I started some seed of ‘Arcadia’ broccoli in mid July, and transplanted out in August for a fall crop.
The plants are large and healthy, but so far, no sign of a head even starting. Did I plant too late?
First freeze here is usually around 10/25, but we don’t usually get hard freezes (<26F) before mid-November. I’m in central Maryland.
I don’t have a confidant answer but I commiserate. I started mine around the same time and they are just starting to form heads- picked off several cabbage worms today. Last year I got huge heads that I believe formed more promptly with my fall crop, but I may not have as much luck this year being a zone colder than you. I will at least likely get some crop and you probably will to if they start heading in a few days as I expect they shall. . Mine showed nothing when I looked about 2 days ago.
That happened to me too. And I have to pull them out for fall crops. My thought is that it requires hot summer to start flower head and we don’t have the hot weather at fall. I won’t waste my garden space next year for them.
Anything that slows broccoli can cause them to be ‘blind’. I too, no longer grow broccoli.
I’ve had mixed results with broccoli. Grew a few plants late summer. I did harvest some but some in the same row didn’t yield at all, so I haven’t figured it out yet. I’m experimenting when is the best time for my local growing constraints and have some in now in various stages to try over our fall and winter.
I don’t know what you consider a hard freeze but here in S. Georgia, broccoli and other cabbages grow right through the winter with no trouble at all. My guess is that they would survive 16 F. When does it get that cold? God bless.
Marcus
I’ve only grown broccoli a few times. The plants will survive cold but I would not count on flowers until spring. It may be heat triggered or perhaps more likely, blooming is triggered by lengthening days. They bloom with the other cabbages as best as I can tell. With collards, cabbage and the like, you plant them in fall here sot you can harvest them through the winter without worrying about them bolting. God bless.
Marcus
I picked mine a couple weeks ago - the cauliflower did better
I’ll keep it in the ground in case of side shoots until it’s time to till the leaves into the garden
Looks like it got rain - they like that
I have failed at growing broccoli in every which way, and there seems to be a lot of ways. Cabbage butterflies, white flies, rodents, not enough light, too cold, planted too late, too hot, cross striped caterpillars, and unknown reasons. Broccoli, carrots, and cucumbers are my most difficult crops.
The best results I’ve had for broccoli was the DeCiccio variety. Makes multiple smaller heads which seem to form better with less daylight.
That is a nice looking head of broccoli though, well done!
Haha, you forgot slugs, lol. I mix Bt and Spinosad together and spray every 2 weeks. I’ve learned that you have to get the population under control by consistent spraying then you can slack off after the 1st frost. I use netting/poly/shade cloth and slug bait too. That covers most all the problems. Gotta keep at it til you get it right - esp for carrots. 
sorry to go off topic here, but for carrots, I will sow 100 carrots to get 10 decent carrots and, say, 25 runts. Those 10 decent carrots will require me to water daily because the drip line doesn’t cover the entire area, at least an hour of thinning, meticulous weeding, and a lot of luck. Or we can buy a large bag of very good organic carrots for like $4. Its a close call.
How good is your Soil?
Agree with you completely. I gave up growing carrots years ago.
I have to say that fresh-pulled carrots from the garden are hands-down better than anything from the store. But my soil isn’t carrot-friendly
Raised beds with fresh garden soil works miracles! Like carrots. 
2’ tall raised bed with a 50/50 mix of soil and rotted horse manure. We got huge carrots this year, so sweet but you want to wash them first!
Growing any veggie has its quirks. In fact, IMHO, growing is easy, protecting the plant to maturity is the real challenge. I once had a nice stand of carrots germinating with their very delicate leaves looking ever so healthy. A few day later I noticed much fewer leaves, and in another few days maybe 10% remained. Upon close inspection, the stems were there but the leaves were gone. Likely slugs. And then you have to develop measures to deal with all the non-human consumers that like your plants. For me, that is the greatest challenge of gardening, and now, fruit growing also.
I was thinking about starting a new thread to get everyone’s opinion on this, but I think I have old soil. My raised beds are now 5 years old and started with vermiculite, peat moss, and compost. Two years ago I added an inch of mushroom compost. Last year I added compost I had made with leaves, chicken manure, food scraps and such. About one inch across all the beds.
The soil in the older beds seems like it doesn’t hold moisture very well, it is dry and powdery. I was trying to avoid paying $150 to have the five yards of mushroom compost delivered and just keep adding my homemade compost and chopped up leaves but I have a large garden and not enough compost. I also think I’m going to get a soil test done through the Penn State Extension.
What does everyone add to their soil to rejuvenate it?
