"Bob Hobden" wrote

"Mr. Green" wrote ...
I'm in central Texas. It's been a fairly mild spring. This is a new
garden I setup this year in the west part of the lawn. I added some
organic matter but he soil still has a lot of clay. The plants get about
6 to 8 hours of full sun. I've kept them well watered. I dont know much
about gardening but I think broccoli should have nice dence edible buds.
The onions in the back part of the picture are doing fine. The broccoli
does not look healthy to me.

I always thought Broccoli was a plant for cool climates. However perhaps
there are now varieties for higher temperatures, not living in such a
place I don't know. :-)

Some have one tight head followed by some little ones and we call these
types "Calabrese", others are what we call "Sprouting Broccoli" (often
purple) and have lots of small heads which keep coming the more you cut
them off. They all bolt to flowers if you leave them though.

Clay is a fertile soil but can be on the acid side, so as all Brassicas
like an alkaline soil check you soil pH (kits are available), it should be
more than pH7 (neutral) and if it's below that it's acid so you need to
use Lime to improve it for your brassicas next year.
BTW Clay is only a problem for you not your plants. :-)


I forgot to mention, cut off all those heads that have turned to flower and
you should get new growth that, depending on the weather, will make lots of
tasty small heads in a few weeks.
Shade cloth over them next year to keep the hot sun off?

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK