Broccoli Grex Part 2:
A sprouting brassica olerecea journey.
Cultivating THe Commons, LLC
Amery, WI zone 4B of Northern WI.
Certified Organic seed and vegetable farm
In my second grow-out, I’m hoping to make lots of wide broccoli crosses with new GRIN germplasm and any varieties that sprouts under spring sown conditions, in the Upper Midwest. This year’s main goal being to cross up as many as possible, make noted observations of each assession or variety, and grab seed from each variety for a balanced mix. This will likely be repeated in 2026. AFter that, selection will begin looking for diversity, good side shoot production, disease resistance or tolerance, and functionality in organic systems.
Wow, I love this. I missed out on planting cool-weather crops this year due to traveling, so I didn’t get your grex from EFN, but I’m really looking forward to trying what comes out of it this year.
Welcome to July!
Finished the final weeding before the broccoli’s big push. Drip tape is in place, early Contract Cabbage seed is done pollinating And broccoli is ready to start popping!!
July 12 Saturday is our annual bloom tour! If you’re in the area, please stop by between 10 and two.
I’m pleased to see the broccoli go out moving along swiftly. At least Half the varieties are ready to start sprouting and/or are in bloom. I’ve taken a note on who’s not sprouting as they might be high vernaluzation Individuals. Here’s some pictures of the progress! Last year’s Grex looks great. Oregon State University’s Broccoli mix Looks good as well. There should be plenty of mixing this year.
I’ll post more detailed photos on Google photo album later. Let me know how your 2024 Broccoli grex is doing!
A late wrap up here. MANY apologies!! Sprouting Broccoli Grex Round 2 finished as well as it could. We had above average rain in very regular ppulses and spritzes, all summer long. That naturally fed into some disease that bounced out of hand. Most likely black rot and others. Some varieties did not fare much past July, some were champs, others were champs and had no seed!
So an interesting year with mostly an exciting observation of 2024’s MIX which was relieving to see!! A beautiful mixture of differnt varieties, nearly all sprouting and making nice brocollini! YOu could see where purple peacock snuck in there, some serrated leaf genes snuck in there. A relief to see the up and coming mix. I also enjoyed seeing these other strains of Broccolo di Sarno, with their TALL stature and abundant sprouts and lacinato look.
I collected info TWICE, on who struggled, who did well and who flowered and most likely made seed. 0 means bad, 3 was great. Eval was a mixture of you were good AND made seed and also, oooo you looked cool but flowered late, maybe you get a second chance.
I might start the lately maturing ones 2-3 weeks earlier than rest and pot up and hope they flower sooner to contribute pollen.
*IF YOU HAVE ANY observation or SEED this year from the 2024 mix, LET ME KNOW!!
**Additionally, if you have any sprouting broccoli in your garden now(that isn’t Piracicaba!) and can send sprouts for rooting and adding to our mix LET ME KNOW! I’m intersted.
I would loooove to add them next year. I”m hoping to build a real green house next year and plan to use the my temp one as a low tunnel over maturing seed plants next year. So expect high quality seed in abundance in YEAR 3! Very excited to approach the 3rd round of this project!
Flat
Name
Company
1st check 7/21
2nd Check AUG?
Seed
Eval/Grow Again
Notes
1
Calabrese Green Sprouting
BCH
ok
Barely made seed
0
0
1
Piracicaba
Desa
Huge
LOTS of seed
3
3
1
Umqua
Territorial
smallplants
no seed, dead
0
0
1
Nutribud
AS
1/2 headed
no seed, dead
0
1
SpringSprouting
SS
LOTS of Sprouts, early
no seed, dead
0
1
1
Solstice
RWS
NICED 4-8" heads
no seed, dead
0
1
2
Steve’s Select
SIskiyou
Early Uniform
no seed, dead
0
1
2
Ramoso Santana
Mary’s
Healthy,Late
still alive, flowering with buds in SEPT
0
1
sow earrrly
2
Broccoli Grex CO
CO
Diverse Healthy Loose heads
alive
1
1
2
Rudolph
Territorial
Nothing, healthy
1/2 dead
0
1
BIG
2
Rasmus
BCH
A few heads, resiting bolting
no flowers/seeds
0
1
2
Piracicaba
AS
Lots of SHoots, but late
some seed
**
2
3
Thompson
Territorial
A couple sprouts,1/2 of plants flowering
nada
0
1
3
Purple Peacock
WGS
Slow, Late
nada
0
1
sow earrrly
3
Purple Sprouting
Burpee
Okay
nada
0
3
De Cicco
Ferry-Morse
Some Early Heads, Med
made some seed
2
2
3
Blue Star Gai Lan
AS
Early BEEFY, Vigorous. TIpped over!!
2
2
3
Piracicaba
SS
Just starting, BIG plants
3
3
4
Yod Fah
BCH
Vigorous, Less beefy more stemmy
1
1
4
Early Purple Sprouting
BCH
N/A
no seed
0
4
Piracicaba
PCS
Just Starting, BIG plants
no seed
0
0
4
Cavolo Broccolo Bronzino di Albenga
PI 687042
LRG plants, no heads
one smal purple head,no seed
0
1
sow earrrly
4
Atlantic
PI 687083
Smal, No heads
alive
0
1
4
Cavolo Broccolo Precoce
PI 662711
Med
dead
0
0
5
Green Sprouting Early CT Strain
PI 687041
LRGplants, side shooting
alive, flowered
0
1
sow earrrly
5
Broccoli Grande Precoce
PI 662712
Med Uniform, some sprouts
dead
0
0
5
Broc 3
PI 662578
Small, Green Glaze Look
alive!
0
1
5
Broccoli Neri
PI 662531
Med/Lrg, SPROUTS, lacinato leaves
alive, BIG healthy, Some seed, TALL! many sprouts
2
3
sow earrrly
5
No. 5879
PI 141576
SML, cauliflower like buds
dead
0
0
5
Violet Queen
PI 687059
LRG, no buds,
Alive, late, purple heads!
0
1
sow earrrly
6
G 33419
G 33419
LRG,some shooting
Alive, some pods
1
2
sow earrrly
6
Cavolo Broccolo Ramoso Calabrese Prococe
PI 687043
MED, half headed out. small heads, healthy
no sprouts
1
0
6
Cavolo Broccolo Verde Calbrese
PI 687044
MED,
Med, sprouting. No seed
0
1
sow earrrly
6
G 33420
G 33420
TALL, 1/2 heading
dead mostly
0
0
6
Cabolo Broccolo Natalino di Sarno
PI 662533
LRG, Deep Lobing leaves, no heads
no sprouts
0
2
sow earrrly
6
Cavolo Broccolo di Sarno
PI 662534
LRG, 1/2 heading
Starting to sprout, LRG!
1
sow earrrly
7
G 28307
PI 662520
MED, Gailan type, low vigor
dead
0
1
7
Cavolo Ramoso Calabrese Precoce
PI 662530
MED, 1 bud
sprouted, no seed
1
1
sow earrrly
7
Cavolo Broccolo Frevarota
PI 687045
LRG, Long strap leaves
alive, no sprouts!
0
0
7
Cavolo Broccolo di Sarno’
PI 662713
LRG, Serrated wide leaves
BIG, starting to sprout
1
1
sow earrrly
7
Bhug-Gana
PI 249556
SML, low vigor, lots of flea damage
dead
0
0
7
Broccolo Natale Pied Grande Liscio
PI 662532
LRG, Serrated leaves
Alive, LRG, no sprouts
0
0
8
Cavolo Cavolina Rizza
PI 662536
LRG, Serrated leaves, diverse
Alive, LRG, no sprouts
0
0
8
Cavolo Broccolo Marzullo
PI 687046
LRG, broad leaves
Alive, LRG, no sprouts
0
0
8
Broccolo di Minestra Spicata
PI 687047
MED, 1/2 made small heads
Alive, sprouts!
1
1
sow earrrly
8
Oregon State University OP Broccoli Mix
DIverse buy uniform theme
Died, didn’t make many seeds pods though
2
2
8
CTC 2024 MIX
Vigorous, LRG, nearly every sprouting. Many phenotypes
Sprouting Broccoli Grex Round 2 finished as well as it could. We had above average rain in very regular ppulses and spritzes, all summer long. That naturally fed into some disease that bounced out of hand. Most likely black rot and others. Some varieties did not fare much past July, some were champs, others were champs and had no seed!