Cauliflowers

General tips / questions on seeding & planting

Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter

Bloaterfish
KG Regular
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 12:10 am

Hello all,
my cauliflowers this year were quite the disaster. Though the curds formed they were very thin and spread out looking more like a splat than a ball. Anyone know what I did wrong?
User avatar
oldherbaceous
KG Regular
Posts: 14077
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:52 pm
Location: Beautiful Bedfordshire
Has thanked: 449 times
Been thanked: 480 times

The biggest problem with cauliflowers, is they hate being checked at any stage of their life.
Once they start growing, you really have to spoil them, you need a very well fed soil, and plenty of moisture.
It's far better to grow a few really well than a lot poorly.
I reckon it would be very hard to over feed cauli's.
Hope you have beeter luck next year. :wink:
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
User avatar
Tigger
KG Regular
Posts: 3212
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:00 pm
Location: Shropshire

You're in good company - James Martin had the same problem.

Come to think of it..........so did I.

We'll do better next year courtesy of OH. :D
User avatar
Wellie
KG Regular
Posts: 441
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 8:31 pm
Location: The Forest of Dean

Elderly Next Door professes that he's NEVER been successful at growing Cauli's 'on his land'......
and I watch him religiously dig over his soil every Autumn.
The little that I do know suggests to me that you need a very firm soil for Brassicas, and 'armed' with this information, I grew two very respectable grown-up sized caulis year before last, and six SUPERB little-girl sized caulis this year, which are shivvering in the freezer as I type, awaiting a dinner party occasion when I'm feeling particularly low and need to show off (must get out more....)

My only 'point' here really is, besides being greedy feeders and thirsty crops, they need a firm anchorage too.
What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. The good they do is inconceivable....
User avatar
John
KG Regular
Posts: 1608
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2005 10:52 am
Location: West Glos

Hello Bloaterfish
I agree with what the others have said. Another point to watch is timing. On most seed packet the times of sowing and so on are just given as a general guide but with caulis its all much more critical. Choose your variety carefully and follow the time guide closely.

John
The Gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men’s lives, the hours spent fishing Assyrian tablet
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning Werner Heisenberg
I am a man and the world is my urinal
User avatar
Tigger
KG Regular
Posts: 3212
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:00 pm
Location: Shropshire

That could be another reason for my failures. Never was any good at doing as I was told.......
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic