June 09, 2017
Now that the broccoli heads are getting ready to pick don't pull the plants out of the ground like cauliflower. Cut the heads off and side shoots will begin to form. Yuppies call them "broccolini". They will continue to form all through August if you keep the plant from setting seed. I have consistently gotten more side shoot broccoli than main head broccoli. Every once in awhile I'll break off all the stems that are starting to form small heads and give the plant a fresh start..
It often results in larger side shoots. Direct seeding of broccoli for a fall harvest is July 1st. Trying to overwinter it always results in having a frozen head that starts to decompose before spring. Some people use a product called Reemay, which is a see through cloth that insulates the plants as a row cover, but it only buys you a few degrees..
June 10, 2017
My gardening journal indicates that it's time to fish emulsion the 2nd and 3rd plantings of cauliflower and broccoli. I think I'll end the broccoli fertilization early again this year because there really is such a thing as too much broccoli. The plants will get huge on their own because I continue to mulch on top of mulch. This results in compost under mulch, which feeds the microbes in the soil every time you water. An extensive root system takes full advantage of this. I'll continue to fish emulsion the cauliflower though because it needs to grow quickly or it seems to stunt itself..
The heads form but open before gaining any size. The tomatoes are done with fertilizer this year also. The bushes are 4' tall and so thick that the wind can't blow though them. I need to learn how to trim tomato plants because I read that it will start the harvest two weeks early..
June 11, 2017
The big artichoke plant in the middle of the garden decided to ripen all the chokes for the season at the same time. There are 24 on there. 4 softball size ones, 8 hard ball size ones, 8 pool ball size ones and 4 golf ball size ones. It's a big bush of sticks with artichokes on the ends..
They are all in the same stage of opening too, so probably should be picked now. The rest of the artichoke plants are doing their normal output, in a series of ripening chokes, not all at once. They are also harboring slugs and cucumber beetles this year, which I haven't seen before, but then again, I've never seen a cucumber beetle on a cucumber plant either so my observation skills may be lacking..
