What do I need to know to grow cauliflower? - Page 5

Nan_PA_6b · March 3, 2019

Good to know.

b54red · April 10, 2019

I just cut the largest cauliflower I have grown in forty years of growing them. It is a Bishop which is one of the varieties I grow each year. It usually makes larger plants and heads than others I grow and is a bit later; but I have never had one turn out like this. It is not uncommon growing far smaller than normal broccoli and cauliflower down here because sudden warm spells cause early heading. I will try to post a picture soon. The only thing I did different this spring was sprinkle a generous handful of ashes from my charcoal grill around the plants and water it in with Urban Farms Vegetable formula which I regularly fertilize with.

Bill

Nan_PA_6b · April 22, 2019

So far, very good. I've got four each of Amazing cauliflower and Romanesco plants. They're beautiful, strong, sturdy- great! They're going out tomorrow.

The growing area is surrounded with wire mesh and completely covered in a nylon net "cozy" to keep out the butterflies. Bought a bunch of veil material cheap at the Salvation Army fabric fair & my sis made the cozy.

April 23, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

So far, very good. I've got four each of Amazing cauliflower and Romanesco plants. They're beautiful, strong, sturdy- great! They're going out tomorrow.

The growing area is surrounded with wire mesh and completely covered in a nylon net "cozy" to keep out the butterflies. Bought a bunch of veil material cheap at the Salvation Army fabric fair & my sis made the cozy.

Very cool idea!

April 23, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

I just cut the largest cauliflower I have grown in forty years of growing them. It is a Bishop which is one of the varieties I grow each year. It usually makes larger plants and heads than others I grow and is a bit later; but I have never had one turn out like this. It is not uncommon growing far smaller than normal broccoli and cauliflower down here because sudden warm spells cause early heading. I will try to post a picture soon. The only thing I did different this spring was sprinkle a generous handful of ashes from my charcoal grill around the plants and water it in with Urban Farms Vegetable formula which I regularly fertilize with.

Bill

Interesting. When do you set out your cauliflower seedlings, Bill?

GoDawgs · April 30, 2019

I want to thank those who recommended 'Amazing' cauliflower. After many tries with many varieties both spring and fall, I have finally had success! That's amazing as is the fact that they haven't melted in this heat yet. Just to be on the safe side, earlier I pulled several leaves up over the head and clipped them together with a clothespin. Looks like it worked.

We cut the first one today and will be having it with lunch.

I can't wait to try this again in the fall when the temps are better and on a larger scale than this small trial. Woo hoo!

b54red · May 2, 2019

I usually set out cauliflower plants two or three times starting in the fall as soon as it is cool enough and then again a month or so later and then again in late December or early February. I use plastic tunnels to cover them during freezing nights as they are more sensitive to freezing than cabbage or even broccoli for me. Some plant outs don't deliver any decent cauliflower sometimes and other times they will do great; it all depends on the weather which down here is constantly changing during what are the so called cold months.

Bill

May 2, 2019

Good going! This fall try one of the purple varieties... amazing taste.

JRinPA · September 15, 2019

Soooo...how did it go with the cauliflower this year, Nan? Did you put in any for fall?

I just uncovered my fall plants today. Took the agribon off and pulled the hoops. This is the first time for me growing these in fall. They went in maybe 5 weeks back. They look great. No damage from cabbage moths. I suppose that will begin tomorrow. Broccoli and cauliflower.

GoDawgs · September 15, 2019

I'm planting out the first four Amazing cauli plants this coming week. There are four more that will get planted out end of the month. I might start four more today just for fun to see how a later planting works.

Barb_FL · September 15, 2019

I'm going to grow cauliflower again this year. In the past, I've had success growing both the purple one and white ones with pinning the leaves. I don't remember any bug / moth problems at all. Nothing was treated.

I remember one of my plants was grown in a bucket on my pool deck; think intense sun and it produced a large head.

I think I started my seeds in early October and they would probably be fairly rootbound by the time they were planted out.

Also, on Broccoli I grow every year and start seeds around the same time and they for sure are rootbound by the time it is planted.

I will try my old seeds to get if they germinate and if not order the Amazing variety.

Nan_PA_6b · September 15, 2019

JR, I put in 4 Amazing cauliflower and 4 Romanesco. The Amazings each gave me a small head; if you added them all together they would equal one store-bought head of cauliflower.

Also, I covered the entire cauli pen with a fine-mesh "cozy" to keep out the cabbage butterflies which are numerous. Even so, I had to cut the cauli up into little bits to pull out tiny green worms.

I guess the cozy worked for a while but somehow a determined butterfly got in.

Of the 4 romanesco, 2 eventually died off and the remaining 2 are out there not heading up.

I won't be growing cauliflower again with these results. It was good to try once.

JRinPA · September 15, 2019

I just read through this thread again...was that mistake to take off the row cover? The plants were pushing it pretty hard. Should I have left it on right up through heading? I could maybe do that but would need to figure some higher hoops.

Nan I'll let you know how these do. Supposed to be a guaranteed fall crop here from what I've read, and a crapshoot in the spring. We'll see.

clkeiper · September 16, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRinPA

I just read through this thread again...was that mistake to take off the row cover? The plants were pushing it pretty hard. Should I have left it on right up through heading? I could maybe do that but would need to figure some higher hoops.

Nan I'll let you know how these do. Supposed to be a guaranteed fall crop here from what I've read, and a crapshoot in the spring. We'll see.

if they are too tall for the hoops and row cover just keep them sprayed with Dipel.

brownrexx · September 16, 2019

Sometimes mine get pretty crowded under the covers but it just causes the leaves to get weirdly shaped and it does not seem to affect the heads. The leaves look crowded but at least I don't have caterpillars or their little black balls of poop on my cauliflower. I prefer to have unsprayed cauliflower to having no row covers and perfect leaves which don't get eaten anyway.

April 30, 2019	#66
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	SUCCESS! I want to thank those who recommended 'Amazing' cauliflower. After many tries with many varieties both spring and fall, I have finally had success! That's amazing as is the fact that they haven't melted in this heat yet. Just to be on the safe side, earlier I pulled several leaves up over the head and clipped them together with a clothespin. Looks like it worked. We cut the first one today and will be having it with lunch. I can't wait to try this again in the fall when the temps are better and on a larger scale than this small trial. Woo hoo!

March 3, 2019	#61
Nan_PA_6b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 3,194	Good to know.

April 10, 2019	#62
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I just cut the largest cauliflower I have grown in forty years of growing them. It is a Bishop which is one of the varieties I grow each year. It usually makes larger plants and heads than others I grow and is a bit later; but I have never had one turn out like this. It is not uncommon growing far smaller than normal broccoli and cauliflower down here because sudden warm spells cause early heading. I will try to post a picture soon. The only thing I did different this spring was sprinkle a generous handful of ashes from my charcoal grill around the plants and water it in with Urban Farms Vegetable formula which I regularly fertilize with. Bill

April 22, 2019	#63
Nan_PA_6b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 3,194	So far, very good. I've got four each of Amazing cauliflower and Romanesco plants. They're beautiful, strong, sturdy- great! They're going out tomorrow. The growing area is surrounded with wire mesh and completely covered in a nylon net "cozy" to keep out the butterflies. Bought a bunch of veil material cheap at the Salvation Army fabric fair & my sis made the cozy.

May 2, 2019	#67
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I usually set out cauliflower plants two or three times starting in the fall as soon as it is cool enough and then again a month or so later and then again in late December or early February. I use plastic tunnels to cover them during freezing nights as they are more sensitive to freezing than cabbage or even broccoli for me. Some plant outs don't deliver any decent cauliflower sometimes and other times they will do great; it all depends on the weather which down here is constantly changing during what are the so called cold months. Bill

May 2, 2019	#68
PlainJane Guest Posts: n/a	Good going! This fall try one of the purple varieties... amazing taste.

September 15, 2019	#69
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	Soooo...how did it go with the cauliflower this year, Nan? Did you put in any for fall? I just uncovered my fall plants today. Took the agribon off and pulled the hoops. This is the first time for me growing these in fall. They went in maybe 5 weeks back. They look great. No damage from cabbage moths. I suppose that will begin tomorrow. Broccoli and cauliflower.

September 15, 2019	#71
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	I'm going to grow cauliflower again this year. In the past, I've had success growing both the purple one and white ones with pinning the leaves. I don't remember any bug / moth problems at all. Nothing was treated. I remember one of my plants was grown in a bucket on my pool deck; think intense sun and it produced a large head. I think I started my seeds in early October and they would probably be fairly rootbound by the time they were planted out. Also, on Broccoli I grow every year and start seeds around the same time and they for sure are rootbound by the time it is planted. I will try my old seeds to get if they germinate and if not order the Amazing variety.

September 16, 2019	#75
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	Sometimes mine get pretty crowded under the covers but it just causes the leaves to get weirdly shaped and it does not seem to affect the heads. The leaves look crowded but at least I don't have caterpillars or their little black balls of poop on my cauliflower. I prefer to have unsprayed cauliflower to having no row covers and perfect leaves which don't get eaten anyway.