Purple sprouting broccoli problem

[Nik]

Hello all, this is my first post.
I wonder if anyone can help me with my purple sprouting broccoli - it's lovely and big with lots of leaves and looks nice and healthy - but I haven't had a single head of broccoli off it yet. I planted it last year and it should surely be sprouting by now. I've looked in all my veggy books for the answer but all they suggest is pigeons. Woodpigeons and collared doves do occaisionally come in my garden but I've never seen any on the broccoli, however I've put lots of CDs, poles and windmills around it just in case.
Is there something wrong with it or is everything just delayed because of the cold winter?

[rustylady]

Would have thought it would be starting to sprout by now. You don't get one big head off it, more small "heads" on sideshoots. Do you have any pictures you could post?

[womble]

You get the one big head up the middle first.

I have a plant exactly the same, I think it may be because I put some manure on it by accident, I remember reading that it can cause it to put on lots of leafy growth to the detriment of flowering, which is exactly what it is doing.

I also have another pigeon damaged plant, where they ate the centre flower spike and it has now started to produce side spikes.

There's not alot you can do I think, wait and see and leave it as long as you can.

[piskieinboots]

Welcome to the Vine Nik

Last year I had the very same issue with my PSB, no idea why - I waited and waited and then waited some more then ended up pulling the leaves to eat as 'cabbage'.

Hopefully your nice purple bits will reveal themselves very soon!

[Nik]

Thanks for the responses. I'll sit tight and wait...

[organic]

Hey Nik.
Welcome to the site.
Someone's bound to ask at some point so I'll chip in with it now.

Can you click on "User CP" at the top of the page and put your location into your profile (nothing too specific, just a county or a city should do the job)?
Some advice is location specific as the weather varies quite a lot as you head north or south. You'll find it easier to get useful replies with that bit of info on your profile.

Good luck with the Brocc - hopefully you'll get something soon.

[Two_Sheds]

If it was pigeons, the leaves would all be ragged and torn.
I've had PSB that's never produced a spear before; and this year the caterpillars ate them all at seedling stage

I think some plants are way behind because of the very cold winter: last year (some) people didn't get any spears until mid-April

[Lovage]

Mine is very late this year, just starting to form now whilw somw have been picking for weeks.

Some of it I put down to varietal difference - I used to buy PSB early and PSB late, now it seems you just get PSB

Although being very late to crop can be a problem if the plants are in the way the good thing is it fills the 'hungry gap' well. If mine had cropped early I probably wouldn't have used all the Kale

[Comfreyfan]

I'm still waiting for my last ones to crop too. Really nice healthy plants, although they look a bit lonely as the last stalks in last year's brassica bed.

[Snadger]

There are different types of PSB. 'Rudolph' is supposed to be one of the earliest!

[Wren]

Everything is about 3-4 weeks behind this year, hang on a while

[King Carrot]

My early PSB is producing now and I'm hoping the late is still coming along - I was wondering if I have had iffy seed as the plants look very compact with lots of leaf but as yet no flowers forming - probably the cold and we'll all just have to wait and see what happens

[Patchninja]

Unwins do a packet with 4 different varieties. I bought one and left if behind in Cornwall.

[Nik]

Well here's the weirdest thing. I was wondering for weeks why there was no sprouting and then finally yesterday in desperation I posted this thread. But blow me down if I didn't get home after work to see the first little head poking out of the leaves! Panic over.

[LolaLou]

Glad I'm not alone - my PSB that was supposed to crop around Dec/Jan has just finished cropping (came over a 2/3 week period) and I'm lovingly nursing the plants that were due to mature last month as they are big plants but not doing a lot of 'spearing' at the moment (if that is a term to use!).....I can't wait for the crop as its so tasty....but I also would quite like to get a shifty on and plant some parsnips where they are sitting!!