Regarded by many old hands as the test of a real gardener. Certainly not the easiest of vegetables to produce at its best, but good planning, regular care and a few doses of common sense can work wonders. It is possible to have cauliflower on the table pretty much all year round. We have a range of summer and autumn harvesting cauliflower, such as Atalaya, Igloo - which can be used for mini veg, and Romanesco types, as well as autumn & winter harvesting varieties too, such as Aalsmeer!
Sowing cauliflower seeds in trays or modules under glass at 13°C, or late sowings can be made into a seed bed in shallow drills 2cm deep. Outdoor sowings should be thinned to 7-10cm apart, then once the cauliflower plants reach 15cm tall, they can be lifted and transplanted into their final positions. Water well and regularly, particularly in high summer. Dig and prepare the soil for the bed the previous year and tread afterwards to make the ground really firm, otherwise the wind will rock and loosen the plants. Choose a sunny position protected from the worst of the wind. Protecting cauliflower plants shouldn't be too much of an issue if you use Cabbage Collars!
