If they're not going to grow, you should be able to tell quickly, and at least not waste much time.

I've been wondering about growing those crops during the hot summer. I was thinking low tunnels with shade cloth? The bugs are really bad for me in summer, so they would have to be sprayed a lot, too.

i tried growing cabbage in a hoophouse last winter. it went to seed in the spring instead of heading up. the broccoli should be good if you can keep it warm enough. expect it to button up but you can be cutting the side shoots all spring. i don't think the stress makes it button up but the temperature does. no experience growing cauliflower inside. any harvest i think will be in early spring/late winter of any of these.

I started a flat of cole crops first of july. I put them out in my Hoop house(which doesn't have the cover on in the summer)the first or second week of August. I did 2 kinds of sprouting broccoli, which are specifically bred to overwinter. You cut the head at the first sign of it, and they are supposed to sideshoot like mad real early in the spring and continue for some time. The seed pack had days to harvest as 220, reflecting the need to grow in summer, overwinter, then sprout through spring and into early summer. They are supposed to be extremely cold hardy, and if I remember they have some cross with kale in them. Kind of a commitment, but I'm going for winter/early spring harvests out of the hoophouse as much as possible. I also had January King cabbage in the same flat. The sprouting Broccoli plants are about 2 feet tall and wide, so they are big. The cabbage(again, a winter variety) is just starting to form heads now. They are also bigger plants than I was expecting. We have a few more days in the 80's, next week should be in the 60's for a high, and I doubt we will climb into the 70's much after the cold front comes through, so I will be covering soon.
I was also thinking of putting in some fall clearance plants from the nursery, but I don't know that they will have enough time to mature into anything. My understanding is for the plants to be approaching maturity when the cold comes, and they grow under protection(slowly) throughout the cold winter and you harvest them as needed. Come spring warm up and longer photo-period, they start bolting. I dunnno, might try anyway.
Check out Territorial Seed's winter growing catalog, there is some cool stuff in it, pun intended.

I'd think that the light levels will drop too low to get much growth this fall or winter so they'll be putting on growth in late Feb onwards. As Randy said, I agree the broccoli might be the better option which might make some small heads in the late winter/spring and then side shoots. I've never known of a cabbage that won't bolt after overwintering. Same for the cauliflower unless it's been specially bred to be an overwintering type (and even those should be in the ground and have 8-12 leaves by now).

Just my thoughts.
-Mark

Well I didn't do it. My wife forgot to stop at the nursery when she drove by on the way to a Cross Country meet. Since it is over an hour away, I couldn't justify the special trip.

Maybe next year.

Jay

I had this same question. When I went to pick up my strawberry plants last month the nursery had lots of plants in 400 cell trays for cheap. They were in good shape and not root bound. I transplanted them into 50 cell trays and they are looking great but I'm afraid it's just too late. I was thinking about putting the broccoli outside and covering it trying to overwinter. I got so overwhelmed from the summer that I didn't even get my high tunnel planted until last week. Hoping to get at least some produce for the winter market that starts around Thanksgiving. I transplanted into it, kale (Blue Vates & Premier), kohlrabi (Winner), cilantro (Santo), spring onions, lettuce (Adriana, Coastal Star & butter-head) and peas (sugar ann). I seeded Hakurei turnips, allstar lettuce mix, spinach (Whale) and radishes. I guess we'll see if anything will make it. I had all the transplants so I figured I'd put them in and give it a shot. Right now everything looks great, watered and fertilized well.

This post was edited by TomatoesAndThings on Tue, Oct 7, 14 at 22:58

You probably made the best decision for a host of reasons, mostly given by others. My experience with all of the cole crops is that the profit margin is not that good and I would certainly not take up space in a high tunnel unless I had a certain demand.

I cut most of my cabbage heads for my son who wanted to make saurkraut with a few friends and I couldn't get a much for a big head as I could for plants I sold this spring. My cauliflower sales were OK but the specialty types like Cheddar(orange) or Graffiti(purple) are better candidates for sellouts. Broccoli has the added benefit of side shoot sales which as good for me as original heads, 1/3rd of which I couldn't sell this year b/c they all came into head within a few weeks and my supply way overshot demand.

It seems more people are leaning to the benefits of eating Kale so that might be where the growing focus should be in cole crops.

What do you have growing in your high tunnels for the next few months if you don't use the space for cold crops?

The profit margin is bad because so many market farmers sell their brassicas way too cheap. It takes months and square footage to get cauliflower, one head per plant. Then they sell for $2-3 per head. That has to be the lowest profit margin there is. There is one vendor at market that really has become my arch enemy and he sells everything for at least a dollar cheaper than the rest of us. So stupid. I have sold broccoli, mostly side shoots, for $3 a quart since 2009. He brings large heads that all seem to get ready at once and unloads them for $2 a head. Your lack of planning a**hole does not make it right to undercut my broccoli I bring every week all season! I sell little the week or two he brings his. Sorry for ranting. I am quitting the main produce season of market next year and increasing CSA. I am sick of trying to sell vegetables to people who don't want any and pulling teeth for 3 hours a week.
As for brassicas: Green Magic is my favorite broccoli, Amazing is my favorite cauliflower and Drumhead savoy and Early Jersey are my favorite cabbage. Romanesco has never done anything for me here, or Brussels.

Tomatoes And Things... my high tunnels are producing tomatoes until December (planted in March) since nothing compares in return like tomatoes for me. I make about as much income from tomatoes as all other vegetables combined and I sell many different vegetables.
Little Minnie, you make a good point but I wish I could "Unload" broccoli for $2 a head. Can't be done when supermarkets offer it for $1.25. I have 4 or 5 favorite Broccoli varieties: Diplomat, Avenger, Pack Man, Emerald Jewel are all good producers with proper care. Amazing is a good cauliflower variety but few people will pay above supermarket price for locally produced cauliflower. Where I feel I have an edge with tomatoes is that supermarket tomatoes lack the flavor of my local vine-ripe ones. Every season seems to get better for me because I think I'm learning to give customers what they want.
Lately I have introduced a variety of winter squash types that people never see in stores, yet when they try them they come back asking for them by name. I have competition from many larger orchards selling apples and cider but none offer the apple varieties that I am and none offer a great flavored apple-raspberry cider.

Bottom Line- Provide a better quality product or something unique. Never hurts to do both.

Well I sympathize with the ranting about vendors selling brassicas for too little, maybe folks here in Oregon are finally coming around and I can only hope the rest of the country catches on.
Right now Non-organic vendors are selling cauliflower heads for $2.50 each, the local organic cauli in the store is $3.50/lb and i'm charging $2.50/lb. The aphids were out in full force this year so anyone growing organically was hard pressed, so i'm offering a deal. It's sometimes awkward to charge $8 for a head but customers here don't complain at all. They seem to understand how hard it is to produce and I'm appreciative for their support.
As far as broccoli in the spring, if I don't get $2 a pound, I just won't grow it.
Cabbage is never a big money maker, $1/lb is as much as I can charge, purple sells faster than green.