First Broccoli Harvest

It is my first time growing broccoli. I really had no idea what to expect. I started them from seeds then transplanted the sickly looking seedlings into composted cow manure, prayed over them, watered them, and picked off any misguided bugs or worms that thought they looked like a free buffet!

From seedling to harvest was almost exactly 60 days, just like the seed packet said. I'm stunned at how fast they grow.

I took the first photo on June 2nd and harvested only 12 days later!

These plants are HUGE! The leaves are beautiful and I wondered what in the world I was going to do with them after I harvested. It seemed a shame to toss out so much remaining plant. But I found recipes to use the leaves. They said they cooked up like cabbage. So I tried it with the first harvest. They were right! Delicious! We'll be eating the whole plant now, not just the florets. Excellent!

Other gardeners in the area told me it was too hot to grow broccoli. I guess they should have said that to the broccoli! I only planted 4 plants this year because I wasn't sure how they'd do. I'm glad I didn't plant more because they do take up alot of garden space. But if I expand the garden, I'll make more room for these guys and plant them in succession since they grow so quickly.