My broccoli seems to be taking for ever to start a head. The plant is three feet tall and I have another planted beside it. Here's a picture. does it look normal or is there reasons for a slow harvest. Thanks for looking



PS its a De Cicco broccoli plant

The plant looks good to me. I'll bet it will put out a head eventually.

The Plant is now 4 foot tall and just starting to make a head about 3/4" in diameter. I'm thinking the soil is lacking. My green pepper plants are over 3 feet tall and out of 20 plants I have 1 green pepper around 2" square.....I hope they'll come around soon :(
heres a pict of that stubborn broccoli.

Did you use a bit too high of a nitrogen fertilizer? Sometimes that produces wonderful foliage but no bloom. It may grow larger just give it time.

I don't believe I have used any blood meal on the broccoli, but the green peppers I have sprinkled some around about 3 weeks ago.

Tom, what are your temperatures like in Southern Maine?

Your broccoli would prefer a cooler temp and its size and no head tells me the same as TVETom mentioned, too much nitrogen.

As for your peppers, they prefer a much hotter climate PLUS adding blood meal to them would be a no-no...entirely too much N, contributing to foliage growth and not helping with flowering/production at all.

For peppers you'll want a more balanced plant food/fertilizer, adding plenty of phosphorus and potassium, not just nitrogen. And heat.

For broccoli just enough nitrogen for good early growth but also some phosphorus/potassium for good root/flower growth.

At this point if your broccoli is heading I think I'd hang in there and give it a change to mature. If you get impatient you can do as I have done, pull the leaves and cook them like you would cabbage or collards.

Pulling for ya!
Shoe

Thanks Shoe I had added the blood meal cause my leaves were kind of yellow...but now they are all green. Our weather here is 75-90 and humid, from July through August. We had huge temp swings... Acually all my spinach bolted . I'm learning ALOT this year.