"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
PC wrote:
That doesn't seem to be exactly it. The slimy spots on the heads sounds
right but not the rest of it. It has been wet here lately so some kind of
microbe that likes wet is very likely, I thought fungus but bacteria is
possible.

David

hi david,
this post is so old!!!!! so my reply might be useless but i lost my server
connection for absolutely ages & now i'm back :-)

i have had the exact same thing happen with my broccoli this winter &
wondered the very same thing.

my best theory (because i really don't know what it is) is that the plants i
had in were less hardy than my usual, & it happened because of frost. the
wet, icky patches look to me like the aftereffects of frost damage - they
were only on the very tops (it didn't happen to the shoots under leaves or
more towards the sides). subsequent shoots not frosted so badly seem fine
(which makes me think it's probably not a disease); but it has happened
again a bit, again after frosts, but as they seem to be less severe now it
seems to have stopped happening.

normally i have grown green sprouting broccoli, but this winter i grew de
cicco and a dwarf variety (name unknown, because i got them as seedlings &
promptly forgot :-) i didn't grow any green sprouting so i have no
comparison.

does that explanation sound probable to you? i found that it was
disappointing, as all the dwarf heads were completely ruined & it seems a
little unwilling to shoot again. the de cicco is still soldiering on, but it
doesn't re-shoot as much or as cheerfully as sprouting, it seems to me, so
that's a shame cos broccoli is one of my favourites.
kylie