Here’s a fun tip about broccoli for new gardeners. I always thought that broccoli seemed like a waste of space in the vegetable garden. Sure-it’s tasty. I love broccoli as a vegetable. But it takes a big huge plant to make one “head” of broccoli–in a space I could have planted 8 or 10 carrots or beets or such.
But here’s what you do. When you finally get your lovely head of broccoli on your plant of course you should cut it off and enjoy it. 
But wait-don’t rip that plant out and toss it on the compost pile now that it’s job is done.
If you leave it alone it will start putting off smaller side shoots of broccoli!
While you won’t get a head the same size as your initial harvest, you can get some nice decent sized florets and continue to enjoy a broccoli harvest.
Just keep cutting off the side shoots and letting new ones grow until you either need the space for something else or the plant gives up the ghost and stops making them.
I don’t know about you, but that takes broccoli from “space hog” to “useful harvest” for me!
Neat! Now if there was only a way to do something like this with cabbage. Any ideas?
I included this article in today’s top 10 at the blog :
http://www.1099mom.com/2012/08/1099-top-10-how-to-have-stronger.html
Actually I DO have a similar technique for cabbages. . . I’ll be posting it tomorrow 🙂
Make sure you plant a broccoli cultivar known for good side shoot production. Many broccoli bybrids grown commercially are bred for a large central head and few or no side-shoots, to allow for a one-time harvest.
The side shoots are developing but how long do I leave then on the plant