Kitchen Gardeners International: With cauliflower, patience has its rewards
By Barbara Damrosch
Cauliflower is quirky. Among the brassicas it is the trickiest to grow, which is why you see it less often in gardens than you do its cousins cabbage, broccoli and kale. But it has the mildest, most delicate flavor, a pleasant texture and, besides that, unusual beauty. A cauliflower head, whether it is basic white or a trendy gold, purple or lime green, is like a jewel set in a corona of great green leaves. Watching a head grow is like watching a flower slowly open and bloom.
Cauliflower is, in fact, a giant flower cluster, more or less. A cauliflower's curd, or head, is essentially a large mass of dense, multi-branched, immature floral material whose development stops before it forms buds. An uncut cauliflower head may eventually bloom if it does not rot first, and leaves may sprout within the curd in very hot weather, but your goal is to grow a head with a tight, smooth, hard surface.
Sensitivity to climate is what makes cauliflower such a princess in the garden. Spring seedlings, which should be started indoors, are a bit less frost-hardy than those of other brassicas. They should be sturdy and unstressed but no more than four weeks old when they are transplanted into the garden. For Washington area gardeners, that usually means early April, so start the seeds at the end of February or early March. The transplants can go in the garden before the danger of light frost has passed but must be protected with floating row covers if a hard freeze threatens.
Plant spring crops 18 inches apart in a fertile soil with a neutral pH, with plenty of organic matter for good moisture retention. Once established, the plants themselves will happily endure both cool and hot weather, but proper head formation can be thwarted by extremes of either. Sometimes you just have to let cauliflower wait out a hot spell. When it eases off, heads may appear.
The crucial thing with cauliflower is never to let growth be checked. Keep moisture even, and top-dress with a liquid seaweed or manure-based fertilizer if the plants grow too slowly. In a climate like Washington's, where the window between last frost and first heat wave is short, an early-maturing variety such as Fremont is the best choice. You can also set out transplants in mid-to-late July for a fall crop. Set these two feet apart for good air circulation, to help forestall disease, and keep them well watered.
The pristine whiteness of a cauliflower head can be as elusive as Ahab's whale. Hot sun will cause it to yellow and you may have to fold or tie a few big inner leaves over the curd to shield it, even with the lush-leaved "self-blanching" varieties. Let a head sit too long on the plant and the smooth curd will start to open up. Dark, fungal smudges may appear as deterioration sets in.
Think of cauliflower as a gorgeous white linen suit, easy to sully and an effort to maintain. But what would a summer be without it?
Article copyright of Barbara Damrosch
Creative Commons photo credit: Indigo Goat
Posted by KGI on February 10, 2009 1:17 PM to Kitchen Gardeners International
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