I'm happy for you, watboy. It is a great feeling. About your broccoli. I'd think Connecticut would be a great place to raise broccoli because of your cool climate which broccoli loves. Do you start with seedlings from a nursery or garden center? I do. It's so much easier. I used fish emulsion this year.

Here's a comment I copied from a farm and home site that I thought would be helpful if you want to start again.

Comments
The trick to producing excellent broccoli heads is to keep the broccoli plants growing at a steady pace. Top-dress the plants with compost or manure tea; or side-dress with blood-meal or fish emulsion; and water deeply. Repeat this process every 3-4 weeks until just before harvest.

Mulch will help keep the ground cool and moist as well as reduce weed competition.

References

There is nothing quite like that feeling of the first garden meal. And it continues to always be very satisfying, IME.

Another important trick to broccoli is keeping it free of imported cabbage moth, which for those of us in the coastal northeast is very difficult. I have yet to manage it. It is possible however, the local organic CSA grower makes nice broc every fall. This year I'm going with a late planted over-wintering variety that sprouts broccoli heads in early spring, hopefully missing the active season for the cabbage-moth altogether.

I believe the key to broccoli is finding the right variety for your area. In my case, none of the heirloom varieties have done well. I typcially plant Premium Crop, Pacman and Green Goliath, all of which are hybrids and which do very well for me. You may want to check the Cornell site below for information on what has grown well for those in your area.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners