How to Grow Cauliflower
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
Cauliflower is a cool-season brassica prized for its dense, creamy white heads. Gardeners grow it to add nutritional value and visual contrast to their spring or fall harvests.
📷 Wikipedia: CauliflowerStarting Cauliflower: indoors or direct sow?
🏠 Start indoors 8 weeks before your last spring frost, then move the seedlings outside.
Harden off seedlings gradually a week before moving them outdoors after the danger of hard frost has passed.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Start seeds indoors 8 weeks before the last frost date, as this cool-season crop tolerates light frosts but needs early planting. Sow seeds one inch deep; they typically germinate within five to ten days once conditions are right.
Space plants eighteen to twenty-four inches apart in rows two feet wide. Provide consistent moisture, watering regularly to prevent curd discoloration or splitting. Apply a light layer of mulch around the base to retain soil temperature and suppress weeds without smothering the foliage.
Watch for cabbage moths and clubroot disease; practice crop rotation and inspect leaves frequently to remove pests early. Harvest heads fifty to one hundred days after sowing when they are firm and tight. Cut the main stem at soil level immediately before heavy rain or frost to preserve quality.
When to Plant Cauliflower
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | April – May | June – July | August – September |
| Zone 2 | April – May | May – July | July – September |
| Zone 3 | March – April | May – June | July – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | April – June | July – October |
| Zone 5 | February – March | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 6 | February – March | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 7 | February – March | March – May | May – November |
| Zone 8 | January – February | March – April | May – December |
| Zone 9 | January | February – March | April – December |
| Zone 10 | January | January – March | March – December |
| Zone 11 | January | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 12 | January | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 13 | January | January – February | February – December |
