Cauliflower, anyone?

I set out some cauliflower transplants on October 3rd and this is what my plant(s) look like so far. The main stem is about 16" high and I do not detect any heads forming. Should I exercise patience?

Yes, depending on variety, you should not expect heads until late December - January at the earliest.

Thanks, that is good to know!

Shouldn't be too much longer for you. They'll start forming pretty soon. What variety? I was getting a little impatient too. But last week 4 of my 25 cauliflower plants started heading. Cheddar is the earliest for me this year.

This message was edited Dec 12, 2010 4:11 PM

Very nice. I wish I knew what variety I had but I bought my cauliflower at a farmer's market and the vendor could not recall the variety. Kinda frustrating since she (the vendor) often does not specify variety on her veggie pots, but she has good stuff and is a master gardener. I enjoy talking shop with her!

Ray_Der_Phan - what a great looking cauliflower!

I like cauliflower smothered in cheese sauce.

John,
Soon as you blink, or forget to look for a few days, that little head will show up!

It's sorta like "a watched pot never boils..."

I'm in zone 9 near Savannah, GA. Is it too late to direct sow cauliflower seeds?

I think so. I usually start them in a cold frame on February first,. You can probably move that time frame up to January. or when ever your nighttime temps stay in the mid to upper 20's. Transplant them at 6-8 weeks.

So if I transplant them by March 1st, when would they be ready to harvest? It get SO hot here by mid to late May.

Depends on the variety. I have to grow early varieties for harvest in early June. I have had good luck with Rushmore, Montana, Candid Charm, White cloud, Majestic. Any variety with greater than a 60 day DTM is iffy here. Grafitti pictured earlier is 68 days, some years it heads nicely others it does not. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60988/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60989/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60990/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60984/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/65643/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60987/

I'm trying 3 different kinds of purple cauliflower this year(Graffiti, Violetta Italia and Purple Cape). Glad to hear they can be inconsistent because I've never had trouble with any cauliflower until this year. All 3 purple varieties are not near as vigorous or healthy as the rest(White Cloud, Candid Charm, Early Snowball, Snow Crown and Cheddar). My earliest cauliflower has always been Early Snowball, good sized too. But this year I tried Cheddar and I was shocked that they are ready 2 full weeks before Snowball. It's definitely a keeper and now a must grow every year for me. I doubt it can match the size of Snowball but we'll see. Here's a pic of a good sized head from last year...

Ray,
That is a beauty! You kept it covered the whole time after it started heading? With what? Its leaves? Something else?

Thanks!

Hi Linda, Snowball is a self-blanching variety. So no need to tie anything. Most of the varieties I grow do a pretty good job of shading the heads. The larger heads can be a little trickier but for the most part it really hasn't been much of a problem. If need be, I will fold a couple of the larger leaves over.

If you are in an area like Georgia with hot direct sun it is necessary to tie the heads. Other wise they get a get a green- purple tinge and become quite strong flavored. I use twine, but some folks use rubber bands.

The seeds I have are Snowball Y and Early Snowball. If I set them out by March 1, will they have time to mature before it gets too hot?

I'd say you're cutting it mighty close for those heads to mature. But, nothing beats a wish but a try. Plant those seeds in a hurry and give them some good heat to get going. Then, put them in the coolest place you have to grow them. They do prefer the cool...

This is too cool not to post. All of my purple cauliflower are finally getting bigger. They've taken the longest for me this this year.

Ray, it's absolutely gorgeous!

Now, I'd appreciate it if all you cauliflowers put your heads together and tell me how to start seeds in our scorching Texas heat, so I can have my own seedlings to plant out in September. Or for any of my brassicas, that thrive on cool/cold.

Or will they readily
Germinate in our heat and then stall until it cools before they take off? Do I need to go and buy a refrigerator to start winter crop seeds in?

Thank you.

Linda

Linda, I begin to start all my cold weather plants in August, September & October. Our hottest time of the year. As young plants they do fine in 75-80 degree weather. By the time they start maturing and forming the temps have dropped considerably(Nov.-Jan.). I know your temps are a lot hotter than mine but we did have a few weeks of 85+ temps in late September this year. It even reached over 100 two days in a row here(which is unheard of). The plants did get droopy and grumpy, even with keeping them well watered and misting them on occasion. But for the most part, didn't hurt them much. I think problems arise when/if they start forming heads in warm temps. Luckily for me, it turned chilly and overcast right after our heatwave.

I've lost only about 10 plants this fall/winter. 3 from disease and the rest from the huge rain and wind storms we had a few weeks back. Didn't lose any from the heat when they were young.

Thanks, Brother Ray! We have 90+ days starting late-June, July, Aug and sometimes even into early/mid-Sept. Depending on how long germination takes, maybe I should push my sowing date to the end of July. I'd really like a September 1st plantout of my cole crops this year!