It's pretty normal for things to grow much more slowly in the winter. At any given temperature, plant growth rates are pretty much correlated in a linear fashion to the amount of ambient light available -- the more footcandle-hours of light (intensity x duration) the more growth. In the winter, there is much less light available than in summer. I was taught that, for example, there are 85% more fch of sunlight available at the 42nd parallel on a heavily overcast June day than on a bright and sunny December day. This is due both to the shorter day length, and to the much lower angle of the sun in the sky, resulting in light rays hitting the surface of the earth at a much more oblique angle. This effect would be increased as you go north to some extent, and decreased as you go south, changing with the latitude as daylength and the sun's angle to the horizon change, but it's still valid even in Texas. Days to maturity are usually based on a spring/summer cropping scheme, unless its something which is specifically grown as an overwintered crop, like some of the British cultivars of sprouting broccolis.

Yes, both a spring & fall crop is a standard here as we love brocolli and it's one of the tops for good health and nutrition, and easy to freeze. Better tasting than store bought too. A note on buying transplants - buy them ASAP when the store recieves them as stores generally don't take good care of them which can stress them out to button up on you later. I also look for the youngest transplants and not buy the biggest ones (which is tempting) but which are most likely root bound and have a "woody" stem appearance that is also a sign of age. Harden-off fresh bought transplants too as these are probably right out of the greenhouse and may get sunburned or wind whipped which is also stressful to them. 2 cents.

Randy, What you need to know is that the cole family is picky, picky, picky. Productivity can be impaired by low soil moisture, low soil fertility, and temperatures that are either too high or too low. Other than that, they're a cinch to grow. Beyond those issues, broccoli plants can bolt and go to seed if exposed to hot weather, or can form buttonheads (small heads about the size of a quarter) if exposed to cold weather while small although you won't know the weather was 'too cold' for them until you get those buttonheads. Normally, if you plant broccoli a couple of weeks before your average last frost date, it will grow and produce well. Unfortunately, we've had later and later 'late freezes' the last 3 or 4 years and I have been sliding my broccoli planting date later and later every year because of that. I have been planting more like the week or two weeks after my average last frost date instead of 2 weeks before and that's worked out fairly well. If you used transplants that had 4 to 6 leaves, were about 4 or 5 weeks old, had good healthy green color and were not stalled in their growth, you should get broccoli heads from 60 to 80 days after you transplanted, assuming you planted varieties that perform well in Oklahoma. Last year's weather was oddly rainy at our house (almost 13" of rain in one day in late April which severely waterlogged our entire garden and stalled its growth) and cooler than usual, and we didn't harvest broccoli until June. Usually by late-May here in southern OK, the broccoli has either formed heads and has been harvested or has bolted and flowered. This year, our broccoli is just beginning to form heads the last few days, and it has been subjected to very cold temperatures and snow and also to temperatures in the upper 80s, so I have no idea if I'll get buttonheads or no real heads or nice, big heads or what. Cauliflower is even harder to grow successfully in Oklahoma in the spring. I have better luck with it as a fall crop--planted in mid- to late-summer for harvest in the autumn. It has the same temperature requirements as broccoli--performing best if it matures before temps begin regularly exceeding 75 degrees, but has even less tolerance for early cold weather. Even if you set out transplants that are the right size/age (roughly 4 or 5 weeks old) at the so-called right time, you have to cross your fingers and hope the weather doesn't get too high or too low during its growth. So, even though you do everything right...choosing the right varieties, transplanting them out at the right size/age, etc., there is so much you cannot controlo...namely the extreme temperature variations we usually have here in spring. As long as the broccoli and cauliflower plants are not yet going to seed and forming flowers, you still have a chance of getting a harvest. However, the closer our daytime highs get to the 90s, the less likely the chances of a good harvest. My broccoli has been very slow this...

Greenfinger, I believe you thread and mine are the same topic. One of my plumeria is doing the same thing. If anyone knows anything about this "mid stalk second leaf emergence" trait. I would like to know more about it. See my pics from the thread started last night.....I am curious to know your color after yours blooms. Is it only yellow/white that does this? Man these plumerias are addicting.......mike