Hey Bulldogges, I've been leaving the glass off the box for...geez....a while now. If it didn't get below freezing at night, the glass was off. Unfortunately, they got pummeled during the freak-of-nature hailstorm Sunday, but most survived (didn't get the glass on top of the box until I saw the ocean of hailstones running down my driveway!). Anyhow...they are really small. They don't look like their suffering from cold, they're not dieing, but they aren't getting anymore leaves! I might move them this weekend and keep glass on top of them...I've managed to find old shower doors...in somebody's trash!...and I think they will fit over the bed. I think these are completely hardened off, but I just wish they had more leaves and were a little bigger. And I hate to go get transplants...spent $$$ on that last year and then the plants I started from seeds took off, and I ended up with crowded plants. What else are you planting over there in Ardmore? Pam

It's interesting that you say white! As I look at the photo, it sure looks that way to me as well, but when looking in the garden my brain just said 'yellow.' I'm not sure if my memory is bad, or the camera. I will try to examine them tonight and get a shot with the SLR in some better light. Frost damage is new to me, as this is the first time I have tried a spring garden. Not being from a gardening family, I grew up thinking a garden started on Memorial Day and ended on Labor day. I was very happy to discover differently, but it does open a whole new set of problems along with the new possibilities! I'm also anxious to get my soil results back, since I have no idea what the available nutrients are in the new beds. Since they have been in for a couple of weeks now, I'm wondering if I should give them a dose of a mix of fish emulsion/seaweed or even some miracle grow?

In case Slimey's answer isn't clear enough - you are supposed to harvest broccoli before it flowers (yellow blooms at the tips). There is no turning back the clock on that one. When the heads start to loosen up, then they are going to start flowering. If you were waiting for it to get to the size of the ones in the grocery store - it probably won't. The first time I grew broccoli I didn't get a "head" bigger than a child's fist.

ltilton - Original photo was only the broccoli, and the plant on the far right is brussels sprouts. Trying to upload a kale photo now! And I have read some things about fish emulsion, maybe I'll check that out :) floral_uk - Actually I am not entirely sure we do have enough room. The planter is right up against our garage, and only a few inches in front of where this photo ends there are berry bushes that are in the midst of growing *a lot*. I worry planting them in the ground there will compete with nutrition and space, and anything behind it wouldn't get enough sun. Or am I wrong on that? This is why we are hoping to get that additional set of raised beds up this fall or early next spring :) I'd love to be able to try these crops again, and some others, with more space. I went ahead and plucked out some of the worst looking kale and broccoli plants to try to give the "better" looking ones some more room to see if there is any bounce-back. I also went ahead and harvested everything I could in case they aren't salvageable this year. (Besides, I needed a ton of kale this week for recipes anyway!) Thanks again for your input, glad to know there's a place like this - especially for newbies.