Broccoli question

[FDR]

When do you know it's time to harvest broccoli heads? I alwys seem to wait too long and then there's flowers. What's the rule of thumb?

[Harry Chickpea]

I can see a color change just before flowering, but I like to harvest before then. Younger is more tender. Since these plants don't take up a huge amount of space like squashes and melons, just plant more at the beginning of the season, and maybe plant a few a week before the others. When those begin to flower the first time, harvest most of the other heads. After that, you just have to watch. I haven't found much consistency later in the season.

[TQ]

Heads full of flowers don't appear overnight, so keeping a watchful eye is good advice. At the first hint of yellow on the first plant, it/s pickin' time.

You could also keep an eye on the 'days to maturity' date. If it/s 65 days, then add that number to the date you set the plants in the garden. Same technique holds true for most other transplants. If seeds are sown directly in the garden, then add the 'days to maturity' to the date when most of the seeds have germinated.