What do I need to know to grow cauliflower?

[Nan_PA_6b]

I won't be using row covers, just the BT to keep the bugs at bay. Maybe also DE if the situation seems to warrant it.



I have white garden cloth to reflect more light onto the cauliflower. It seemed to work on the tomatoes in that same spot last summer.



Cauliflower is my favorite vegetable. I have to try it at least once.

[brownrexx]

I think that DE is useful for beetles but I doubt that it is going to do anything to a cabbage butterfly laying eggs or a caterpillar since they do not have exoskeletons to trap the DE particles.

Bt does kill caterpillars but they have to be on the plant first to eat it so won't you have dead caterpillars on your plants? Maybe they only get on the leaves, not the head itself, I don't know because I always use row covers.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Dead caterpillars will be fine. If I'm diligent, they'll hatch tiny, eat the BT, and die tiny. I'm going to wash the cauliflower off anyway.


This place says DE is effective against caterpillars:
http://www.absorbentproductsltd.com/...sect-list.html


I asked Tormato for a couple seeds of Romanesco, so we'll see if it grows for me. I bet the advice I get here for cauliflower will go for romanesco too.

[brownrexx]

I have never heard that about DE before. That's good news.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Fred Hempel

When I see posts like the one above, I go searching for the "like" button!!

Me too!

[Greatgardens]

I used to grow a lot of it, and in my area in 5b, it was only marginally successful in the spring due to the fast onset of warmer temps. But in the fall, it was amazing! Snow Crown and Snow King were the varieties that I grew. I don't think that Snow King is still around, but I believe Snow Crown is still popular. Needs to be tied, although less demanding of it in the fall. I would routinely get 4+ lb. heads of SC, and even a few 6+lb. of the Snow King in October harvests. Transplanted them in early to mid-August, IIRC. Never had too many issues with bugs/worms. Tried a couple in my EarthBoxes, but that was a folly -- little tiny heads. Good luck!

[Nan_PA_6b]

If you don't whiten the heads with tying them up, does it change the taste or just the appearance?

[brownrexx]

I don't know the answer to your question but my Amazing cauliflower didn't get tied up and you can see the whiteness in my photo above. I think that it may be called self blanching. I forget if it's leaves covered the head by themselves.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Self-blanching, that sounds lovely.

For whatever reason I’ve had great luck with cauliflower. Last year I was crazy for this variety called Purple of Sicily. I also grew Orange Burst and Romanesco. The peas are Sugar Magnolia.
North Florida certainly has its challenges but the fabric pots make it easier.
Now if I could figure out why the photo keeps loading upside down lol ...

[Nan_PA_6b]

That cauliflower is truly a thing of beauty.

Thanks! Tastes wonderful, too.

[brownrexx]

Absolutely beautiful!

[Nan_PA_6b]

PlainJane, how did you keep the bugs away?

I manually pick off eggs and/or cats during my regular garden patrols. The only thing I ever spray is Neem against aphids when they get really bad a couple of times a year.