<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=17Y1lX_0wPnaiMD00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=17Y1lX_0wPnaiMD00" width="1200" height="630" >This fall weather is predictably unpredictable as we experience warmer temps than average. Texans like to brag “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute,” and we are patiently waiting for a little consistency and temperance with our daily and nighttime temperature. Regardless of the current state of weather, it is high time to work with two cold tolerant champions in our vegetable garden: broccoli and cauliflower.Growing conditions for cole crops such as broccoli and cauliflower are similar. Optimal growing conditions are when daytime temps are moderate between 60 and 80 degrees and cool to cold nights at 40 to 50 degrees. They perform best in fertile, well-drained soils, so planting in raised beds with supplemental composted organic matter is optimal. A general rule of thumb for watering these vegetables is keeping the soil moist but not soaked and modifying the water schedule dependent on seasonal rains. About four weeks after transplanting, apply a half cup of complete fertilizer for each 10 feet of row and beside the plants.<h2>People are also reading…</h2>Broccoli is one of my favorite cool-season vegetables to grow and one of the easiest plants to work with. While broccoli is best started from seed in late August, we typically purchase transplants and you may still be able to find a few varieties at your local retail outlet to place in the garden. Make sure to space them about 24 inches apart so that they have a chance to produce large heads and sideshoots as you harvest. Both broccoli and cauliflower will weather a light freeze and will perform adequately in a sustained freeze if allowed to acclimate from an early planting ahead of true winter and covered to prevent freeze damage.For the novice grower, cauliflower curds and broccoli heads are made up of tightly packed unopened flowers. Harvesting the floral mounds is a simple matter: you would cut the center head when the individual buds begin to swell and are tightly packed. Supporting stems, regrowth of sideshoots and leaves from the broccoli can be eaten. Not so with cauliflower as the entire head is harvested for the family meal. A few broccoli varieties that perform well in Brazos County and can begin harvest in less than two months are Calabrese (48 days), Green Comet (40 days), Packman (50 days), Green Magic (57 days) and Lieutenant (60 days). Both Green Magic and Lieutenant are heat resistant and produce adequate secondary sideshoots.Cauliflower varietals include Snow Crown (55 days), forming a 2-pound, full dome curd. If you wish to cultivate and keep the snow-white color of Snow Crown, bring the leaves up over the dome and secure at the top, completely covering the developing curd like a blanket to blanch it. If you don’t blanch it, the head will begin to take on a light purple hue and may cause the curds to taste bitter. Colorful cauliflower varietals include bright purple Graffiti (80 days) and orange-yellow Cheddar (68 days). These colored varietals remain sweet, the colors of each appear to improve without blanching.For more veggie related information, browse online to the Brazos County Master Gardener webpage to find links to vegetable varieties and vegetable planting guides for the Brazos Valley. Broccoli and cauliflower are a good source of protein, minerals and vitamins when properly prepared for the table. Information about these cole crops and other vegetables supports the Texas A&amp;M AgriLife Extension Service initiative Path to Plate, a research-based education program that helps consumers understand how food choices impact their health.I am delighted to report that 2025 Texas Master Gardener Training applications are now being accepted. Discover your passion for community service through gardening education. Attend one of our information seminars on either Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m. or Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. The seminars will review the Texas Master Gardener Program and will have our own Brazos County Master Gardeners to share their experience. Browse our Brazos County Master Gardener webpage to register: txmg.org/brazos.Veggie on, my friends and as always, I’ll see you in the garden.Stephen Brueggerhoff is a horticulture extension agent with Texas A&amp;M AgriLife Extension Service in Brazos County. He can be reached by email at sbrueggerhoff@tamu.edu.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Stephen Brueggerhoff column: It’s a cool season to grow cool-season vegetables

This fall weather is predictably unpredictable as we experience warmer temps than average. Texans like to brag “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute,” and we are patiently waiting for a little consistency and temperance with our daily and nighttime temperature. Regardless of the current state of weather, it is high time to work with two cold tolerant champions in our vegetable garden: broccoli and cauliflower.