Growing CauliflowerGrowing cauliflower produces a large white head up to two pounds a head. It is a cool weather plant much like broccoli. To find out more about when to plant this Fall crop go to the Fall Vegetable Garden Page. Here in South Texas I will probably be able to get a fall and spring harvest in my vegetable garden. It can be started in the house in an indoor greenhouse, sown directly into the soil or bought as plants at your local nursery. It likes a soil pH of 6.5. When the head is about two inches in diameter, it needs to be protected from sunlight. This keeps the head white, protecting it from blanching and turning to a bitter taste.
Tie the outside leaves loosely over the head with a strip of old nylon stocking or soft cloth. Some gardens use spring-type clothespins to tie the cauliflower leaves up. i used potato chip clips. The heads will be ready for harvest one to two weeks after covering, depending on the weather. Check the head every few days so that it does not start turning to seed. Harvest cauliflower heads when they are six or more inches in diameter. Growing cauliflower does best when the temperature is around 80 degrees. It can be eaten fresh or frozen. It cannot be canned. It loses its texture and taste when it is canned. It can be pickled but this is not something you will find me doing. Yuk. It is grown very much like cabbage. See the section on transplanting for more information on transplanting cauliflower plants. There are varieties of this plant that grow a purple, orange or green head. When I was in Afghanistan, we drove by some farmers markets. They had some huge heads of cauliflower. They had to weigh at least four pounds.
3-21-09 Update: Happy Spring Well my Cauliflower has not done anything yet. It just sits there looking at me everyday--not growing. This is what I get for getting in a hurry. From what I can tell, the several days of below freezing temps we had have stopped their growth.
In this video below are some of my cauliflower. I harvested a head about a week ago but it was bitter. I did not tie the leaves together over the head so I guess it got too much sun. On these I have tied clipped the heads together. I am hoping they will be a lot better. They should be ready to harvest in a few days.
This video is about harvesting cauliflower.
FALL GARDEN 2009This section will talk about the cauliflower we are growing for the Fall Vegetable Garden.10-19-09 In the picture below is a picture I took of our cauliflower growing inside a bottle. I thought it was sort of neat.
Last week I noticed some green worms eating away at my growing cauliflower. I picked off each of these and smashed them between my finger tips. Not sure what they were but they did a lot of damage. 12-20-09 The cauliflower is growing really good but they are not producing any heads yet. I am not sure why this is except we have had a lot of cloudy days and cool temps. In the picture below is my cauliflower. 2-04-2010 In the picture below is a head of cauliflower. It will be ready for harvesting in a few days.
Your Garden StoryDo you have a garden story to share with us? Keep checking back for updates.Thank you for your visit. Go to Home Page from Growing Cauliflower.
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