Cauliflower

CAULIFLOWER

Harvesting a crisp, white, home-grown cauliflower and taking it to the kitchen is one of those deeply satisfying food-growing experiences. Even in a small garden space, such as a patio or balcony, you can enjoy this pleasure, growing a few cauliflowers in pots.

Caulis like cool, mild conditions, and April is an ideal time to plant. If you’re in a warm area, be sure to make your move now to allow your plants time to form curds (flower heads) before the warm weather returns.

You need containers 30cm wide by 30cm deep, or bigger. Most varieties are reasonably large plants and like a bit of room to move, so it’s best to grow just one plant per pot. There’s always an exception, though. With a compact variety, such as Mini, you could comfortably fit three plants in a 40cm pot.

Place your pot in a sunny position where it’s protected from strong winds. Fill with a top-quality potting mix that’s been blended with extra compost and coir peat (4:2:1) to hold moisture, and sprinkle half a handful of pelletised chicken manure over the surface.

Cauliflower seeds germinate readily, and you can get 3–4 years out of a fresh packet, so this is an economical choice if you are planning to plant successive crops. If you only want to grow a few plants this year, pick up a punnet of seedlings and share what you don’t use with a gardening friend.

Water your caulis regularly – don’t allow the plants to dry out – and feed once a week with liquid fertiliser right through to harvest. These are hungry plants. Check the leaves often for grubs, and pick them off.

Keep a lookout for the little white curds as they appear. Exposure to sunlight can discolour them, so bend over a couple of the surrounding leaves to provide shade when the head is about the size of a tennis ball.

Depending on the variety, caulis are ready in 12–18 weeks. Cut the cauli when the head is full, but before the florets begin to separate.