time for broccoli in zone 6 ?

When is it ok to set out broccoli plants in zone 6 ? Will they take the light freezes like peas do ?
We have had such a warm winter, it's hard to know what to do about the early vegs. this year.

Broccoli isn't frost-hardy like peas, though I'm sure there are more and less tolerant cultivars. Some cabbages and many lettuces and greens will do fine. I grow cold hardy spinach, lettuces, mustards, and arugula. I didn't know you were zone 6, Peggie!

Yup, still a couple of weeks away for broccoli, they'll stand a light, frost. Like Zeppy said, cabbage is fine, o.k. to plant beets, carrots, potatoes, etc.

Actually, all the cultivars of broccoli that I have tried, stand more cold than cabbage. They have to be hardened off tho. This is Green Comet which has stood morning temps of 22 degrees and is still producing side shoots. When I was in Z6b, New River Valley, I aimed for setting Broccoli around April 1.

Well, maybe I'd better try again. Last time mine got very cold it buttoned pretty badly.

You are absolutely right. If it is not adapted to cold it will button. A green house plant is very susceptible. I use cold frames and open them about a month before transplanting so they are "frostproof" The buttoning is the result of the plant being stressed or shocked.

Good to know. I will start mine in the coldframe too, in that case.

I hope you don't mind me butting in! I have been attempting to grow brocolli for 2 years now, and I am just plain determined to succeed this year. can you give me a little briefing???

I have the Waltham Brocolli "74 days. A widely adapted, drought tolerant variety for fall planting. Developed to mature in cold weather. Produces a head 4 to 8 in. diameter. which holds for a long time. Also produces lateral buds for 6 to 8 weeks after harvest of the main head. Leaves are borne on a low, compact plant having a distinctive slate-green color."

I don't understand how I could do a plant-out in the "fall" and 2 and a half months later get these veggies without having them wiped out by frost. The timing just doesn't work for me. The first year I started the seeds in August, set the plants to ground in October, and they started looking pretty good - they even got nice leafy....then it snowed!!!

I'm way c'fused!

Oops - do I understand that I should be starting my peas, cabbage, caulifower, and beets now, or have I already missed the boat by not starting the seeds indoors yet?

Sorry for all the questions. I mostly do tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, and radishes, so the rest still mystify me!

Thanks for your help!

In your climate you have time for peas, beets and other cool weather direct seeded crops. You don't have to worry about July burnout. You can probably still start your cabbage, cauliflower, etc and they should also grow during your summers in New York state. You don't begin to have problems until the temps get consistently above 90 degrees. In your area fall planting will mean backing up your planting so that you harvest in September/early October BEFORE the freezes. That means setting cabbage, broccoli, Cauliflower in July or so depending on the maturity dates of the plant. The Waltham is a mid season cultivar, so it would need to be transplanted byJuly 1 for fall ( late September/October) harvest. It is on the bottom of my list of broccoli cultivars, but it does produce good side shoots. You may want to go the nursery and grab a few brrocili plants when they come in. An early cultivar of course to try your luck. Packman seems to be the most popular and it is not bad. It is rated at 50 days, but a spring planting will take a couple of weeks longer.

Farmer, I found just the opposite to be true, at least with the two cultivars that I grew last fall. I got them in late and was only able to harvest about half of them. After the first hard frost my Early Dividend broccoli was toast while my Bonnies Hybrid cabbage sailed through it. My cabbage plants survived the winter (coldest night - 10*) and is still growing.

Perhaps it's the variety(s)?

I don't mean to sound dense - except that i am!!! (Ever notice the "once burned, twice shy" adage is true, too, with gardening???)

Should I be trying to plant my seeds directly outside now? Is that what you mean by "In your climate you have time for peas, beets and other cool weather direct seeded crops."? Or does "direct seeded" mean something entirely different? I have some wonderful seeds for beets, peas, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts, and would love to be able to give them a go. I "accidentally" grew Brussel sprouts in my bedroom a couple of years ago and it did great. Last year I tried it in the raised bed and it didn't do nearly as well - wasn't half the conversation piece either!!!

Thanks everyone for being so patient with me - I hate sounding like such a dunce! I promise to share photos with ya'll WHEN I have success!!!

The beets and peas get direct seeded. We plant peas on St. Patty's day as a matter of principle. I'm trying to start only two *new* veggies a year or I get sloppy. :)

Red, It may be more a matter of timing. Cabbage plants will stand pretty cold weather if they are hardened to it. However I have found cabbage to be very susceptible to freezes when they are heading. I have lots of late fall cabbage that got caught in an earlier freeze and turned to mush. Broccoli sailed on through, even cauliflower. Have not tried Early Dividend, but Superdome, Green Comet, Coronado Crown, and Packman did well, As did White Cloud cauliflower. BUT this is not hard freeze, Temps in the low 20's and not lasting long enough for the ground to freeze. Once the ground freezes anything that is not dormant freezes. Young cabbage plants will go dormant and recover when the weather warms up. minus 10 must be a record tho. Broccoli and Cauliflower may also go dormant, but when the weather warms up they button.

Sorry Farmer, It wasn't minus 10 but rather the minus sign was used as a hyponate. It was actually 10*. ☺

Like that isn't cold enough??? LOL!

Sequee, I start my broccoli and tomato seed at the same time. But the broccoli goes into the ground 2+ weeks earlier than the tomatoes. After a week+ in the cold frame.
Does that help? If you have had success with tomatoes, broccoli will be easy, too.
I just want to add this pic from last Fall of a Spring planted broccoli. You may have seen it before, lol.
Andy P

I bought the broccoli plants that are outside at Lowe's. I asked if they covered them at night and they said "only if it gets real cold". That was just what I wanted to hear. That means that they've been sitting out in the wind and cool, hardening off. They looked nice and healthy and unstressed too. Yea !!! Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.

I took them home and put them right into the garden and they are doing beautifully. Saved me the trouble and waiting for them to harden off after I got them home.