broccoli- bolting?

[growmore]

Helo everyone, another newbie to the site. I will introduce myself later but at the moment i would be gratefull of some help regarding brocoli. The problem i have is that my broccoli (which i sowed in early april) appears to me to be bolting, it went very tall and flowered yellow. I read up on growing brocoli and following advice later cut out the central stem. The problem is the side shoots have now also gone tall and are starting to flower. Having never grown brocoli before i dont know if this is usually what happens. The varity is autumn green calabrase. I am hoping someone tells me all is ok, my wife was looking forward to eating fresh brocoli , which she loves. I`ve been reading all the posts on this great site for some time now -so finally joined. I`ve no idear why i chose growmore , maybe its because i want to GROWMORE. Thankyou Dave.

[DaveB]

The shoots that are cut and cooked to eat are actually the flower buds, just before they actually flower, therefore I would suggest that you are just leaving them too late before cutting. This Summers odd weather may be responsible for bringing them too a flowering stage a little on the early side. Hope this helps.

[growmore]

Helo Dave , Thanks for the reply. The flower heads are very small and look nothing like the broccoli bought in shops. I understand broccoli is picked before flowering but as i said the heads are small and thin. Maybe your right about the weather.
Thanks , Dave.

[hiyatim]

i had the same, refused to harvest them as i wanted big shop sized heads but it didnt work like that, now i just wait until the first flower pops open then harvest them. i boil them up flowers and all

i think u have to just accept the quality beats the quantity

[growmore]

Thanks Hiyatim, I think your right , But i really wanted to know why the broccoli had bolted? I`ve read they are hungry plants but have not fed them as they grew so well, should i bother feeding now? or like you say just accept it. By the way i didn`t know you could eat the flowers, although it makes sence. Can you eat the leaves and stalks also , and boil like cabbage? This is the first time i`ve grown broccoli and i`m on the verge of composting the lot and replanting with something else. Anybody recomend a good relible croper that i could grow next year.
Any advise gratefully excepted. many thanks and cheers , Dave.

[hiyatim]

im note sure it counts as bolting in the same sense as lettuce etc as afterall they are flower heads that are just opening up. i could very well be wrong tho after you have cut the heads that are ready off the plant will keep producing side spears, they wont be big but still tasty

im not sure about the leaves, i made soup with my cauliflower leaves (the small tender ones) but ive not heard anything about brocolli

[DaveB]

Well it's all brassicas, cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts etc. The tops of sprout plants are/were often cut and cooked in early spring after all the buttons had been picked to get that last bit of usefulness out of the plant at a time when there is a shortage of greens for the table.
My favorite part of a cauliflower are the young green leaves and their stalks surrounding the curd.
Purple sprouting broccoli, which is overwintered as a plant is always cut as a sprig of leaves with the purple flower buds at the top in early spring, and as with other sprouting broccoli's and calabrese cutting often before the flowers proper appear will result in more side shoots appearing.
So really make the most of what you have grown , it's all good food.
Dave

[DaveB]

Originally Posted by growmore

Thanks Hiyatim, I think your right , But i really wanted to know why the broccoli had bolted? I`ve read they are hungry plants but have not fed them as they grew so well, should i bother feeding now? or like you say just accept it. By the way i didn`t know you could eat the flowers, although it makes sence. Can you eat the leaves and stalks also , and boil like cabbage? This is the first time i`ve grown broccoli and i`m on the verge of composting the lot and replanting with something else. Anybody recomend a good relible croper that i could grow next year.
Any advise gratefully excepted. many thanks and cheers , Dave.

Just wondering about your growing method, did you plant the seed and then let the plants grow on in situ or start them off and then transplant to a final cropping location. Brassicas really need starting off in a seedbed or in small pots and then moving to where you want them to crop. I know I might be oldfashioned but the traditional method of planting the seed fairly close together and then transplanting with a setting pin(dibber) when the plants are around 6ins high is best, it ensures the roots are in deep enough, the plants are spaced correctly (most people plant far too close together)although I know space may be an issue and above all the plants can be well firmed in which is very important with all brassicas. Any of these things not being right and lack of water can lead to bolting to seed.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Dave (Growmore), basically it is the weather that causes vegetable plants to bolt. A period of cold weather gets the plant ready to produce seeds and then as soon as the warm weather comes the plant bolts. If broccoli is planted during cold weather this can also cause the plant to form small heads.

But as Tim said, a broccoli head is made up of a mass of tiny, closed, green flower buds which is harvested and eaten while the green flower buds are still closed. The flower buds will naturally open (as all flowers do) and produce the yellow flowers, so is this really bolting??

You can make soup with the flowering heads.

[growmore]

Hi and thanks for the replys. DaveB i started them in peat pots, transplanted to pots and finally planted out. Lesley i think you are right we have had a lot of rain lately and temps have droped. Can i just ask again if anybody recomends a good reliable croper i could grow next year. I would like to give this veg one more try. Thanks again for all your informative answers. Dave.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Dave, I haven't grown these varieties but they should hold well in the ground rather than flowering quickly as your broccoli did this year.

Broccoli : Belstar F1 Hybrid (Seeds)

Mr Fothergills | Broccoli (Calabrese) Ironman F1

[growmore]

Thanks lesley, The broccoli on the packets looks moutwatering , exactly what i was trying to grow Definitely gona give them ago next year . Just hope they do what they say on the tin (packet) sorry. You being an experienced grower, whats your oppinon on eating the stalks and tender leaves of boccoli. I`ve googled and got mixed reports, some say you can, some not. Sorry to go on about this subject, but as i`ve said earlier i`ve not grown broccoli before.
I`m slowly learning, Thanks for all your advice Dave.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Dave, yes you can eat the stalks and the younger leaves from broccoli plants. Some people say that the leaves can taste bitter but I would think that this will be the large outer leaves. Young leaves on cauliflowers are lovely. The best thing to do is to try eating them! You can use them in soups, casseroles, stews and I've found you a recipe for coleslaw made with the stalks. Most recipes say to peel the stalks.

Here's a few ideas:-

Creamy Broccoli Slaw Recipe : Ellie Krieger : Food Network

Broccoli Stalk Soup - Love Food Hate Waste

Crusty pasta & broccoli bake recipe - Recipes - BBC Good Food

Bento fillers: Forgotten vegetable kinpira | Just Bento

[growmore]

Well i wasn`t expecting that, youv`e got me cooking as well. i`ll be on masterchef next. Very kind of you to find the recipes.
Thanks again, Dave.