Probably depends on the home gardener. Culitivar is important, but similar cultivars size up the same under good growing conditions.
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g'day keepitlow,

not so in my garden, i regularly get broccolli as large as regular sized cauliflowers, and then get up to 8 picks of regrowth heads there after. of course the regrowths get smaller and smaller each pick but hey it still tastes as good.

feed the medium, we use green type hay mulches and all our kitchen scraps go into the garden (almost daily) and that is where our worm farm is doing the work right where it is needed. as well my wee water and pre-rinse dishwater gets used for watering them. when needed any used wate gets used.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

Set out plants while still small in rich soil and water very well when dry....watch for worms...none here in spring but copious in the fall.

how do you remove worms? dh told me how his friend invited him over for dinner, and her mom served home-grown broccoli steamed whole. the heads were FILLED with worms when everyone started eating!!

i'd like to avoid that experience if possible. :)

Well, it's best to kill off or pick the worms off or perhaps use a row cover. I have heard that soaking the heads in salt water will get the worms out...never tried it myself.

A brine soak will remove the worms already in the heads. Lot better to use Bt to keep them out of the heads in the first place. The imported cabbage worm loves broccoli.

Should Bt(k) be applied to the broccoli plants before you find any worms or only after you see them?

I plan to do a fall planting of broccoli in large containers away from my garden -- last year my spring-planted broccoli in the garden was decimated by flea beetles, so I'm hoping to avoid them this fall. Maybe I ought to use row covers to protect the plants from both pests and save the Bt for the garden area.

Never had flea beetles do any major damage to brassicas. Few holes in a leaf and that is about it. I usually wait until I see leaf damage from cabbage worms ( fairly easy to identify, they eat whole parts of the leaf and leave excrement all over them)before applying Bt. Then reapply after every rain. Takes care of them nicely. Bt does not biodegrade rapidly, but it does wash off.

farmerdilla

Thanks. It's good to know when to apply controls.

I was very lax about the flea beetles last year, thinking they wouldn't do much harm to the production of broccoli heads even if they chewed the leaves. So much for a laissez-faire attitude! I regretted not covering the plants after they languished and looked like Spanish lace. Probably some loopers there, too, but definitely the FBs that looked like the hopping plague if I moved a leaf!

Just adding ditto's to the above... My experience is that home grown broccoli is typically much larger than store bought. Cultivar (farmerdilla comment) has a big impact on size & production. Best cultivars for me are hybrids Premium Crop & Packman, and the non-hybrid Green Goliath. Fall is best time for brassicas in our climate. Periodic planting over 5 weeks spreads production. BT is only control I've needed thus far.

our experience the grub/worm whatever starts its life as an egg laid on the underside of the leaves then it starts its feeding there until it is big enough to move into the head, so for our early plantings (while the moth is still around, some damage still occurs if winters are mild so we need to be vigilant) we do morning safaris' looking for new hatchings and we remove that leaf or portion to the bin.

using salt water soak helps remove the grub but at the end of the day once cooked the grub is only added protein no harm to health in it, at worst a squeemish feeling. certainly not going to throw out good food because it has a few grubs in it.

len

Wow, they look great. The broc I've seen is like silver dollar size. Thanks for the help. Will keep trying.

Sounds like your broccoli 'buttoned'. Do an internet search- broccoli buttoning- and you'll find plenty of info.