Cauliflower head almost ready!

[Nyan]

I just realized a cauliflower plant from last spring had started growing well a few weeks ago, so I covered it with a double layer of floating row cover. I pulled the cover off a few days ago and the plant has a very nice head on it that will be ready to pick late this week (Dec. 30th!)

I had harvested the original head way back in early June, but I didn't cut the plant off as short as the other ones and a couple of side shoots kept slowly growing all summer and fall. It was lightly shaded by a new pecan tree that I planted in the bed, and I casually watered it when watering the green beans and then potatoes, that were planted after the cauliflower.

I thought it would have given up the ghost when it got down to 23 degrees back in late November, but the row cover seemed to protect it and it took off growing after that. (I'm in zone 7b, northern Alabama)

The head is about 6 inches across now, (so it probably won't be anything like the spring head) but I'll be trying this again next year.

(I'll post a picture of it (if I think about it) tomorrow while I'm moving some of the blackberry plants.)

[applestar]

How exciting! This shows how important it is to keep paying attention to your garden. What a wonderful surprise and a treat.

...we’re having an unusually warm weather here — I should go and see if my garden is doing anything .....

[Nyan]

And here is the picture. Nice to be able to pick something fresh right now instead of just transplanting and pruning dormant stuff.

And it's nice to have no insect pressure on it - cause it's December!

(My kid loves cauli and cheese, so this will be a big hit.)

Well junk, that is the picture from Tuesday when I first found it... It's about twice that size now... (Just move twice as close to the monitor and viola! - that's how it looks now... LOL)

[TomatoNut95]

You're lucky, my cauliflower transplants all died in the 20 something cold a month or so ago. There's a runt plant out there in a little pot, but I can't remember if it's a cabbage or a cauliflower....

[Nyan]

Just took another snap of the plant a few minutes ago. I'll pick it in the morning now that I see are getting a heavy frost.

I have to give credit to the floating row cover that I blanketed the plant with when it got down to 23 degrees here last month.

Heh, I get to pick cauliflower I planted last decade!

[applestar]

Fabulous! These unusually warm temperatures might have been helping for the “curds” (flowerhead/buds) to form once the protection helped them get past the cold snap. Congrats.

[Gary350]

I have never grown cauliflower but I'm thinking about it. Do you plant seeds or plants? When do you plant? What weather do they like? What soil do plants like? What about fertilizer? What about root maggots & cabbage butterflies? When do you harvest?

[TomatoNut95]

I tried growing cauliflower from seed. I wanted to give it a try because it said it tolerated heavy clay soil. The variety I bought and tried came from Baker Creek. I think it said it was a self-blanching type that said it was good for growing in the south. Can't remember the name of it. But it didn't do.

[applestar]

I believe cauliflower care is much like broccoli.
- They are generally better able to resist pest pressures when planted as seedlings/plants with 3-4 true leaves.
- they need cool 40-75°F temps. to grow. cauliflowers are frost/freeze tolerant to approx 15°F like broccoli when immature but need/tolerate about 5°F higher temps than broccoli when mature and ready to form curds/flowerbeds
- slugs, aphids, and flea beetles make up initial wave, and cabbage white butterfly caterpillars, then other cabbage pests like cabbage moths and harlequin stinkbugs. cauliflower curds should be protected from harsh sunlight to stay white

I've had best results growing them under floating cover tunnel in morning full sun

[TomatoNut95]

My cauliflower certainly was not very frost tolerant....

[applestar]

Interesting. I have some young plants that are still hanging in there outside — they have been covered with some kind of protection so far ....for the most part.

There ARE varieties better suited for winter growing vs. summer growing.