What do I do with my broccoli which never flowered?

Hi all,

I grew broccoli from seed this year (don't know which type) and it came up lovely, but because it was grown from seed I was advised not to expect it to flower (which it didn't).  So far so good, except now I have some massive plants just sitting there.  What do I do with them?  Do I cut them back to the ground and wait for them to go again next year?  Do I leave them alone?  Have I done something wrong or is this normal and I should leave well alone?

Thanks very much for any responses,

MOB

Sprouting brocolli is sown in summer and flowers in the spring. 

They're behaving just as they should - it takes getting on for 10 months or so to get a crop.  Keep an eye on it, fight the pigeons off as the weather gets colder, you'll get lovely tender shoots late winter through to spring time - enjoy 

In the New Year!!  that's brilliant - thanks so much for replying you have cheered me up no end.

Kind regards

MOB

Whoops, you posted as I was editing - depending on variety and where you live (and the weather of course) it could be in the New Year but at least in the late winter through to the spring.  But as I said, fight those pigeons off 

Ha!  OK, so not sure about the variety but I live in central London and expecting the usual brutal cold snap.  I will net the plants for the pigeons and wait it out.  Anything I get off them I will be most happy with.

Thanks again!

I remember one awful winter years ago when I had an allotment on top of a hill in Mid Suffolk - everyone's sprouting broccoli was really badly damaged by horrendous weather and the other allotmenteers pulled theirs up.  Because I was busy with two small children mine got left in the ground - by the time the village horticultural spring show came around mine had re-sprouted and I was the only person in the village with purple sprouting broccoli - and I won first prize in that class   The only entry!

Haha! that is an uplifting story!  I shall take a leaf out of your book (i.e. be too busy to bother with it) and have champion broccoli next year!

Nice one.