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Vegetable Gardening

Growing Waltham broccoli in Spring

12 years ago

This year I was terribly proud of myself for starting broccoli seeds on time, and creating some beautiful seedlings that are just about ready to go out, right on time. I thought surely they'd be better than the transplants of the unnamed variety I've purchased from Home Depot in recent years.

Then I started reading more carefully about the variety I chose, which is "Waltham." Apparently this variety was bred to do well as a Fall crop, and here I am, intending to grow it in the Spring. I know I originally purchased these seeds because they were open-pollinated, and claimed to produce prolific side shoots...and, probably, because the town of Waltham that this variety is named for isn't far from where I live.

Am I going to regret trying to grow this variety in the Spring? With my unnamed Home Depot broccoli, I was consistently cutting heads in late June, and harvesting side shoots until mid-December, and I guess I was hoping to do that again. Should I just toss my seedlings in the compost, and buy my Home Depot transplants again? Would planting them in a not-quite-so-sunny part of the garden help?

I'm located in Massachusetts, in the Boston area. Living in the city, I have limited garden space, and there's only just so much space devoted to broccoli -- so trying both isn't an option.

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

weedlady
12 years ago
Oh, no--don't pitch out your babies!! Give them a chance; I never believe everything the seed packets tell me. :-) Also a lot always depends on weather...
You might want to plant an additional variety as a backup/comparison though, and see what you get, and then, in order to cover all the bases, start a second set of Waltham seedlings in early July for the fall! That's what I'd do, anyway.
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leira
Original Author
12 years ago
I'm sorry if I wasn't more clear about this, but my space is rather limited. I have a very big yard for the city, but quite small by any objective standard. My carefully planned garden layout has space for 6 broccoli plants, and that's it. I really would like to do a Fall crop, but I can't for the life of me figure out where I'd put it. I'm still working on that. I know I could take out the original plants, but my experience has shown that the side shoots just keep coming, so I find myself reluctant to take them out before the cold kills them.

If I had the space, I'd just cover all my bases, and see how it plays out...but I don't, so I'd like to make the best choice I can based on the experience others.
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Correct, frost doesn't bother broccoli. They normally go in in mid April in zone 6A. When I lived in Massachusetts many years ago, peas were planted on Patriots Day (April 20). Here I plant them long before that. Lettuces will also do better sown quite early--early to mid April. And spinach can go in as soon as you can work the soil. Many people sow it in the fall for earliest spring growth. Only tender veggies need to wait until after frost.
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yolos - 8a Ga. Brooks
12 years ago
Plant 3 Waltham and 3 from home depot. Experiment and see which one is best for your climate.
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planatus
12 years ago
Keep your Walthams and spoil them rotten to get them to head up quick. They love life under a row cover tunnel. The main heads may be a little lumpy compared to what you see in stores. Instead of waiting for them to fill out, cut them early (yum) to push out plenty of sideshoots.

I keep trying OP broccoli varieties but have not found one that compares to hybrids, spring or fall. Belstar F1 and one or two others are available as organic seeds. It takes me 3 years to use up a packet of broccoli seeds, I can't grow high quality seed myself because of climate and cross-pollination limitations, so I go for the best hybrid I can find that's available as organic. Good luck!
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leira
Original Author
12 years ago
Planatus, I don't mind lumpy...I just want yummy!

What would be the benefit of the row cover at this point? I'm pretty sure it's already warm enough that they wouldn't need weather protection. I was considering a low tunnel in the Fall, in the hopes of keeping the plants going a little bit longer. In previous years, they've usually lasted until mid-December, when a serious cold-snap hits, but maybe I could keep them going a bit longer with a little effort.

Do you think the plants could make it through the Summer to keep producing side shoots in the Fall, or should I expect to need to replace them in the late Summer/Fall if I want that? The production of side shoots for months on end is what really sold me on growing broccoli in the first place.

A packet of broccoli seeds lasts a lot longer than 3 years for me, given the small size of my garden. This packet is from 2006, and still going strong...I even planted heavily due to the age of the seeds, but the germination rate was great, and now I'm overrun. You may be right that a hybrid variety would be a better option in the future, since I don't actually think I'll be saving the seeds. I tend to be a little anti-hybrid, but perhaps unfairly so, and maybe I should ease up!
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