Looks like collards that I have in my garden.

That looks like it might be damage from either the Cabbage Looper or the Imported Cabbageworm, small greenish colored (about the same color as the plant they are on), caterpilalrs that have small white or gray moths for parents.
Depending on when these were planted if you do not see fruit develop that is an indication of a soil nutrient imbalance, often because of too much Nitrogen.

Every day for a couple of weeks pic those little green worms off your broccolis and smuish them into ooze. then you will have broccoli.

I don't even germinate brassicas until 6 weeks from now and then grow them through the winter to avoid bolting. Even though I'm in a much warmer region than Seattle, that heat wave you guys have been having this summer is definitely enough to make any cole crop bolt.

I don't mind handpicking the cabbage worms, but many people don't like it. The most effective way to control them is with Bt. There are different types of this bacteria, so you need to get the one specific to the cabbage worms.

If I lived in Seattle, right about now is when I would be germinating broccoli and cauliflower for setting out at the start of Sept.

Cole crops bolt in the first season when the seedlings are started quite early and get exposed to cool or cold temps at a young age. Before March 1st, IME. Though there is considerable variation in the tendency through various sub-species.

wlai: as pnbrown pointed out, variety can make or break you when it comes to bolting. In my location, we get very iffy conditions for setting out even well hardened broccoli transplants in April. My adaptation has been to plant Packman broccoli and most any cabbage early and then in successive plantings at about 1 - 2 week intervals 3 - 4 times. The time interval between when it is "safe" to when it is too late to put out transplants is normally very short. Needless to say, some years like this one, some of the 1st planting may get wiped out by freezes but the 2nd almost never does. If the weather stays cool unusually late in the early summer, I am rewarded with several plantings of beautiful heads and side shoots like this year.

I mention Packman because it has been proven to me over the years to have the characteristics I want including very good heat tolerance. I am still looking for something even better. Premium crop did excellent this year, that was the first time in 5 years of trying it along side Packman, great when it works.

Another cause of tiny heads is small plants. Broccoli that doesn't have enough of what it needs from the soil to grow a big plant will never grow big heads. I've seen many plants in replicated trials that were nitrogen starved at the early and mid stages before the head first begins to show that put out sorry little heads. Can't speak to seeing other nutrient deficiencies except phosphorous which will definitely show up as purpling of the leaves.

I can't get an idea of scale in your photo to know if your plants appear small or not. Oh yes, some varieties simply don't have the genetic makeup to produce 8 - 10" diameter heads if that is what you are looking for.

Michael

Thanks everyone. The broccoli in question is actually quite tall, probably to my knee, so I'd say 2' or so. The leaves, despite the damage, seems quite robust. I looked at them just today and didn't see any cabbage worm or looper anywhere.

It hasn't bolted, and so I guess there's still a chance for the flower to come?

wlai, you may not have found any cabbage worms but those holes strongly suggest they are there. I'd treat with Bt. If you want to grow some pest free brassicas start some spring harvest (not overwintered) cabbage and cauli varieties in the next week or two. Territorial seed carries them in their winter catalog. You plant them out in late Sept early Oct and they'll get just a little growth and pretty much sit there all winter. Rain and freezng weather doesn't bother them. Then from April through May, depending on the variety, they'll mature. It's the easiest growing there is. Tom

I tried growing brussel sprouts this spring for the first time and got nothing for my trouble (and large space) but leaves that looked like the one posted above and oh, yeah...lots of white moths flying all over my yard. And no brussel sprouts at any point. So I gave up and dumped it.

My guess is that skagit goat man has it right...make it a fall crop for next spring's harvesting BEFORE the moths and worms have a fighting chance.

Timing is everything.........

Here in Denver area I keep the heat down by tenting a lightweight row cover over the cole crops. This slows down the butterflies that make the loopers as well. When I lived in SE KingCo I'd expect the cole to have bolted by now, and after the rains stopped around July 4th that was pretty much guaranteed, altho more heat-tolerant vars lasted a couple weeks longer. I agree with the implications above that too much N can be an issue as well. As for flowering now, good luck. Plant PDQ for a fall crop. Set out hardened off plants as early as possible and protect from frost with row cover.

Dan

While the holes in the picture in post one suggest loopers or those other tiny darker larva, I wonder if sparsely spaced holes could be from grasshoppers.

I am just now getting heads on my broccoli so your one plant may just be a laggard. This year they have been infected with the darker cross striped worms rather than the normal green ones. Unless your are gardening for trade you can get a second crop after removing the main head. Smaller shoots will from in the axils of the leaves that are just the size for dipping without the fuss of cutting the heads up.