold rest of March so it might be a good time to plant soon.
I need some seeds please . I been asking a lots growers but to no avail I'm in the carribbean I'm been following u for a while now . Link me up if u can do that me pls
Mark Watney- you must be using johansons dehydrated poop for plants that healthy
why would you bother, you can buy it so cheap, and cabbage as well, out your effort into something worth while
Great information. It's a sad day when you start to see things bolting before they time😢😢
Every time I’ve tried to grow broccoli it stretches super bad.
man im in the san bernardino mountains. we had 8 feet of snow that just now melted away, we never even got a chance to grow spring plants.
Broccoli 🥦 has been a struggle here in thw north Texas area
Don’t forget to eat the broccoli leaves, they’re delicious!