This is my first time planting a fall garden. I live in zone 7B just below Atlanta, Ga. I sowed cauliflower (early snowball A - 55 days to maturity) and broccoli (DiCiccio - 48-85 days to maturity) on August 23. I also transplanted cauliflower (Snow Crown - 50 days to maturity) and broccoli (unstated variety - matures in 40-70 days) on Sept 3. First frost date is supposed to be about Oct 25. Neither the cauliflower nor the broccoli have started to even form a head yet. Is something wrong. Or am I just being impatient.

I chickened out and brought a flat of broccoli, cauliflower, and 3 kinds of basil & thyme inside....trying my hand at winter sowing. I had tiny seedlings just above the dirt the other day...I brought them inside and have created an entire flat of lil monsters! the broccoli grew 1 1/2 inches already! The cauliflower grew an inch and the remaining herbs have all "popped". They may have just waited around and continued growing when it warmed up again in I had left them outside, but no! I had to feel sorry for them....now they're spoiled! Warm and cozy inside growing on the kitchen table in front of huge windows. I really need a greenhouse! :)

Can frost cloth double for row covers for keeping out insects? According to this source they can, but heavier weights let in less light. Do you know what weight you are using, and also where it might available locally? Thank you! Here is a link that might be useful: Frost and Insect Covers ..

NCHFP website says to water blanch broccoli and cauliflower for 3 minutes which I find too long for broccoli but OK for cauliflower. I blanch broccoli for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes and then ice water bath for about 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry, flash freeze on cookie sheets, and then vacuum pack with a food saver using the gentle setting. I've only ever frozen the tough ends of asparagus so far to use in Cream of Asparagus soup. I blanch that for about 2-3 minutes. NCHFP guidelines say 2-4 minutes for gus depending on thickness of the spears. Since CoG soups requires boiling the gus for 15 minutes is really doesn't matter much if they are mushy after blanching.