DIY Network

Planting and Nurturing Cauliflower Planting and Nurturing Cauliflower From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-115

Once you have the Brussels sprouts in the ground, you can begin transplanting the cauliflower. Cauliflower is the fussiest of all the "cole" plants -- it loves to be pampered. Cauliflower is more sensitive to the cold than any of its other cabbage-family relatives. Be sure to start cauliflower early enough so that it matures before the heat of the summer but not so early that it is injured by the cold. From there, just follow the simple guidelines below:

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Cauliflower needs deep rich soil and will suffer if there is any delay or break in their growth.

• Cauliflower needs deep rich soil and will suffer if there is any delay or break in their growth. If that happens, you'll just get small unusable heads. Just like the Brussels sprouts, cauliflower is best started from transplants for fall and spring crops. You want to use transplants that are no older than 5 weeks, anything older my stress the plant and cause transplant shock. The night before planting the seedlings, be sure to water them well. This will keep the plants from wilting.

• Using a trowel, you should dig into the soil at least as deep as the seedlings were growing in their containers. You set the seedlings in the raised beds, spacing the plants 24 inches apart. For winter cauliflower you should place seedlings in holes 30 inches apart. Plantings placed too close together will produce small cauliflower heads.
  For hot or dry fall gardens, you can help the crops handle drought conditions by planting a little deeper than you would in the spring.
  

  Cauliflower needs to be watered evenly throughout the growing period. It needs 1 inch of water per week.

• You then use the trowel to hill and pack soil around the seedlings. Be sure to firm the soil well. Plants in loose soil will run to seed quickly. Next, water the plants with a transplant starter fertilizer made up of 4 tablespoons of 5-10-10 fertilizer to 2 gallons of water. Pour about one cup of this solution around the roots of each seedling.

• Cauliflower needs to be watered evenly throughout the growing period. It needs 1 inch of water per week. To water sufficiently make sure the soil is wet to a depth of least 6 inches. Also be sure to water in the morning so that the foliage is dry before nightfall – and try not to water directly over head that can damage the plant.

• With moisture at a premium in late summer, crowded conditions can lead to water stress and slowed growth. If the soil dries out between watering, the cauliflower heads will split open and destroy the plant. If rain is lacking, be sure to soak seedbeds and young plants. Also, to help the plants in the late summer, give them a boost by watering with compost tea or dilute solutions of fish emulsion.

• The biggest threat to cole crops are caterpillars called cabbageworms, There are several types but the most common is the cabbage looper, a little larvae that grows from the eggs laid by white butterflies. These larvae grow into caterpillars that chew holes into the leaves of the Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. If you catch the problem early enough, you can hand pick the loopers off the leaves. The green color of the loopers is perfect camouflage on the leaves, making them hard to see. Another option is to apply an approved insecticide.
  

  These lightweight row covers let light and water in but keep the insects out!

• If you have loopers, you can spray or dust the plants with Bacilulus thuringiensis. Your local garden center can provide you with all the information on approved insecticides. You should spray the insecticide on infested plants every 2 weeks until the heads form on the plants.

• One of the other pests that really love cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are pigeons. You can prevent pigeons from poaching your crop by putting bird netting across and along the bed. Or you can add floating row covers. These lightweight row covers let light and water in but keep the insects out!

• You should use the lightest weight available. Heavier covers and ones made of plastic will trap heat and should only be used when the air is chilly. You should secure the edges to keep insects from sneaking inside. Keep the covers loose so that the vegetables underneath have room to grow.

• To form its large white heads, cauliflower must grow rapidly and get enough water and nutrients. It is a heavy nitrogen feeder. Once the plants have established a strong root system, it's time to add side-dressings of 10-10-10 to nourish the soil. To add nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil, spread one tablespoon of the fertilizer in a circle around each plant. You can also add fish emulsion into the soil around each plant 3 weeks after setting out the seedlings.
  

  Instead of garden fertilizer, you can also use poultry manure.

• Brussels sprouts require as much pampering as cauliflower, but like all cole crops, sprouts love nitrogen. When the plants are about 12 inches tall you should also apply a side-dressing of nitrogen rich fertilizer about once a month. Use the same method for applying the fertilizer as you do with the cauliflower.

• Instead of garden fertilizer, you can also use poultry manure. Because it is very high in nitrogen, poultry manure can overdose your plants and injure or kill them. This injury is called "burning." You can apply composted manure to the top of the soil in the fall because it will break down easily.