Cauliflower is another family favorite here at Our Little Chateau. The photo above is of one of our cauliflower plant when it started to grow a cauliflower head. Growing cauliflower is fairly easy and also fun to watch grow.

Sun – Cauliflower plants need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.

Soil – Soil that in heigh in compost and well draining is prefect for cauliflower. They like to be moist but don’t like sitting in wet soil. Well draining soil insure they will stay moist but will never be sitting in pools of wet soil.

Spacing – Cauliflower plants need their space with plants needing to be 18-24 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart.

Water – They need to be watered every 6-10 days and more if it is extremely hot outside.

Food/Fertilizer – Cauliflower needs a low nitrogen fertilizer one a month. If you have raised garden beds and are having to water more often because of heat you may need to fertilizer your cauliflower more often. You will know if you need to fertilize more if your cauliflower is starting to get leggy or loses leaves.

Annual or Perennial – It is an annual plant.

Climate/Hardiness – Cauliflower is hardy and can withstand temperatures as low as 26°F/-3.33°C. I have grown cauliflower in cold climates such as Canada and Ireland and although they are cold hardy they don’t really grow well f left out in those temperatures for days. You will want to cover your cauliflower with a dome or a hot box when it gets chilly so that they will continue grow probably.

Harvest – You can harvest cauliflower 80 days after planting. Weather conditions, water conditions, soil conditions, and fertilizer conditions can make that take longer or shorter. For colder conditions you can expect it to take longer and for warmer conditions it could be short.

Transplant – After you plant the seedlings in the the spot you want them to row in it is best to not transplant the cauliflower after that. If you do you can risk losing the plants altogether.