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help! Wilting Broccoli :(

SiobhancantgardenSiobhancantgarden Posts: 70
in Fruit & veg
Hi there. This is my first year of growing broccoli. i had 2 healthy plants. snails and cabbage butterfly have eaten one but the other was doing well and has a medium sized head but as of yesterday, has completely wilted and looks like it is beyond help. It's in the sun but has plenty of water and been topped up with fresh compost. I've searched online but can't find any help anywhere. It seems to have been a huge amount of time & stress for so very little. Any ideas would be really appreciated. 

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Can you show us a photograph please?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • SiobhancantgardenSiobhancantgarden Posts: 70

  • SiobhancantgardenSiobhancantgarden Posts: 70
    Sorry they rotated in the upload process
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited July 2021
    That broccoli head is ready to harvest. Cut it off , cook and enjoy it.

    I think the main problem is that the container is too shallow and the compost is not moisture retentive enough.  Giving it lots of water now may save it and then perhaps it will produce some smaller flowering shoots down the stem. 

    Broccoli is potentially a big plant (you’ve discovered that now 😉) and it needs a substantial container and compost with a good proportion of loam in it if it can’t go in the ground. 

    But you’ve done well to produce anything in what has been a very difficult season so you can feel proud of yourself 🏆  … enjoy that broccoli … it looks tasty 😋 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    edited July 2021
    Hmm.
    Option 1, harvest the head and compost the plant and grow something else next year. Option 2 harvest the head, trim off the biggest leaves - they are losing water from the plant - but leave some smaller ones. Then move the tub and the reduced plant into a shadier spot, water it and wait a while. It will regrow but you'll probably get multiple small heads (like they sell in the supermarket as 'tender stem' brocolli) rather than a new single large head. You might just get leaves though.

    I grow 'green sprouting' or 'quick heading calabrese' (basically the same thing) because you get a small crop regularly for a long time rather than a one hit wonder where you invest everything in a single output. As you say, it's a lot of space, time and investment to get one meal. I prefer repeat cropping plants.
    Brassicas like a bit of shade. I net mine to keep the butterflies off and the net provides some shade as well.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • SiobhancantgardenSiobhancantgarden Posts: 70
    Thank you @Dovefromabove and @raisingirl. The tub is an old recycling bin - 38cm deep X 50cm - is that not large enough?....I was advised it was. It is regular calabrese (came free with Growing Veg mag) but if all I'm going to get is one head after all that! I'll take your advice and cut it back but there's no shade in my garden during summer. I did put it in regular compost so maybe that is the issue. I did get netting but the butterflies got around it. I'll need to get something much more substantial next time. Oh well....back to supermarket brocs for now. thank so much again 🙏
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