Update on Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts

The broccoli and Brussels sprouts are finally gaining some size. At one time the leaves had darkened and started falling off even after being in the ground for a month. David from Dave's Square Foot Garden mentioned that his plants did that when they were root bound. I have to wonder if our terrible flea beetle infestation had put the plants behind because their larva are soil dwelling and feed on roots as well as feeding on the brassicas' leaves.

I treated the garden with beneficial nematodes on June 9th, and I think they must be impacting the flea beetle population. Normally I was squishing at least 5 flea beetles on each eggplant but today I only found a couple beetles in the whole eggplant bed.

There's 6 different varieties of broccoli so lots of variation in growth and leaf patterns. Their beds are the shadiest right next to the car port, soon to be covered deck and barbecue area.

The brassica beds have become catch all beds. I've been planting lots of basil and more Asian greens amongst the broccoli and Brussels sprouts. The frilly leaved Mizuna and spoon shaped Tatsoi were really ate up by flea beetles but they're finally recovering.

I've never had Brussels sprouts do so well. I'm so happy. Brassicas really do like their feet wet, I guess watering everyday is actually a necessity.

I really hope we'll be harvesting Brussels sprouts this winter. It's my husband's favorite vegetable, right up there with broccoli. Fingers crossed!

Lots of bloggers have been talking about starting their winter vegetables. I just finished planting the summer garden, I'm really not ready to start more seedlings. So many decisions to make. What to start and when to start? Lettuce, kale, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, turnips, spinach, fennel. Oh my.

Hmmm. Bush beans will finish by the end of July so carrots can start going in at that point. The current broccoli bed gets no sun whatsoever in the fall/winter months. Maybe brassica seedlings can go in beneath the pepper plants while they're finishing up in September.

Tomato, Broccoli and Brussels Sprout Seedlings Planted in the Garden

A tomato plant nipped at the stem, most likely by birds.

The tomatoes, broccoli, and Brussels sprout were planted in the garden on May 5th and 6th. And immediately birds and animals started doing their thing. So far I've lost 17 plants: one Brussel sprout, 6 tomatoes, and 10 broccoli. Maybe it's a good thing I started so many plants from seed to begin with.

These are the 3 tomato beds. In the back I hung aluminum pans from the bamboo trellises in an effort to ward off critters with noise and reflected light.  But yet the devastation continued.

A broccoli bed on the right and Brussels sprout bed on the left. I've been replacing the plants as they get destroyed and today I went and bought a bunch of pinwheels and stuck them around the beds. If this doesn't help, they'll have to be covered with Agribon row cover till the plants are big enough to withstand larger animals.

The 21 broccoli plants were spaced 2 feet apart (0.6 meters). I was reading a garden forum and they talked about spacing broccoli a foot apart which resulted in more main heads but little side shoot production. I might try that for fall planting and see how that goes.

21 Brussels sprouts also got planted with the same two foot spacing. Online they were saying sprouts need to be spaced 3 feet apart which sounds like a lot to me. I just can't imagine them needing more space than broccoli plants.

There are 6 rows of tomatoes with plants 18 inches apart within each row and rows are 2 feet apart. I did a major goof, after planting half of the first bed I realized I'd forgotten to add crushed eggshells and coffee grounds to the planting holes. So those tomatoes weren't amended. I'll also be top dressing with epsom salt.

I was talking to a friend who actually farms on shared family farm. Last week every single one of his tomato plants were eaten down to the nub by deer. He had to replant them all. And then he strung up an electric fence.

Garden Tilled, Go!! And 2016 Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts Varieties.

 Freshly tilled and mulched.

Broccoli and Brussels sprout seedlings.

My  husband rototilled Tuesday, April 19th, to get ahead of the rain. The soil tilth was at that perfect place, still soft and fluffy with just the right moisture content and even better, there were tons of worms running around in the garden. On Saturday my husband picked up a couple trailer loads of mulch which the city makes from tree waste, at $5 a truckload it's a real bargain.

This week I plan on planting out seedlings for 7 varieties of broccoli, and 4 varieties of Brussels sprouts. Seeding bush beans, summer squash, and zucchini are also at the top of the list.

Broccoli and Brussels sprouts don't like to be root bound so it's the perfect time actually, I'll be putting them in the ground instead of potting them up.

Broccoli varieties:
Bay Meadows
Calabrese

Di Cicco

Fiesta

Gypsy

Limba
Waltham

Brussels sprout varieties:
Cavolo
Gustus
Long Island
Roodnerf

Only Catskill Brussels sprouts didn't come up.

Broccoli and Brussels Sprout Update

Brawny Brussels sprout

Brussels sprouts in the bush bean bed.

Waltham broccoli

Summer Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Di Cicco broccoli

Broccoli and leek bed.

Forgive me but I’ve never grown broccoli or Brussels sprouts before so there are going to be lots of updates on these plants throughout the year. My partner says he’s looking forward to the brocooli and Brussels sprouts the most. So funny. I think Brussels sprouts are his favorite vegetable.

The Brussels sprouts are still young and darling. They were planted out today in the bush bean bed, along with a couple tiny Siam Queen basil, Shishito pepper, and eggplant seedlings that decided to germinate. Hopefully the Brussels sprouts were started late enough they will mature in the cold of early winter. We have a fairly long growing season with the first frost usually in the beginning of November. The varieties are Catskills and Brawny but I'm not sure how many were planted because I stopped counting after 14 Brawny plants.

The broccoli is doing well, getting ever bigger. I didn’t realize Summer Purple Sprouting broccoli was an overwintering variety (I do a lot of seed trading with a gardening buddy). The broccoli is actually planted closest to the house and since the garden is on the north side, that bed gets the most shade.

A golden retriever was walking through the alley while my husband was working on the house. He said the dog had a really sheepish look on his face, he glanced at my husband and looked away with a very guilty expression. So my husband thinks that’s the big dog that has been walking through the garden breaking broccoli leaves and squishing newly emerged seedlings like summer squash and zucchini and leaving tell tale signs like doggy footprints. Also something has also been digging up my pole beans and leaving little holes, I’m thinking it’s the incredibly fat squirrel that I see hanging around the perimeter of the garden. So fat. It reminds me of the squirrels out west.

Broccoli was started from seed on April 4th and Brussels sprouts were started on May 4th.