Hello,

This is my first time posting and I'm a newbie to vegetable and flower gardening (I've stuck to succulents for the last few years). I'm having an issue with my sunflowers and broccoli that I'm very unsure about and have done countless research to no avail.

Since we are living in an apartment, I have been gardening in pots on my front patio. The broccoli and sunflowers have begun to have hardened-looking stems near the root (about 1.5-2" in length). This part of the plant feels a bit harder to the touch as well, but the rest of the plant is flourishing. I have not had broccoli sprout yet, but the leaves are coming up nicely and my sunflowers have just opened 4 of their buds. The broccoli sees full sun about 4 hours of the day and the sunflowers get it pretty much all day.

I'm not sure if I am doing something incorrectly or if they have some sort of disease, but I'm trying to find an answer. Thank you for any help you can offer!

Let me know if more information is needed. The picture I attached is my sunflowers, the link is my broccoli.

Thank you so much! - Heather

Here is a link that might be useful: Broccoli Stems