Broccoli - ready for eating, ready to bolt

The broccoli in the garden is in all stages of development. From just starting to form heads, perfect heads ready to eat, heads well on the way to bolting and plants making side shoots after the big center head has been removed.

 

A perfect head, ready to eat!

 

  

 

 Notice how the head of broccoli is opening up and  the yellow flowers that are starting to show. That means the head is starting to bolt. If you like broccoli flowers, you'll enjoy it. But if you want the usual kind of broccoli, it needs to be cut sooner than later. ( The yellow flowers are especially noticeable if you enlarge the picture.)

 

 

 

 

The main head has already been cut off on a slant to prevent rain from collecting and

rotting the main stem.Small side shoots are growing and will soon be ready to eat.

Cut them off on a slant as well. Frequent cutting will keep the broccoli plant producing.

Cabbage Worms

I went to the garden today to take some pictures and what do you know...I found cabbage worms in two different beds (Jim's and the MG bed).  I did take them off the cabbages after I took pictures. If you have cabbage, you'd probably better check for them. I was reading that they hatch 5-7 days after the eggs are laid. This week it is going to be warm enough  for lots of eggs to hatch I would think.

This caterpillar was at least an inch long - he looked fairly mature.