Quick Guide to Growing Cauliflower
- Plant spring cauliflower 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost. Both in-ground gardens and containers are good options.
- Plant cauliflower in rows with each plant spaced 18 inches apart. Rows should be 30 inches apart.
- Improve your native soil by mixing in several inches of compost or other rich organic matter.
- Add a 3-inch layer of mulch and give plants 1 to 1.5 inches of water weekly.
- Cover young plants to protect them from cold weather.
- When the cauliflower head is about the size of a golf ball, gently fold leaves over the head and secure them in place with twine.
- Harvest cauliflower heads when they are still compact but large enough to eat (about 6 to 8 inches in diameter).
Soil, Planting, and Care
If you ‘re looking to get the most you can out of your cauliflower plants in terms of growth and reap, begin with Bonnie Plants® cauliflower plants rather of seeds. Bonnie has over a century of experience providing choice plants for home plate gardeners, so you can rely on us. Plus, starting with young plants will put you that much closer to harvest prison term. Like most vegetables, cauliflower needs at least 6 hours of wide sun each day ; more is better. It besides needs fecund, well-drained, damp dirty with enough of rich constituent matter. The dirt ph should be between 6.5 and 6.8 for optimum growth and to discourage clubroot disease. To be certain of land ph, test the soil. You can buy a kit out, or get a land test through your regional Cooperative Extension agency. Apply fertilizer and lime according to test recommendations. Add nitrogen-rich amendments such as lineage meal, cottonseed meal, or compost manure to the dirty, or improve your native dirty with senesce compost-enriched Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil. ( Growing in pots ? You wo n’t be disappointed if you use Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix, which besides contains compost but is lighter and fluffier than in-ground soil. ) You ‘ll get the best results if, in addition to providing the best dirt environment for plant roots, you give your growing cauliflower plants regular feedings of a continuous-release fertilizer like Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules, which feeds the beneficial microbe in the dirty american samoa well as your plants. Fertilize throughout the growing temper, following label directions. Set out spring plants early enough that they can mature before the heat of summer, but not so early that they freeze ; 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost is about right. Be prepared to protect them from cold weather with a cover. You can use framework row covers or homemade items such as old milk jugs.
Set out fall crops about 6 to 8 weeks before the foremost frost. Be prepared to shade them, if needed, to protect from heat. Space cauliflower plants about 18 inches apart in the row with 30 inches between rows to allow room for walking. Remember, plants need an even moisture add to avoid stress. Organic mulch will help keep the dirty cool and damp and will suppress weeds. Apply 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week if rain falls short. When the cauliflower heads are about 2 inches broad, you may need to pull the leaves up over each little heading and tighten with a clothespin or twine. This shades the mind to ensure it will be white and sensitive at harvest ( called blanch ). Plants are supposed to “ self-blanch, ” in which the leaves naturally curl over the promontory, but watch them because they much need the help oneself of a clothespin.
Troubleshooting
Besides avoiding stresses, watch for boodle loopers, imported cabbageworms, boodle root maggots, aphids, and flea beetles. possible disease pests include bootleg leg, black decompose, clubroot, and yellows. Contact your regional Cooperative Extension position for more data on pest recognition and stream master recommendations. The best manner to minimize problems is to keep your plants healthy and your garden scavenge .
Harvest and Storage
The head is normally quick about a week or then after you tie up the leaves. Leave the heading to grow a long as it stays compact ( ideally, it will grow to 6 to 8 inches in diameter ). You can untie it to peek and tie it back if needed. If the head begins to open up, cut it from the plant at the free-base of the neck no count how small it is because it will only decline in quality. The heading should keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks. Get gardening information on the run with our free app, HOMEGROWN with Bonnie Plants. Find out more, or download it immediately for iPhone or Android.
Read more: How to Make Friendship Bracelets
Before the head forms, a cauliflower plant looks much like collards, its close cousin.
White Cloud cauliflower is perfect to eat raw with dips, steamed, or cooked in casseroles.
FAQs
When is the best season to grow cauliflower?
It depends on the area. Cauliflower does not grow well in hot or in severe coldness temperatures. Grow in descend, after the temperature is below 75 degrees F, and in winter in locations where the temperature does not fall below 25 degrees .
What does “blanching” mean, and how is it done?
Blanching is the process done to protect the cauliflower head from sunlight. It is done by pulling the outer leaves up over the read/write head of the cauliflower and tying the leaves with a condom band or delicate twist .
Why do my cauliflower plants have small heads?
Cauliflower needs fat territory that is ample in organic matter in orderliness to hold moisture that will encourage continuous growth ; this will prevent heads from forming prematurely .
