[Daftodil]

I planted some purple sprouting broccoli last autumn which grew nicely over the winter and into spring, however, only one of the dozen or so plants actually sprouted any broccoli even though all the plants looked very heallthy. Does anybody know why? or have any suggestions? Thanks

[strangerachael]

Perhaps you left it a bit late, sowing in autumn? I have the opposite problem - I sowed in early spring and it's already sprouting and going to seed. Late spring/early summer is about right I think.

[Christine]

Every time I whinge about my brassicas (cabbage, cauli, broccoli), the expert down the gardeners association hut asks if I added lime, watered well and tramped down the soil hard before planting.

I seem to be doing better when I remember to follow his advice. 

[SG6]

Mine have grown well. all good sized and seemingly healthy. Just no purple sprouting bits.

They have about a week before I get fed up and start turing them into compost.

That is unless I decide that their time is up and they get it tomorrow.

[NigelB]

I have the same problem.,..... The b****y things have been in the soil since last autumn and have given me next to b****r-all in return. 
Big plants too. Waist height and almost a yard wide, and I'm lucky if I've had more than a couple of handfulls off of the six of 'em. Tiny little florets I'm getting, and they run to seed quicker than a very fast thing running in a very competative race....
If i hadn't already ordered this autumns lot, I wouldn't have bothered with them again....
....Purple sprouting waste of hard-worked soil they are.... 
 

[DD.]

Autumn is late to be planting. Mine went out in June.

(After a good handfull of lime in each hole & a heavy roller, of course!)

[NigelB]

... When you say...... a good handfull of lime ......... Can you elaborate for this no-nowt gardener?
What type, where from, that sort of stuff..........? 
Thanks. 

[DD.]

This sort of lime

http://www.dobbies.co.uk/acatalog/westland-garden-lime-soil-improver-code-glgf35.html

That's for illustration only & the bigger bag you can get, the cheaper per kilo it is.

A handfull means just that, as much as I can grab in one hand. OK - not scientific but it's worked!

[bonfire]

Autumn is much too late to be planting purple sprouting. They need a long season of growing to produce late winter early spring florets. Sorry to disappoint but these vegetables just won't do as they are told so you have to learn to put up with it. 

[DD.]

A couple of us have made the point about autumn planting, bonfire, but weren't quite so abrupt about it.

[noshed]

I've planted mine out quite late and they have been fine. This year I put them out too early and they bolted. Fortunately I have some I planted about a month ago.

[bonfire]

Ooops.

Sorry if my posting seemed abrupt - it was meant to reflect the fact that we all struggle to get these plants to do what we want but more often than not they just do what they want ..........and we have to learn to like it.

I find the lessons are better learned from experience - I have done most things wrong in my time growing and a season of wasted effort certainly makes you remember what not to do. This means that it is something else that goes wrong the next year. ............

[NigelB]

A couple of us have made the point about autumn planting, bonfire, but weren't quite so abrupt about it.

No problems here. Bonfire makes the point well.
What happened is, I ordered the 'Autumn Collection' of winter/spring veg from a reputable (I believe) supplier last summer, and plantlets arrived and were potted into pots and planted out at about a foot tall, which happened to be about late August/early september..
They did well over winter, slowly getting larger on all but the coldest of times, and grew away quite happily this spring. Now though, they have few heads of broccoli and they are of small size.
I suppose I must have fallen for the advertising hype...?

Meanwhile, this years' plantlets are already on order and I'm waiting for them to arrive......

[Debz]

I bought in seedlings last autumn and planted them.  By May they had grown really well but had no signs of sprouting bits.  The hens loved them though!

[lisa80]

i planted my psb out in spring had one bolt in june and the rest have nothing so far, they take up a lot of space so am not bothering next year. I am going to try calebrese (i hear u all laugh)apparantly its a pain to grow but ill give anything a go once thats the only way you learn!!!