My homegrown seedlings last summer, if you remember, died of... ahem... drought, and I bought some new ones from Homebase later in the year and planted them in big pots in early October. Well, I guess early October was too late, as the plants didn't really get that big. But a couple of them finally produced their first spears a few weeks ago.
I cut them as soon as they got to a decent size, to encourage more shoots. They were delish, even if they didn't add much to a meal!
And the side shoots grew and grew... They were pretty thin, but I thought they might get fatter with time. They didn't.
This morning I went out and cut most of them for breakfast - like asparagus, psb is lovely with eggs.
What a disappointment! Even though the first spears were good, these were bitter and the stems were really stringy and tough! Ugh!
So where did I go wrong? I can't find an answer on the internet. Someone hinted that a mild winter may lead to bitter broccoli, but I haven't heard any other home-growers complaining about theirs. Other than that, I can only think that it might be down to planting out so late, or letting the spears get so tall. Anyone know better?
Luckily I have discovered broccoli leaves are surprisingly good eating (unless they have now gone bitter too) so I'll use the rest of the plants up pronto.
I am determined to do better this year and plant healthy home-grown seedlings out at the proper time!
