Green Magic is my new favorite broccoli variety. I have grown it for three years now and find it a bit smaller than Gypsy which was my last favorite. GM makes about a week earlier than any other variety and though the plant is not as large as some it makes a good sized head and the side shoots are easy and make quicker than most of the other varieties and they are all centrally located which makes finding them easier than other varieties. I grew Waltham many years ago and didn't like it and every hybrid I have grown has done better than Waltham so I haven't grown it again nor do I want to.
My three favorite varieties in order are Green Magic, Arcadia, and Gypsy. All make large tight heads and they are all early varieties. I loved Coronado Crown because it made huge very tight heads and did great overwintering as long as frost cloth was used on nights below freezing. I haven't seen that variety in years despite looking for it because I thought it was the best overall variety for my garden and conditions. A variety that does great in the winter is better than spring or fall because of the sudden rise in temps we have that cause early heading before the plants are large enough to produce a decent head. I once got a huge beautiful head of CC that would not fit into a 5 gal bucket. That single head must have weighed in over 8 pounds and it was still very tender when cooked with very tight small beads. I think they must have dropped that hybrid since it was so large it didn't work for commercial growers and did not produce standard size heads.
Bill
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