A few of our broccoli heads did start to bolt, but the majority of them stayed nice and compact.  I wish I would have had time to take them to the farmers market!  I do have plenty for my family, friends at church, and neighbors.  Broccoli stores really well in the fridge also, which is good because my fridge is full of Broccoli!  We applied the BTK every week and haven’t seen any caterpillars at all.  Remember, after you harvest the main head, the plant will produce several side shoots. I hope to experiment with freezing broccoli soon.

We also lost a few heads of broccoli because of all the warm, wet weather.  I found out that if the rain water pools on the top of the broccoli head, it can cause it to rot pretty quickly.  The best defense against this is to plant varieties that are very compact and have dome shaped heads so the water runs off.  I’ve heard great things about the Arcadia variety, so I think I will try that next time!  In addition, it is important that when you harvest broccoli you cut the main stem diagonally so that water doesn’t collect in the stem and cause it to rot.

 

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