The name of this crop derives from the Latin words “caulis,” for cabbage, and for Floris, for fruit. It’s a Wild Cabbage descendent! Cauliflower appears in many colors, including purple, yellow, and orange, while typically white.
Cauliflower may be a struggle for the inexperienced gardeners because it demands regular cold temperatures at 60 ° Fs. Otherwise, rather than creating a single, full head, it can prematurely shape “buttons ” a small, button-sized head.
Cauliflower
Annual
Full Sun – Light shade
Ready for harvest 60 to 90 days after planting
Cauliflower is mature when heads appear as clear white, compact, and 6–8 in (15–20 cm) in diameter
Loose, well-drained and very fertile
Does Not Apply To Annuals
The success of the cauliflower plant reaches no more critical aspect than the consistency of the seed, and sometimes the distinction between victory and defeat, benefit, and loss is attributed to the seed alone. The best seed that can be purchased is the cheapest at any fair price, and should always be acquired from a well-known and valued seedsman.
Development on the ground can begin at least one month before the plants are laid out. The cauliflower is a firmly rooted plant, and so the soil should be deeply prepared. It is not advised to turn under the healthy surface soil, and to prevent this soil may be plowed shallow and then disturbed and opened to a depth of seven to eight inches with a bull-tongue. After this, the soil will be expanded to a depth of two to three inches. Give detailed planning until the fertilizer is added, through regular planting, ready to position the plants.
Water daily with 2 inches of water each week; this normally requires additional watering, even with average rainfall.
Since cauliflower takes too long to mature, it may need some supplementary feeding. Fed organic fertilizer such as kelp and fish emulsion every 2 to 4 weeks.
White cauliflower needs blanching if you want it to remain white. If you cause it to transform its normal yellowish-brown, the taste is not considerably changed. Still, if blanched, it appears to stay a little sweeter and even more appealing. Start blanching the heads when the size of a big egg is on. Start the cycle when the plants are fully dry, so as not to rot. The usual way to blanch is by folding some of the bigger leaves over the head and tucking them on the other side or sealing them. With a block, you can pin them down, or lock them in place. Don’t blend too carefully with the leaves; you want to cover the sun but leave space for growing the head.
Cauliflower is, sadly, vulnerable to all the common cole crop pests, and there are others such as cabbage maggots, cabbage loopers, and cabbage worms. Young transplants, mainly if grown in the spring, are also attractive for aphids and flea beetles.
Groundhogs are very fond of cole crops. The most significant deterrent is through fencing or caging.
The cole crops, here again, are vulnerable to problems, with blackleg, black rot, and clubroot topping the list. It is essential not to plant cole crops at the same location, year after year, and to clean up all waste at the end of the season to avoid overwintering diseases in the soil.
Before it is ripe, cauliflower may be harvested, but the taste is not as well formed as it is when the heads are fully grown. Throughout the season, the crop can be picked over at least every two to three days, but if the weather is cool, the heads will stay in good shape for about a week. Examine the head with the leaves divided on the side. This can be considered to be fully mature as long as the head is well rounded in the middle and formed to push the leaves outward, and assumes a grained appearance.
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