What broccoli does best for you?

[Wi-sunflower]

Yes I know Packman is in ALL of the Jungs family of catalogs. But I also know I used to get 1,000 seeds for what they are now charging for these. And I'm also sure they are old leftover seeds. I've talked with the seed reps and Packman was discontinued 3 years ago.

Carol

[guruofgardens]

Thanks for the heads up on Packman. I'm trying Gypsy this year along with a few older Emerald Crown seeds.

[b54red]

It looks like my broccoli season is about over and it was a bad one from start to finish this year. Half my fall broccoli got frozen or consumed by squirrels and my late winter or early spring broccoli that wasn't eaten by squirrels headed up way too early. I have already cut most of the main heads with the largest being only slightly over 3 inches across. Usually my spring broccoli makes heads 6 to 7 inches across. This was an unusual winter with extreme cold and then extreme heat in February. I'm still not sure we won't have another hard freeze before it is over.

Bill

[GoDawgs]

I've been trying to find an heirloom that does better than the hybrids, both in head size and side shoot production but so far no luck. Packman is the absolute best I've grown but I'm always growing others to compare. This is a fall 7" Packman:



This past fall I planted 18 broccoli plants, 6 each of Packman, Blue Wind and the old timey Waltham 29 (first time for that one). The Packman and Blue Wind both did great but the Waltham was a bust. Huge plants and 4" heads. Almost no side shoots. And I learned a big lesson about planting the broccoli all at once when a tidal wave of broccoli came! It doesn't freeze well for me so we ate a ton of broccoli in a short time. That didn't happen last spring as they kind of naturally staggered themselves.

This spring I've staggered out the plantings. There will be 16 plants plants, 8 each of Packman and 8 of new-to-me heirloom Green Goliath. They were all started in 4-packs a week apart and transplanted out a week apart starting Feb 10. Set #3 got set out two days ago and Set #4 is out on the porch hardening off now.

If the Green Goliath doesn't come up to snuff, I'll try Gypsy next.

[b54red]

Dawg I grew Green Goliath for a while and it made some big heads but it was much later than I like with our quick changing weather so I dropped it. Packman was my favorite for quite a few years but then I found Coronado Crown and it was far superior. I replaced it with Gypsy when it was no longer available and really like it. It matures quickly and makes a large tight head with bountiful side shoots while the plant doesn't get quite as large as Packman. It also seems to be more reliable year after year so I guess I'll stick with it for my main crop and still try a few that I haven't grown yet just in case one of them might perform better.

Since the cooler weather has moved back in I may try setting out a few more plants and see if I can get some decent broccoli before the real heat moves in. I'm still getting side shoots from my spring plants that headed too early in that freaky hot weather we had in February. My lettuce that I set out a few weeks ago is doing great and it cooled off just in time for it to make some nice heads.

I plan on setting out my first bed of tomatoes this Saturday and I already have a bed ready to go, so all I need to do is set up my support system.

Bill

[greenthumbomaha]

In an earlier thread Burpee's Sun King was recommended for it's heat tolerance. Broccoli does pretty well for me but then it suddenly bolts when I give it "just one more day..."

I had huge heads last year ( as opposed to the usual 3 inchers) in my raised bed with miracle grow potting mix. They loved being fertilized.

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by b54red

I replaced it with Gypsy when it was no longer available and really like it. It matures quickly and makes a large tight head with bountiful side shoots while the plant doesn't get quite as large as Packman. It also seems to be more reliable year after year so I guess I'll stick with it for my main crop and still try a few that I haven't grown yet just in case one of them might perform better.

Side shoot production is important to me because it extends the harvest. It's nice to have a lot of fresh shoots for salads, etc after the head is gone. Both last spring and last fall I tried Blue Wind with the Packman as Blue Wind was touted by supplier Seeds 'n' Such as having more side shoots than Packman. That called for setting up The Great Sideshoot Race, where all sideshoots I harvested from both were weighed and totaled.

From May 25 to June 24, Blue Wind did outproduce Packman 38.6 oz to 32.7 oz. but in the fall the Packman did better than Blue Wind (can't find the weight totals!). Maybe it was the difference in temps, light levels, whatever. I still like the Packman better than Blue Wind but I'm still searching for an open pollinated to go with Packman.

Originally Posted by b54red

I plan on setting out my first bed of tomatoes this Saturday and I already have a bed ready to go, so all I need to do is set up my support system.

That's great! You must be on the coast? My 'maters will be started March 19, aiming for an April 26 transplant date. Any earlier than that and I'm courtin' trouble!

[Wi-sunflower]

GoDawgs,

If you like side shoots you have to try Artwork. It doesn't make a great main head. Fairly small to medium but quick, only a few days later than Packman. But it makes tons of side shoots and they come on a lot faster than Packman's and can at times be almost as big as the main head and continue on and on. We've grown it 3 years now and really like it. While my experience with Artwork here in Wisconsin may turn out a bit different than in Georgia, we do grow at least 4 plantings a year right thru our summer which can be as goofy as anyone's.

We sell most of our broccoli at farmers markets as pre weighed out 1/2 lbs and lbs and the side shoots are great for filling out the weight. Pic of a market with broccoli on the right side.

Carol

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

GoDawgs,

If you like side shoots you have to try Artwork. It doesn't make a great main head. Fairly small to medium but quick, only a few days later than Packman. But it makes tons of side shoots and they come on a lot faster than Packman's and can at times be almost as big as the main head and continue on and on. We've grown it 3 years now and really like it. While my experience with Artwork here in Wisconsin may turn out a bit different than in Georgia, we do grow at least 4 plantings a year right thru our summer which can be as goofy as anyone's.

We sell most of our broccoli at farmers markets as pre weighed out 1/2 lbs and lbs and the side shoots are great for filling out the weight. Pic of a market with broccoli on the right side.

Carol

Thank you for the heads up on Artwork. I will have to try that one next spring and fall as I see that Jung carries it and that's one of my sources.\. Just trying to maximize harvest with both large heads and lots of side shoots... plus good flavor. I don't want much, do I?
BTW, you have a beautiful market stand! Great looking stuff.

[b54red]

All the ideal things that a great broccoli should be seems to describe my experiences with Coronado Crown. The main head was huge and very tightly beaded with very small beads. It was incredibly slow to bolt even in our very hot temps. The side shoot production was absolutely amazing. It not only made lots of side shoots but the first few would be huge some up to 5 inches across while most others struggle to make shoots half that size. It was about a week later than Gypsy so it did have that one slight downside. I still can't figure out why they stopped producing it; but if they ever bring it back I will be ordering it right away and I'll order enough seeds to last a few years just in case they stop offering it again.

Bill

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by b54red

I still can't figure out why they stopped producing it; but if they ever bring it back I will be ordering it right away and I'll order enough seeds to last a few years just in case they stop offering it again.

It sounds like a wonderful broccoli! I wonder if the patent holder changed the name and it's being sold as something else. I notice they do that with tomatoes and peppers all the time.

[b54red]

In the fall I had some Arcadia plants and did not like them at all. They produced small main heads and then they got frozen by the cold. Since I had the seed I tried them again in the spring and they still didn't make much in the way of a good main head but the side shoot production is pretty amazing. Several of the first side shoots were larger then the main heads and they produce a lot of side shoots. I may have to give it another chance next year and hope for better weather.

Bill

[Wi-sunflower]

That sure doesn't sound like the Arcadia I've been growing for a long time now. For me the main heads are usually 2+ lbs. It does have some side shoots but nothing remarkable. It is the latest variety I grow so at times my last planting will freeze out. But it will withstand a lot of frost and still come back to produce a head if it warms up again.

The 1 thing about Arcadia that can be a problem is that it needs lots of boron to produce a nice even head. Otherwise it can be rough , uneven and brown in spots.

Carol

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

That sure doesn't sound like the Arcadia I've been growing for a long time now. For me the main heads are usually 2+ lbs. It does have some side shoots but nothing remarkable. It is the latest variety I grow so at times my last planting will freeze out. But it will withstand a lot of frost and still come back to produce a head if it warms up again.

The 1 thing about Arcadia that can be a problem is that it needs lots of boron to produce a nice even head. Otherwise it can be rough , uneven and brown in spots.

Carol

The only broccoli that has produced heads that large for me are Packman, Gypsy, Green Goliath and Gypsy. I actually grew a few heads that were over 12 inches across years ago when I had an huge supply of chicken manure and ground peanut hulls worked into the top 8 inches of my garden. The only problem with that mix was an abundance of weeds that still haunt my garden 35 years later.

The largest main stem head that I got off of Arcadia was no more than 5 inches across and yet I had some side shoots of 6 inches across and a lot of side shoots in excess of 4 inches. For now my main broccoli will remain Gypsy unless someone can tell me about a better one to try. I don't like any variety that has large beads or loose heads and of all the ones I have tried that do well down here Gypsy has been the best since the lose of Coronado Crown.

Bill

[wildcat62]

Packman & Lieutenant seem to be prevalent in our area.