Growing Cauliflower

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

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
  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

Your comments and tips

26 May 15, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hello, I am in sub-tropical climate zone, have planted cauliflower, they start out lovely bright white, but are turning a purlply/ mauve colour, at first I thought it may be a mould of some sort, but this all started before any rain, also the florets seem to be separating a bit, the biggest ones are only a bit bigger than a squash ball . Any ideas would be appreciated, this is obviously my first crop! Thanks very much
28 Oct 14, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My cauliflower plants bolted to flower & seed after small heads formed. If I harvest the seed now (end October) and keep in paper bag is it likely to be viable to plant in March/April? I am in the subtropical zone.
24 Sep 14, Pinky (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Ok so after reading all of the above comments i can see that Cauliflowers are a "veteran gardeners vegetable", are there any fail safe guides for the beginners? Cheers.
19 Sep 14, Alan (Australia - arid climate)
Hi just a quick question, my cauliflower and brocolli are seperating as soon as they flower, some of my brocolli are going straight ti yellow flower, any suggestions greatly appreciated, oh they are in raised garden beds with garden mix soil with some cow manure. Thanks.
05 Sep 14, John Mayken (Australia - temperate climate)
How should I prepare the soil, for growing Cauli's, and how do I stop them from going rapidly going to seed?
19 Aug 14, JulieSmart (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
My cauliflowers have grown beautifully all through winter with big leaves. The heads formed and while they were still quite small, the individual stalks on the florets became elongated. Did I leave them too long before harvesting or was it due to the increase of sun on the veg patch?
14 Aug 14, Caroline (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
What can I use against caterpillars eating my cauliflower seedlings? As organically kind as possible please. I seem to do great with spinach and spring onions but every time I plant any kind of cabbage type, little worms eat them within hours! :-)
17 Aug 14, jason (Australia - arid climate)
I made a nice brew from boiling chilli, basil, coriander and garlic to make a concentrate, strained off the solids then added some molasses and a little castile soap. after spraying that on my garden everything had grown much better and no more pests
16 Aug 14, David Esdaile (Australia - temperate climate)
Dipel is a suspension of bacteria (B. thuringiensis) which kills leaf-eating caterpillars (like Cabbage White Butterfly larvae) and is as safe as anything can be. It's a Yates product (at least the one I use is). You'll have to spray a couple of times throughout the season if caterpillars continue to be a problem. If you haven't got hundreds of caulis it's easy to pick off the grubs at early stages of growth. Just look for the little caterpillars on the backs of the outer leaves.
12 Aug 14, Andy (Australia - temperate climate)
We planted possibly late for Perth around May, we copped a shed load of rain over much of the growing period. I think maybe too much as the head grew small and went pretty much straight to seed. Anyone know why?
Showing 91 - 100 of 204 comments

G'day Mark, you could try a two metre fence, horses love green veg. For "Caterpillars", use Yates Nature's Way. It is organic and it stops the larvae eating. It takes longer to work but you will find almost instant results. Being organic there is no harm in using it almost up to harvest.

- Des

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