How to Grow Cauliflower in Your Home Vegetable Garden

Cauliflower grows to maturity in 30 to 70 days, depending on the cultivar.

Cauliflower belongs to the same family as broccoli and cabbage, and grows with similar structure, hardiness and needs. Plant this vegetable in well prepared soil and in the right season. Keep the plants moist, healthy and well fed for best growth, and protect them from sunburn during their growing season. Harvest heads of cauliflower before the heat of summer arrives.

Things You'll Need

• Garden fork
• Organic compost
• 8-16-16 granular fertilizer
• 20-20-20 liquid fertilizer
• Mulch
• Ties
• Knife

Instructions

1. Start cauliflower in the early spring garden to give the crop a cool, moist growing season. Move seedlingsto the outdoor garden two to three weeks before the last frost in your area. Cauliflower does best with temperatures of 65 to 80 degrees F during its growing season and must mature before the weather gets too warm.

2. Plant cauliflower in quick-draining areas of the garden, with four to five hours of full sun every day. As a cool-weather crop, cauliflower requires less sunshine than traditional summertime crops and can grow in partial shade. It rots in standing water from spring storms.

3. Prepare soil for cauliflower ahead of planting. This crops grows best in crumbly, moist soil with plenty of organic matter. Mix 3 to 4 inches of organic compost into the top 5 to 7 inches of soil to provide this foundation, and add 8-16-16 granular fertilizer to encourage a strong root system.

4. Plant cauliflower seedlings at 18 to 24 inches apart. Leave 18 inches between multiple rows for gardening and walking.

5. Give the seedlings liquid 20-20-20 fertilizer at planting to encourage quick growth, then water with 2 inches of water. Put the seedlings on a schedule of at least 2 inches of water every week and use organic mulch to keep the soil moist and free of weeds.

6. Feed cauliflower again halfway through the growing season with nitrogen fertilizer to encourage larger, firmer head growth. Follow the manufacturer's instructions in regard to amount and application. Don't get granular fertilizer on the vegetables, as it burns foliage.

7. Blanche cauliflower plants when they begin to form white curd at their centers. Gather the outer leaves in a bunch over the plants and tie them. This practices keeps the cauliflower from sunburning and turning green and tough.

8. Harvest cauliflower at maturity, or one to two weeks after blanching. Mature cauliflower ranges from 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Use a knife to cut the stem under the head for harvest.

References

• University of Illinois Extension; Watch Your Garden Grow: Cauliflower; Ron Wolford, et al.
• Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet; Growing Broccoli and Cauliflower in the Home Garden; Marianne Riofrio