Fall Garden: Growing Hon Tsai Tai Flower Broccoli

I’d never heard of Hon Tsai broccoli until I saw it mentioned by Elise Pickett of The Urban Harvest. Now, I can’t find the location of that mention, but here is what I am doing.

I bought a packet of her seeds and planted a few in pots in September. Just a few weeks ago I transplanted the two seedlings into a raised bed (October 4th). More seeds were added and have now sprouted. The early starts are much bigger. Some of the leaves have been chewed by something that I can’t see.

Info on Hon Tsai Tai Broccoli

I love broccoli, and I’m not sure if the normal stuff can be grown here (planted in Fall also, but have only leaves to eat), but I’m trying to grow this type from Heirloom seeds. It will not look anything like “normal” broccoli though. I’ll take it for the fresh greens and make a stir fry. 

The packet of seeds, which came from The Urban Harvest, doesn’t have any information – the back of this packet is plain white. I have made notes about the Hon Tsai but I have no idea where I got the information! I’ve searched and searched. I think it was an Urban Harvest video, but I can’t find it.

Here is what I will share from the notes written on the back of my seed packet. This link goes to the page to buy the item at The Urban Harvest. There is some information on that page.

Another site, High Mowing, has information about the Hon Tsai Tai Flowering broccoli they sell. Information on Hon Tsai Flowering Broccoli. The goal is to have leafy shoots with unopened flower buds that can be eaten.

This type of broccoli is a cool weather crop. Articles online mention that temps should be in the 70’s and below. Here’s the thing – seeds need warmth to germinate and in general seedlings like it warmish. A Florida fall season can be very hot at times. It can also be cold overnight as we get into November and December.  Right now, we are still getting hot days (it was 80 today on Oct. 20th).

 * I ended up replanting this bed (pictures below) with kale and Texas Early Grano onions. I did keep one Hon Tsai broccoli plant and it turned out to have some beautiful flowers.

In closing, I’ve decided to grow the Hon Tsai broccoli again next Fall, but I will put it into the ground gardens. I’ll start it from seeds in pots, in September – because those plants did the best. Although I have been eating the leaves, they are not a favorite food. The flowers are fragrant and pretty and I wouldn’t mind having those growing all over the ground.

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Videos For Growing Greens in Florida

Here is a list of videos that might give Florida gardeners an idea of what to plant during our winter months. It’s a bit tough to decide what to grow and when because our winters can be hot, and very cold. We can get freezes – at least where I am. If things are growing, they might need covering on very cold nights. Save up those old sheets and buy some clothespins!

• Top 10 Favorite Leafy Greens for Winter – The Urban Harvest (no Hon Tsai mentioned in this one)
• Hon Tsai & Kale – not a great video but she shows her big Hon Tsai plants.
• 5 Winter Crops for your Florida Vegetable Garden – No Hon Tsai here either but some other ideas for planting. I suggest looking for onion seeds meant for the south. I’m planting the Texas Early Grano bulb onion variety purchased from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Growing Bulb Onions

I can easily grow chives / scallions – those thin green stalks, but actual onions were thought to be impossible to grow here.

Then I saw a post on Instagram by a local farmer who successfully grew onions. They were planted in Fall and harvested before summer. The Texas Early Grano (link above) is the type mentioned. So I immediately bought some seeds.

I now have onions coming up all over the place. Onions take up very little space. I don’t have much space, so my onion seeds are tucked in all over the place. I really hope to have some slicing onions by next Spring.

Here’s What Else is Happening in My Yard