Growing baby broccoli

This was my first year with growing broccoli but man it was one heck of a experience. I planted my 5 plants in late March. I got them as sprouts from as local store mainly because my son who loves broccoli asked for it. As a first time grower I decided why not.....Anyway I never expected it to grow as well as it did. Our plants grew about two feet high and once  I started harvesting it grew back pretty quickly. Here is some things to remember when growing broccoli, some tips and tricks I learned. 

~They grow tall, though none of my plants needed support, I could see that happening growing this in the future.

~I grew baby broccoli because we like stir fry but there is different and bigger kinds of broccoli you can grow, each has different needs.

~They need full sun light(I read they can grow in shade but unsure how well, ours was in full sun) 

~They take about two months to mature, but again once they do they produce pretty quick.

~They need well drained soil, We added compost to ours that helped with keeping the soil well drained and gave the soil a extra boost for a healthy harvest.

~This is something I did not know before hand but found out as tempters reached 90 here...Broccoli does not like low temperatures or high heat. Our broccoli grew smaller and in time when  the soil got to hot it bolt.  I herd about laying straw down to keep the soil cool but it was to late for my plants.They grow best when temperatures are between 65-75.

~Keep your eyes open for pest like cabbage worms.

~A main head will form but also side shoots, both are of course edible. 

~ Harvest when heads are tight, size doesn't always means it is time to harvest. 

(in the picture above the bottom right shows heads that were not picked in time and most say they are not nice to eat after that but we still ate them with no problem, tasted fine.)

~Harvest with a clean sharp knife. Harvest the main head when it is about 2 inches and the side shoots when they are about 6 inches.

~Best when eaten fresh.

~If you do not harvest in time the broccoli will flower, I had one plant that really flowered. It looked so beautiful and once I removed it I become a great treat for our pup. 

~It can grow in both spring/fall, again just keep a eye out for temperatures.