Guru4gardens

Cauliflowers are a popular vegetable but for children a nightmare. Well meaning parents try to encourage children to eat it but it is not high on children’s want to eat vegetable list! The unusual taste is definitely difficult to become accustomed to at young age. It is also a vegetable that is considered by wannabe gardeners as too hard to grow. The cauli has a difficult media persona!

Certainly, the cauliflowers need a certain amount of attention to grow them well. The cauliflower belongs to the Brassica family, as do broccoli, and cabbages. The plant produces a single head made up of meristems that if left to grow turn in to flowers. The soil needs to be well prepared, digging well and incorporating fertilizer of your choice. Many gardeners have favorites but more and more use organic manures and fertilizers. The amount of manure and are dependent on how much use the garden bed has had in the past. The type of soil can govern the amount and type of fertilizers as soil varies from a light type to heavy clay. Leafy crops like the Brassica family appreciate soil high in nitrogen planting with additional nitrogen during the growing season.

Cauliflower seeds can be sown in seed trays or pots and transplanted when the plants are big enough. They are generally big enough a month to 6 weeks after planting the seeds. Always read the instructions on the seed packet to ensure a good result. Cauliflower seeds can be sown directly in the soil provided slug bait has been scattered. Alternatives to slug bait that may be worth trying and crushed eggshells that have been baked in the oven for a couple of hours. Sand is worth trying as well to cut down attacks on the plants. Keeping weeds away from the plants also reduces the encouragement of slugs.

The companion plants for the Brassica family as well as carrots are Sage or Thyme. The strong smell of the herbs keeps the insects away. Whether or not the companion plants are effective is questionable, but there is this no harm in trying and making your own assessment if you see insects like greenfly or caterpillars, pick them off the plants and squash between fingers, or if you have chickens give them a treat. Planting the small plants at approximate distance of 60 cm keep the plants weeded and watered well there is growing over the summer months. Side dress with either general-purpose fertilizer or one containing higher nitrogen, midway during the growing season.

Harvesting the cauliflowers is dependent on your requirements. As they start to form the heads, break the stems of the leaves closest to the head to shade them as the direct sun can cause the cauliflowers to go yellow, some gardeners even tie the top leaves together. Cut the cauliflowers while they are firm and white. Cauliflowers keep well in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. If you are freezing them

Cauliflower

they are cut into 1” floweret’s blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes. I spread them on trays for freezing and as soon as the pieces are frozen pack into bags that have had the air removed. Do not leave any longer as freezer burn and drying the cauli is very likely.