It's December in upstate NY, and I'm still picking broccoli. It was planted in August, and didn't start producing until late October. There've been 7 sub-zero nights, and after each one, the leaves look worse and worse, but somehow, the plants are still making multiple florets the size of ping pong balls. It's absolutely delicious. Sweetest broccolli I've ever eaten. So, if you're getting cabin fever already, plan on planting huge amounts of broccolli in August. Simply amazing.
And, the deer have absolutely no interest in the plants.