Ok...they are finally getting heads but this one, though only about 2 inches in diameter, is already looking like the stuff from the store (i.e. ready to pick)?
With the size of this head I am thinking I am glad I planted 12 plants so we might get a whole meal from them if they are ready to harvest around the same time. If not I guess we will have to take turns at who gets to eat it. hehe.
First time growing this and not sure when to harvest. :(
Thanks for any help.
Keep watering it and watching it. If you see those little flowerlets starting to open (you'd see yellow) pick it quick! Brocolli has a tendancy to bolt when the weather gets hot, so watch it carefully. The trick is to pick it when it looks big enough and before you see any yellow.
I think you are right, The flowers are beginning to seperate and will will probably open before the head gets much larger. As Mary said, at the first sign of the yellow blossom, pick it quick. The plant looks healthy so, you may have one of the "sprouting" cultivars, which typically have small central heads, but produce copious side shoots at about the same size.
Wildflower, my climate is similiar to yours (eastern Oregon) and the variety I have had the best results with is Green Comet. The earlier you can get it into the ground the better. Is a good cool weather crop and needs time to grow before the weather gets hot and the plant decides it needs to bloom and set seeds.
