Growing Broccoli, Cauliflower, Peas

[SamSpade]

Got some questions -

My peas aren't doing great. They don't seem to want to climb anything - staking them isn't making them stronger - and, well, they seem to be running out of steam. At this point, two rows of peas and the best I'm gonna get is a single meals' worth of a side dish. Is the season up already for them?

The other two - I decided earlier this season to just give up on broccoli and cauliflower IN THE GROUND because pests were just too hard to stop. But I now have two other problems. One is - I'm pretty sure I have some kind of insect devouring them. It's slow, but they're succeeding. The other is - I don't know anything about growing these things. The florets are *flowering*. I just figured broccoli would develop this nice floret "head" and I'd cut it off. What's happening is the tight floret head we all see in the store is fanning out widely and producing little *flowers*. There's nothing to actually EAT. What's the point? Was I supposed to do something before this happened? Last year before the pest wasted them, I had a similar problem with the cauliflower - little round white heads began to spread and sprout.

Ditto for brussel sprouts - nothing happening. Is there something about raising this stuff I need to know? Peppers and tomatoes practically grow themselves.

 

[jazz lady]

All those plants are cold weather ones. They all should be finished producing way before now. The heat is getting to them and there's nothing you can do about it. Next year, plant them earlier.

 

[greyhound]

Sam...this link might be helpful

http://www.agnr.umd.edu/MCE/Publications/Publication.cfm?ID=234&cat=c

 

[SamSpade]

Well that sucks - and I planted some as early as April Fool's Day this year. Most how-to books I've ever read sort of generically suggest no planting until after the last frost.

So the smart thing to do is - plant them in the fall? With the intent of *harvesting* them in late fall? Or do I prepare for winter, and plant seeds and let 'em pop up by themselves?

 

[jazz lady]

Well that sucks - and I planted some as early as April Fool's Day this year. Most how-to books I've ever read sort of generically suggest no planting until after the last frost.

They suggest you plant after the last hard FREEZE not frost. Our last frost day is April 15th, WAY too late for planting cool weather plants. I usually have mine in the ground the end of February/early March at the latest. How-to books are generic so you need to find information specific to our climate zone, which is zone 7. USDA Plant Hardiness Zones

So the smart thing to do is - plant them in the fall? With the intent of *harvesting* them in late fall? Or do I prepare for winter, and plant seeds and let 'em pop up by themselves?

Yes, plant them in the mid to late summer for harvest in the fall. I've never directly sown broccoli and cauliflower seeds in the ground. I either start my own in a cold frame or buy plants from a nursery. From greyhound's link:

For a fall crop, the best time to transplant seedlings is between July 10 and August 10. Start seeds in a greenhouse or protected frame about 6 weeks before the desired transplanting date.