[Zone9b]

Another issue related to spacing of Broccoli in a limited space, such as a Raised Bed (RB) has came to mind. My 5 rows of Broccoli are spaced at 11" between rows leaving only 5" from the 2 outside rows and the sides of the Raised Bed; i.e. 5 inches from the rows closest to the side of the bed and the actual side of the bed, which in my case is are 2x10s.
By placing broccoli plants very close to the RB side boards and close to next row (in my case 11") it puts pressure on the plants closest to the side boards to grow to the side, i.e. outside the bed. Open checking the plants in rows closest to the side boards of my RB broccoli garden I observed that they are growing at approaching a 45 degree angle to the side. When I look at the heads on these plants some have grown with their head centers directly over the boards and in other cases almost all of the head is outside the RB. Once again these Broccoli heads do not seem to be negatively affected in either quality or size.
Conclusion: When trying to maximize Broccoli grown in an RB an overt strategy of planting rows closest to the RB side boards very close to the side boards can take advantage of space over and slightly outside the side boards of a RB. The result being another means of raising the broccoli yield inside a given RB without sacrificing quality or size of the broccoli heads grown.
Larry