Cauliflower can be grown from seed at home or you can buy it in punnets from your local garden shop. When growing from seeds you can begin sowing mid summer through to autumn.Cauliflower is a cool season vegetable that is high in Vitamins and Iron and should find a place in every garden. Friends of mine who do not have a dedicated veggie patch still grow cauliflower and broccoli right along side their flowers.
How to grow cauliflower – planting
Start preparing your planting area by loosening the soil to a spades depth and removing any rocks and stones. Dig in lots of compost and manure to the bed. Space your seedlings about 50cm apart as the leaves need space to spread as they grow. Keep them well watered and do not allow sudden changes like a period without water as this will cause the cauli’s heads to form incorrectly.
Long term care
After about 4 weeks you will need to feed your plants with a nitrogen feed or some worm tea. When the heads are about 10cm in diamater, fold the leaves over the crown so that it does not get sunburnt and to keep it nice and white.
Harvesting Cauliflower
Depending on your cultivar, anytime from 15 – 20 weeks, your cauliflowers will be ready to harvest. Use a sharp knife to cut the whole head off the plant. The stem and leaves can go onto your compost heap.
Quick Notes
When to plant: Sow seed late Summer to Autumn. Plant out seedlings as the weather cools after summer.
How many plants: 6 plants.
How long to harvest: 15 – 20 weeks
Successive planting: Every 4 – 6 weeks
EASY CAULIFLOWER RECIPE
While the traditional way is to steam cauliflower and eat it with a cheese sauce, we love it raw with a dressing. Raw food is always better than cooked food for nutrients and you freshly picked cauliflower is packed with these.Wash your cauliflower and break it into bite sized florets. Mix together 1 cup of mayonaise, 1 cup of plain yoghurt with a teaspoon of curry, cumin and coriander powder. Add one crushed clove of garlic and mix together. Pour over cauliflower and serve with a BBQ. If you want you can steam the cauliflower very lightly to retain most of the nutrients.