{"id":2750,"date":"2020-04-11T06:05:29","date_gmt":"2020-04-11T06:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2750"},"modified":"2020-04-11T06:05:29","modified_gmt":"2020-04-11T06:05:29","slug":"cauliflower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/11\/cauliflower\/","title":{"rendered":"Cauliflower"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Brassica oleracea botrytis <\/em>group<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: The cauliflower is sometimes considered to be the most refined\nmember of the Brassica family, I don\u2019t quite know what that means, but I do\nknow it is the most temperamental to grow. It probably originated somewhere in\nthe Eastern Mediterranean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing<\/strong>: The cauliflower isn\u2019t a very forgiving crop and must have\nexactly the right growing conditions if it is to do well. It doesn\u2019t like\nextreme heat or cold, it doesn\u2019t like being too wet or too dry, it doesn\u2019t like\npoor soil and it doesn\u2019t like to sit indoors waiting to be planted out! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cauliflower is even harder to grow organically, as it is\nvulnerable to the legion of pests that attack the cabbages. However if you give\nit exactly what it wants and time it right, then it isn\u2019t that hard to grow successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop value<\/strong>:\nCauliflower isn\u2019t very productive (unlike broccoli it only produces one head)\nor particularly nutritious, so it isn\u2019t a very important crop (unless you like\nit of course, which I\ndon\u2019t particularly). They contain about 110 calories per pound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong>: More than\nalmost any other common crop, cauliflower is sensitive to the weather and it\nwill simply bolt if it doesn\u2019t like it. For this reason it is important to\nchoose a variety that is suited to the climate and time of year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cauliflower needs a moist and mild climate (ideally with temperatures in the 60\u2019s) and won\u2019t tolerate drought, heat or extreme cold. Young plants will tolerate a light frost and bigger plants are moderately cold tolerant, though the head can be damaged if it freezes. Hot weather can cause plants to bolt prematurely or become unpleasantly flavored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: A good source of vitamin C and potassium. It also contains the same valuable anti-cancer phytonutrients as the other Brassicas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Cauliflower<\/strong>  <\/strong>
Seed facts<\/strong>
Germ temp: 45 (55 – 85) 85\u02daF
Germ time: 4 – 10 days
10 days \/ 59\u02daF
6 days \/ 68\u02daF
5 days \/ 77\u02daF * Optimum
5 days \/ 86\u02daF
Seed viability: 5 – 10 years
Germination percentage: 75+
Weeks to grow transplant: 5 – 6  <\/strong>

Planning facts<\/strong>
Hardiness: Half hardy
Growing temp: 45 (60 – 65) 75\u02daF
Plants per person: 5
Plants per sq ft: \u00bd
Days to harvest: 50 – 256 days
45 – 200 days from transplant  

Planting<\/strong>
Spring crop:
Start: 8 – 10 weeks before last frost
Plant out: 4 weeks before the last frost date
Direct sow 2 wks before last frost
Fall crop: Start: 12 – 16 wks before first fall frost
Plant out: 8 wks before the first fall frost  

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Yield per plant: 1 – 2 lb
Yield per sq ft: \u00bd – 1 lb sq ft <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 6.0 (6.5-6.8) 7.4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cauliflower\nmust have rapid and uninterrupted growth if it is to perform well and for this\nit needs fertile soil. It isn\u2019t particular as to what type of soil it grows in,\nso long as it is fertile and moisture retentive, with lots of organic matter.\nIt doesn\u2019t mind a fairly alkaline soil and this discourages clubroot, a serious\npest of Brassicas in some areas. It doesn\u2019t like saline soil and is sensitive\nto a deficiency of micronutrients, especially molybdenum and boron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil Preparation<\/strong>: Cauliflower\nlikes nitrogen and potassium, Prepare the soil by digging deeply and\nincorporating 2\u02dd of compost or aged manure. If you are organized you could add\nfresh manure the previous fall. It also does well if planted 2 weeks after\nincorporating a winter cover crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the soil isn\u2019t very fertile, add colloidal phosphate (for\nphosphorus), wood ashes (for potassium) and kelp meal (to supply trace elements). Or put a handful of\ncomplete organic fertilizer in each planting hole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than\nmost Brassicas, cauliflower doesn\u2019t like acid soils, as they can encourage\nclubroot and make boron less available. Add lime if necessary, preferably\ndolomitic lime, as this supplies useful magnesium as well as calcium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>:\nCauliflower needs quite a lot of space for the amount it produces, so it isn\u2019t\na very good crop for small gardens. It also needs at least 6 hours of sun\ndaily. Any less than this will result in smaller heads, slower maturation and\npossibly leggy plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop rotation<\/strong>:\nDon\u2019t plant where another Brassica has been grown in the previous 3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>:\nCauliflower needs quite a long period (2 months or more) of cool weather to\nmature (it heads up best at 60 – 70\u02daF). At the same time it is more sensitive\nto cold than most Brassicas and small plants can be injured by moderate frost.)\nThis limits where and when it can be grown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cauliflower\ndoes well in the Pacific northwest as a spring-sown crop, but in most areas\nspring is too short. In mild winter areas it does well as a fall \/ winter crop,\nbut isn\u2019t hardy enough to survive colder winters. In most places it does best\nas a fall crop. This is usually easier and results in larger heads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring<\/strong>: Spring\ncauliflower has to be started early, so the weather will still be fairly cool\nwhen it matures. This means that there is some risk that the young plants may\nbe damaged by frost.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start the\nseed indoors 8 – 10 weeks before the last frost date and plant out 4 – 5 weeks\nbefore the last frost date (the soil should be at least 50\u02daF and preferably\nhigher). It needs to be planted early, because it needs a long period of cool\nweather to mature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the\nweather turns cold after planting, you should protect the plants with cloches\nor cold frames until it warms up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer<\/strong>: In mild\nclimates, cauliflower can be planted in spring, to mature as a summer crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall<\/strong>: Fall\ncauliflowers tends to do better than a spring crop because they are maturing in\ncooler weather and there are fewer pests around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start the\nseeds for a fall crop (indoors or out) 12 -16 weeks before the average first\nfall frost date. Plant out transplants 8 weeks before the first fall frost\ndate.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter<\/strong>:\nOverwintering cauliflower is planted out in early September and matures the\nfollowing spring. It is important to use a hardy variety that is appropriate\nfor the time of year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Succession sow<\/strong>: It\u2019s not a bad idea to sow cauliflower several\ntimes (each a week apart), as this increases the odds of at least some working\nout well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transplants<\/strong>: If you want to grow cauliflower as a spring crop this usually\nmeans starting your transplants indoors (ideally at 70\u02daF). A fall crop may be\nstarted indoors, in an outdoor seed bed, or it may be direct sown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting inside<\/strong>:\nCauliflower doesn\u2019t really like having its root disturbed, but will tolerate it\nwhile small (if done carefully). The seeds are often sown in flats, 1\u02dd apart\nand \u00bc\u02dd deep. When they have two sets of leaves they are pricked out to 2\u02dd\napart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can also\nbe sown in cell packs or soil blocks (plant 2 seeds to a cell and later thin to\nthe best one) to minimize root disturbance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ntransplants are ready to go out when they are still fairly small, but have 4 –\n5 true leaves. Bigger transplants are prone to bolting, especially in spring as\nthey vernalize easily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardening off<\/strong>: It is important the seedlings are\nhardened off before they go outside (failure to do so can result in shocked\nplants that don\u2019t grow well). Start by putting the plants outside for 2 hours\non the first day, then 4 hours on the second day. Add 2 hours every day for a\nweek and then plant out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A simpler alternative is to put them in a cold frame, which is opened\nfor longer periods each day and closed at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting out<\/strong>:\nCauliflower is transplanted up to the first true leaves. Water right after\nplanting and every day thereafter until it looks good. You might need to put on\ncutworm collars or cabbage root maggot disks, provide shade if it\u2019s very sunny\nand protect it from late frosts. It is vital that growth is uninterrupted by\ntransplanting, as this can be enough to make it bolt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sowing<\/strong>:\nCauliflower can also be direct sown and in some cases these have been known to\nmature faster than transplants. Sow the seeds \u00bc – \u00bd\u02dd deep, with 2 – 3 seeds in\neach station. Thin to the best one when they are up and growing. This is most\npractical in climates that provide that ideal long cool growing season, or for\nuse as a fall crop. Of course the drawback with direct sowing is that they take\nup space for a long time (maybe interplant it into another crop).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outdoor nursery bed<\/strong>: In summer you can start transplants in an outdoor nursery bed.\nThis is a much more efficient use of space than direct sowing, as the plants\ndon\u2019t take up bed space for the first 4 – 6 weeks of their lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sow the\nseed about 1\u02dd apart and when they have all emerged and are growing vigorously,\ntransplant them to stand 3\u02dd apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: Spacing has an effect upon the final size of the head. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

15\u02dd very good soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18\u02dd average soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

24\u02dd poor soil            <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Row spacing: Space the\nplants 15 – 18\u02dd apart in the rows, with 24 – 36\u02dd between the rows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cauliflower\nneeds more care than other Brassicas. You have to give it everything it needs\nfor fast, uninterrupted growth without any checks, otherwise it may bolt\nprematurely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeding<\/strong>: The\nplants don\u2019t compete with weeds very well, so weed regularly while they are\nsmall. Take care if using a hoe, as the shallow roots are easily damaged and\nthis can cause bolting too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water<\/strong>: Cauliflower needs constant moisture (at\nleast 1\u02dd per week), so it\u2019s important to keep the soil moist at all times (lack\nof water can cause – you guessed it – bolting). The most critical watering time\nis when the head is developing, so don\u2019t let it get water stressed at this\ntime. It is also good to get plenty of moisture retentive organic matter into\nthe soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilization<\/strong>: After the plants are established and\ngrowing well, give them a foliar feed of compost tea. Feed them again just\nbefore they start to head up (or just feed regularly every two weeks).\nCauliflower is one of the crops that is most susceptible to boron deficiency\n(which can be caused by acid soil).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch<\/strong>: This not\nonly keep weeds down, it can also help to keep the soil moist and cool and\nhelps to keep these shallow rooted plants cosy and happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanching<\/strong>: Many modern varieties of cauliflower are\nself wrapping (their leaves protect the head), but older types need to be\nblanched to prevent the curds turning brown from exposure to sunlight (and\ndeveloping an off flavor). This is done when the head enlarges to about 2 – 3\u02dd\nin diameter and starts to become visible. Even the self wrapping types will\nproduce more desirable whiter heads if blanched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanching is done on a warm dry day (so the\nplant is dry) by tying the top leaves together with twine (or rubber bands or\nclothes pins) to cover the head (do this loosely to exclude light, but allow\nfor air circulation and so it doesn\u2019t trap water). You could also crack the\nleaves and tuck them over the head, or cover the head with loose leaves. You\ncould even make a cap of aluminum foil (if you wear one too it may help to stop\nthem bolting prematurely).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/strong>: Cauliflower is attacked by the usual\nBrassica villains, especially root maggots (see Cabbage<\/strong>). If pests are a big problem in your area, you might\nwant to protect the young plants with row covers. Pests are more problematic  in the warm weather of spring than in the\ncooler weather of fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disease<\/strong>: Cauliflower is also\nattacked by all of the usual Brassica diseases (see Cabbage<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boron deficiency<\/strong>: Cauliflower is very sensitive to boron deficiency,\nwhich shows up as distorted leaf tips that often die back, Liquid kelp or\ncompost tea can help to alleviate this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head problems:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discoloration<\/strong> – Too much water or\nwaiting too long to harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browning<\/strong> – Too much heat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buttoning<\/strong> (premature and small\nheads) – Drought, cold, heat or any kind of stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ricy<\/strong> (separation of curds, which\nlooks like white rice) – May be caused by drought, cold, heat or too much\nnitrogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaves in curds<\/strong> \u2013 too much\nheat <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: Generally a planting doesn\u2019t mature very\nuniformly, so you need to check each plant individually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The optimal time to harvest cauliflower is when the head has reached\nfull size, but while it\u2019s still tight and firm. They are good later than this\nthough and may be used until the flower clusters start to turn yellowish\n(rather than white) and start to separate (they are said to get ricy). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In warm\nweather the plants don\u2019t stay in optimal condition for very long, in which case\nit\u2019s better to start harvesting your first heads a little too early (this also\nhelps to stagger the harvest season).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How<\/strong>: Cut off\nthe entire head with a knife. If you aren\u2019t going to use it immediately, leave\nsome leaves on to protect it in handling (the head bruises and discolors\neasily).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/strong>:\nCauliflower will stay in good condition for several weeks if stored in the\nrefrigerator (make sure it doesn\u2019t contain any insects or caterpillars). The\ncurds also freeze very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed\nsaving<\/strong>: The process is\nmuch the same as for broccoli (see Broccoli<\/strong>). Cauliflower will cross with cabbage, kale\nand any other Brassicas. This could have interesting results, but it\u2019s probably\nnot what you want. Take seed from six or more of the best, slow bolting plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be aware that the curds of cauliflower are not flower buds like\nthose of broccoli, but mostly only fleshy receptacles that won\u2019t develop into flowers.\nIn fact flower development in cauliflower can be very erratic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual\ngrowing ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mini-cauliflowers<\/strong>:\nThis is a relatively new way to grow cauliflowers and results in miniature\nheads 2 – 3\u02dd in diameter (ideal for one serving). It can be a very productive\nway to grow cauliflower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use a fast\nmaturing summer variety for this method. Direct sow 2 seeds at each station,\nspacing them 6\u02dd each way. When these are all up, thin to the strongest plant\nand care for them as usual. The closely spaced plants compete with each other\nand tend to keep each other all roughly the same size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In North\nAmerica the choice of varieties has traditionally been quite limited, but this\nsituation is slowly changing and some fine European and American varieties are\nnow available. This is good because choosing the right variety can be a big\nfactor in your success. You will probably need to experiment to find out what\nworks best for you and at what time of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cauliflower\nis another crop where F1 hybrids are taking over. Some of these varieties are\nof very high quality and are worth trying. There are also some new varieties\nwith spectacular orange, purple and green colored curds, but they are\nexpensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cauliflower\ncan be divided into early, fall and winter varieties, according to their\nhardiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early<\/strong>: These have a short growing season and can do well in summer (in\ncool areas) or fall. They are more heat tolerant too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snow\nCrown<\/strong> F1- 50 – 60 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early\nsnowball <\/strong>– 65 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall<\/strong>: These are bred for fall harvest and aren\u2019t very heat tolerant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fremont F1<\/strong>– 65 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter<\/strong>: These are the easiest cauliflowers to grow, because they are\nvery hardy and tolerate cold weather. They are planted out in early fall and\nform large heads in late winter and early spring. The Walcheren types are among\nthe best known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All\nthe Year Round <\/strong>– 70\ndays<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purple<\/strong>: These resemble a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. They\nare somewhat easier to grow than cauliflower because they don\u2019t need blanching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romanesco<\/strong> – This unusual Italian Heirloom is becoming increasingly popular.\nIt has a very attractive spiral pattern on its pale green head. It is quite\nvariable, with about 20% of plants not heading up and the rest doing so over a\nlong period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colored types<\/strong>: Orange, purple, yellow or green cauliflowers are an interesting\nrecent innovation. Unfortunately most of this color disappears in cooking and\nthey have to be grown from very expensive seed ($3.95 for 15 seeds.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheddar\nF1 – <\/strong>Orange<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Panther\nF1 – <\/strong>Green<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graffiti\nF1 <\/strong>– Deep\npurple <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purple Head F1<\/strong> – Purple (85 days)\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brassica oleracea botrytis group Introduction: The cauliflower is sometimes considered to be the most refined member of the Brassica family, I don\u2019t quite know what that means, but I do … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[244],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bulb-and-stem-vegetables","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/cauliflower.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2750"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2815,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2750\/revisions\/2815"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}