What vegetable is this?

[Mike]

So this is something new that my son planted this year when I was working. He has no idea what it is, and I can't figure out anything definite either. I was thinking it might be cauliflower but I'd expect it to have already started making a flower.

Any ideas y'all?

 

[YumYum]

A brassica of some sort. I would also guess at cauliflower or maybe collards since there is no flower bud yet. How long has it been planted?

 

[Mike]

A brassica of some sort. I would also guess at cauliflower or maybe collards since there is no flower bud yet. How long has it been planted?

They were put in the ground around mid-March, which is the same time we planted our broccoli, and we're already harvesting all the broccoli.

 

[YumYum]

Cauliflower is a little slower to flower than broccoli but I'd expect a flower bud by now. Id expect it to be collards.

 

[Tetters]

When I first looked at this I thought ''mustard greens'' but then I thought, don't be silly, woman - what do I know? Are collards the same as mustard greens @YumYum ?

 

[Meadowlark]

I'd vote for collards, also. No, not the same as mustard greens, @Tetters . Collards are a southern USA tradition.

Cauliflower is an interesting choice also. I've seen it like that when lacking in some nutrients such as boron such that it never flowers just grows big leaves.

 

[Mike]

My son swears up and down that it's cauliflower, and he is the one who bought/planted them, but I'm kinda with y'all, that there should be a flower there already. I think he may have picked out the wrong thing at the greenhouse.

I wouldn't rule out some kind of nutrient deficiency, though, just because we really have no idea what we're doing. We just tilled up a spot in the middle of the field and planted some stuff in the ground there. It'll definitely take some time, and I'm sure heartache, for us to learn how to build up the soil without fertilizer.

 

[Tetters]

My son swears up and down that it's cauliflower, and he is the one who bought/planted them, but I'm kinda with y'all, that there should be a flower there already. I think he may have picked out the wrong thing at the greenhouse.

I wouldn't rule out some kind of nutrient deficiency, though, just because we really have no idea what we're doing. We just tilled up a spot in the middle of the field and planted some stuff in the ground there. It'll definitely take some time, and I'm sure heartache, for us to learn how to build up the soil without fertilizer.

Maybe it will take some time Mike, but you have an excellent teacher on board to assist. It's always good to know where you can get guidance from. Organic is the way to go for optimum results. Maybe you can find someone close by to sell you some cow manure, and learn cover crops for fertilising purposes (we don't spell that with a z)
The end results will be worth it.
I think I know someone in Texas who is, just now, sowing cover crops ...ummm

 

[Mike]

I think I know someone in Texas who is, just now, sowing cover crops ...ummm

Yes, @Meadowlark will be getting plenty of questions from me through the years.

I do plan on utilizing some kind of cover crops this year once the garden is done and doing a new garden in a separate location for any fall veggies we plan on growing.

 

[Mike]

Turns out my youngster was right. It was cauliflower! Just took a little longer than we thought to produce a flower.

Good thing we didn't start to harvest the greens!

 

[YumYum]

You can sort of see the center leaves curling inwards in your first picture. The leaves covering the flower is what blanches it or turns it white. There are varieties that self blanch and there are some that you have to tie the leaves together to blanch the flower. Yours is a self blanching variety. Also I can see there is or has been cabbage worms.

 

[Mike]

Also I can see there is or has been cabbage worms.

Is that what's eating the leafs? We do have some cabbage on the end of that row and a lot of the leafs have been eaten up like that. Hopefully the cabbage will be ready to harvest soon and there will be enough left for us.

 

[YumYum]

Yes. They tend to avoid the vein part of the leaf but the worm should be visible somewhere on the plant. They don't really move away from the leaves but may avoid direct sun. Look down in the crotches between the leaves or the undersides. I've had them eat the whole green part but leave the veins. Looks like a skeleton.

 

[Meadowlark]

Definitely cauliflower. That leaf damage doesn't look bad to me, but if you are concerned about it some BT might be in order...completely organic.






Also, if you have had a soil test check the boron levels, critical to cauliflower flower growth. If low as a lot of Texas soil is, a boron drench would be helpful but it is getting late. Hopefully it will head fully before getting heat stroke!

 

[Jersey Devil]

My son swears up and down that it's cauliflower, and he is the one who bought/planted them, but I'm kinda with y'all, that there should be a flower there already. I think he may have picked out the wrong thing at the greenhouse.

I wouldn't rule out some kind of nutrient deficiency, though, just because we really have no idea what we're doing. We just tilled up a spot in the middle of the field and planted some stuff in the ground there. It'll definitely take some time, and I'm sure heartache, for us to learn how to build up the soil without fertilizer.

Eat some, see if you get high

 

[Mike]

Eat some, see if you get high

That could be a fun experiment. Plant some random things, when it starts to grow, just eat them and see what happens.

 

[Jersey Devil]

That could be a fun experiment. Plant some random things, when it starts to grow, just eat them and see what happens.

Actually thats how everything got started... some brave sole would eat something and everyone would stand and watch to see if he peeled over . Me, they woulda told me..." here, rub this Leaves of Three plant on your face and see if it heals the dinosaur bite"