Is it to late to harvest my broccoli if there are yellow flowers?

Question

I've read conflicting information on different websites. I planted the broccoli from seedlings about a month ago. There isn't much broccoli on each plant but it's getting really warm where I live (mid 80s to mid 90s) and the flowers are starting to appear.

Answer 1

Harvest now.

When it goes to flower, it's less tasty.  Ideally, harvest when the buds are still tight.  If you're just starting to see yellow, it's still worth harvesting.  If the flowers are fully out - try it and see...if the taste is acceptable to you, no reason you can't eat it (it doesn't turn poisonous or anything...just loses it's good flavor).

I grow broccoli myself, and I grow two crops.  The first I start from seed inside in February, planting out near the end of March, or early April (last frost date around here is May 15th, officially).  I'm usually finishing up harvest late June through mid-July.  As you saw - broccoli, being a cool-weather crop doesn't like hot weather much.

My second crop I start seeds in early July (I'll be doing it this week).  I set the plants out mid-to late August.  The fall crop of broccoli is always the best - as the temperatures are getting COOLER as the plants mature.  They love it.  The heads are bigger, and in generally I get a lot more out of them.  After harvesting the main heads, they produce side shoots, and I harvest smaller "broccoli-ettes"a few weeks later.  The summer crop usually doesn't do this well, because the really hot weather doesn't encourage good growth.  Sometimes I'm harvesting Broccoli into November if a hard freeze hasn't come yet.  it's great.

Answer 2

they are seeding, get ready to have brocolli every day