I FINALLY Figured Out How to Grow Broccoli & Cauliflower

We all make mistakes in the garden, and Kevin is no exception. In this video, he reveals the top 5 cauliflower & broccoli mistakes he made, and you should avoid if you want incredible brassica crops.

IN THIS VIDEO

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:15 - Mistake 1: Timing
01:20 - Mistake 2: Transplanting
02:28 - Mistake 3: Harvest Timing
03:53 - Mistake 4: Harvesting Entire Plant
04:37 - Mistake 5: Not Tying The Leaves

DISCLAIMER

[sweet_adelines_stitchz]

I just saw a video of you from years ago talking about your dream of having an epic homestead. It's so amazing to see your dream come true! Wonderful job!!!!

[belfrykat]

i had some broccoli plants two years back that bolted early. instead of tossing them, i transplanted them to the pollinator garden to see what would happen. they looked pretty with their tiny yellow flowers & the bees loved them, so i left them & have been treating them like the other perennial blooming plants ever since. zone 10b magic!

[katidid]

I can absolutely vouch for bolted cauliflower being good for pollinators...I have yet to successfully harvest broccoli or cauliflower myself, but a couple of years ago, I started a bunch of purple cauliflower and had a good amount of plants. I waited too long to harvest (kept waiting for the heads to size up, but they didn't) and the heads turned into tons and tons of tiny flowers...like in this video. The bees LOVED them and were all over them. So I would say, even if you fail at growing food for yourself, you still can grow food for the pollinators. 🐝

[honeydew]

Here you are harvesting, and in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, we are growing seedlings indoors to put out whenever our 10+feet of snow melts.

[maartenwinkel]

Nice video. Thanks. I have an extra tip for when harvesting the head of the Broccoli. Try to cut it at an angle. That way water flows off and that reduces the risk of rot in the stem. I live in the Netherlands where temperatures and humidity can be perfectly balanced for rot and mold.
I also eat the leaves of the plants as a snack wile tending the garden.
Love the content.

[Dr_V]

Extra tip for those living in colder climates: if it's still not warm enough by the time you need to transplant the seedlings outside, place an empty glass jar upside-down over each plant, it will act as a mini-greenhouse. Or you can build a "greenhouse lid" to cover the entire lot, out of plastic foil stretched over a simple wooden frame (some 4-6" wide pieces of plank nailed together in a square will do just fine).

[beth]

This was so fascinating and insightful! It just makes me appreciate how much work goes into producing my favourite veggie 😋 Would love to be able to grow my own sometime soon

[borracho-joe]

Planting in late fall in So Cal and placing A LOT of blood meal under the plant works wonders!

[xmobile.]

I'm in PA. I fail at all brassicas because of the bugs 🐛 I bought big spools of tulle, I'm hoping if i can cover them soon enough that those white/yellow moths/butterflies won't be able to lay their eggs.

[marlenebennett]

Thanks for the info on broccoli and cauliflower! I planted some last year and was thrilled that the heads finally grew. I also planted cabbage. I made 32 pints of the best sauerkraut. I hope I get more answers to problems by getting to watch your programs.

[bobobaggins]

Ive been looking for videos because im at the start of autumn and want to get ready for winter. Ive had 0 luck in the past, and knowing how many times you've mentioned struggles in the past with brassicas, I genuinely feel more confident now knowing that its worked for you lol

[Liliarthan]

My personal fave way to eat broccoli, esp Chinese style:

1. Pick tender leaves or my fave - the young-ish tender side shoots with 2-3 sets of leaves attached.

2. Wash and blanch them in a pot of boiling water with a dash of oil added to the water (any oil except for olive, never use olive oil in Chinese cooking), for 2-3 mins (just until the green of the leaves and stem darken but not so long that it starts to go brownish.

3. Fish them out of the water and arrange the stems on a plate (can ice bath them but I find broccoli doesn’t need it unless I’ve left it to boil for too long).

4. Heat a generous amount (think Jamie Oliver amount) of oil (veg/canola etc - not olive) on the stove. Don’t need it super hot, if it starts smoking then take it off the heat and let cool a bit). Add a teaspoon or however much you like of chopped/crushed garlic, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar (optional), a dash of soy sauce. The oil will start spitting so work quickly (or combine that seasoning in a separate bowl and pour it over the broccoli, then pour the hot oil directly on top of the seasoned broccoli - it’ll make a cool ‘tsss’ sound). You basically want the oil and seasoning to end up poured over the broccoli. And dig in! delicious. Even my veg hating children will occasionally eat it (which is saying something).

[Runner]

I couldn’t get either one of those to grow for me. Maybe with your tips I may try again. Thanks

[rogaineablar]

Don't forget you can eat the leaves.

[sherrellrichmond]

I always let some of my broccoli go to flower in the spring. The bees LOVE it.

[ljgerken]

This was timely and confirms what I had heard. I'm in west central Florida and I planted in Dec - too late. The plants have matured, but no heads are forming on my cauliflower or brussel sprouts. I had heard from another Florida grower that I have to start plants about October 1st. So I will pull these plants out and restart then. I did get lucky with starting tomato seeds in my garage in December. I'm harvesting cherry tomatoes right now.

[pedrosgarden]

Definitely the crops I have the most trouble growing. Almost gave up on them, but now yet! I’m going to experiment with new timings, following other more experienced gardeners in my area.
I did grow them successfully once, when I started gardening. It’s that beginner luck! Never came back 😢

[geirkselim]

I haven't tried broccoli since 2014 and it didn't go well, but I have some seeds started so let's see how it goes. I'm in NY so hopefully I didn't get them going too soon for the frost

[nineteenninetyfive]

Tying the leaves is very important and the reason is that the sun will damage the heads forming on cauliflower if you don't.

[T-Mo_]

In zone 5b here, put transplants in last week of May or first week of June. Get nice heads and then alot of shoots.