Who knew?

So I'm a little frustrated with my brocolli.
It's grown tall with flowers but nothing really resembling the vegetable.

So I googled it - this mysterious, flowering condition..

It's called BOLTING.
Cilantro does it as well... which I always wondered why it bloomed for a short time and then became very stalky!!

So, it seems my brocolli's soil was too warm - and that caused it to bolt.  Basically, seed as opposed to flower. And my cilantro, bolts because it's what it does in warm weather.  Optimum planting/growing time is spring and fall - but when do we all rush out to plant here in MA?  In the summer.....

So you get a very short window of time for delicious yumminess.

I think I'm going to pull my brocolli and try planting something different that will yield later in the season; I saw some mature seedlings at the farmer's market this past weekend, so I'll find something there.

These are just the little lessons that I, the black thumb gardener - have to learn.
But that's the fun of a garden anyway - it's trial and error!

I am a little bummed that I won't have brocolli though...