Some questions on my broccoli and cucumbers...

[HotPepperQueen]

This is my broccoli. I have never grown it before and I guess I really have no idea how it works. It looked like a tiny head of broccoli for awhile and now it looks like this. Is it too late to eat now?

And this is one of my cucumber plants. Only one hill looks like this. Any ideas as to what is going on?

 

[baymule]

Yes you can eat the broccoli. You just let it go a little past a tight head, that's all. When you cut it, it should send out side shoots that you can cut again and again.

I don't know what is chewing on your cucumber plants, maybe get a bottle of insecticidal soap from the garden center at walmart and spray it, especially under the leaves.

 

[so lucky]

Just be sure and soak that broccoli in salt water for an hour or so before you eat it. If you had any worms at all, they may still be hiding in between the broccoli florets. Not fun to find while you are eating it.

 

[HotPepperQueen]

Thanks! I cut it this morning and I am nervous it is going to be too bitter. Over night it flowered....a lot

 

[baymule]

You can also peel the tough outer skin from the stem and slice it in with your broccoli florets. The way to tell if it is too tough is if the knife has a hard time cutting through the stem.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I sympathize with you a bit. It can be hard to get the timing of some of that stuff right, especially the first time you grow it. For me, cauliflower can be even harder since I have it covered to blanch it. Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage doesnt always head up into those nice large heads you expect either. But youll do better next time. And where you live, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli should all be ones you try.

When I get cauliflower or broccoli overdeveloped, I often blanch it and freeze it, then use that in soups. Its not at the peak of perfection, but when I can soup I process it for 85 minutes. Anything in there is going to be cooked to death anyway.