Growing Cauliflower

brassica oleracea var. botrytus botrytus : Brassicaceae / the mustard or cabbage family

Feb	Mar	Apr
S	S
		T
		P

(Best months for growing Cauliflower in USA - Zone 5a regions)

S = Plant undercover in seed trays
T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
P = Sow seed

Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
Space plants: 24 - 39 inches apart
Harvest in 15-22 weeks.
Compatible with (can grow beside): Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile)
Avoid growing close to: Climbing (pole) beans, tomato, peppers (chili, capsicum), eggplant (aubergine), strawberry, mustard

Large leafed cabbage-like with a white 'curd' or flower forming in the centre. It can be hard to grow successfully. More frost sensitive than most brassicas, it's also not particularly heat tolerant. They tend to fail if stressed when transplanting.

Watch for cabbage white butterfly. Grow better in cooler temperatures. Not suitable for warm areas. Break a leaf over the head to prevent the curd becoming discoloured.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Cauliflower

Cauliflower can be eaten raw, steamed, stirfried, grilled, or roasted. Popular grated and steamed/stirfried as a low-carb rice substitute.
Cook briefly and add to curry mix.
Traditionally served with cheese sauce. Add tomato slices for colour.
Toss with oil and spices and roast/grill until browned and delicious!

Your comments and tips

01 Mar 23, Cranky (Australia - cool/mountain climate): I never had success with Cauliflower, how can I get a decent head to grow. Decent = hand sized Thanks, Cranky
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03 Mar 23, (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Look at the planting guide. Have good soil but not too rich with nitrogen. Too much nitrogen only produces a lot of leaf (my problem over the year). You probably can plant good seedlings now - don't delay.
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15 Aug 22, Dale Roth (USA - Zone 5a climate): when should i plant plants in St.louis mo. for fall Cauliflower and Broccoli for fall harvest. Thank you
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04 Sep 22, (USA - Zone 5a climate): It says plant Feb to April.
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16 Mar 22, Keith SPICER (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): My cauliflowers are frequently attacked overnight in their growing boxes which are about a metre high . What could be the cause of this? There is no evidence other than tooth marks. Rats?
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06 Mar 22, Niki little (Australia - temperate climate): Is there anywhere in qld that you can purchase fioretto cauliflower blossom seeds. Thank you
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09 Mar 22, anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Google about it. It is a new cauli and Perfection Fresh has exclusive rights to it.
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07 Mar 21, Lea Zimmer (Australia - temperate climate): I have grown cauli from seeds. In a greenhouse. Have noticed holes in the leaves thinking it was snails I put crushed egg shells in the pots along with snail bait, only to find last night small green caterpillars, happily munching away on a new leaf. I sprayed the entire plant with soapy water in a squeeze bottle. Was that the right thing to use. Even though I used bait I would rather have used something natural. Help needed
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08 Jun 22, Gary Adams (Australia - temperate climate): Spray with Dipel which is organic and has no withholding period
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10 Mar 21, colleen (USA - Zone 10b climate): The most effective organic solution to your problem is B.t. (B. thuringiensis). It's a naturally occurring bacteria that only targets the caterpillars but is harmless to everything else. Soapy water can be useful for aphids but probably won't do much to the cabbage loopers unless you use so much soap that you risk harming your plants.
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Further to my comments above. The cheap Chinese netting was useless. The $25 (10m x 5m) netting not the best either. I have found this on the internet - 10m x 6.5m White Cross Weave Hail Net / Bird Netting $80. It is rows of knitted cotton with a V shape running between the rows. Expensive but it will keep just about everything out. Birds, moths and probably flies and bees. The framework for the netting above was a lot of work to move to do any work in the garden. I have constructed 2 frames with 20mm conduit pipe - 2m x 2m x1m high. Had to buy the 3 way elbows on the internet to join it all together. A place that sells hot house/shade house stuff. They are a little flimsy but with two people are very easy to move around. I intend to also put some 50% shade cloth over them early and late in the year to extend my growing seasons. Hope this helps other people considering this.

- Mike

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Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Cauliflower

brassica oleracea var. botrytus botrytus : Brassicaceae / the mustard or cabbage family

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Cauliflower

Your comments and tips

Gardenate

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Cauliflower

brassica oleracea var. botrytus botrytus : Brassicaceae / the mustard or cabbage family

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Cauliflower

Your comments and tips

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