The Big Broccoli Mistakes

Along with lettuce, I also tried growing broccoli this year. I wasn't exactly sure what it would look like while growing because I had never seen it in the ground and I remember how surprised I was the first time I saw pineapples growing. At first the big leaves were the only things to be seen. When the little heads began to appear it was much more exciting.

I let the broccoli keep growing after the above picture was taken because it didn't quite look like what I usually buy at the store and more heads were beginning to peek out below the central one.

But I waited too long and discovered just why each of these clusters is called a floret. This word comes from French and Middle English meaning flower, and each bud in the cluster will indeed flower into a bright yellow bloom.

It turns out that I was supposed to go ahead and cut the central head off after it grew and after that other broccoli bunches would have continued to grow for several weeks as long as the weather didn't get too warm. But it all happened so fast! Within about three days of seeing the clusters come up, the yellow flowers began to pop open!

The big broccoli mistakes: harvesting too late and not allowing the broccoli to continue growing after cutting the central cluster. Oops!

I didn't want the harvest to be a complete flop so i cut the flowered broccoli and put it in vase:) There's always next year!