Cauliflower: How to Grow Large, Snow-White Inflorescences

Cauliflower is delicious and incredibly healthy. It boasts the highest nutritional value among all cabbage varieties. Furthermore, as an early-maturing crop, it can be harvested twice a year. Want to grow cauliflower with minimal effort and still get large florets with maximum nutritional content? Then learn about growing and caring for cauliflower outdoors.

Selecting seeds

The main problem with choosing seeds is choosing the "right" variety. Varieties can be early, mid-season, or late. The main difference is in the ripening time. For example, early cabbage varieties require up to four months of growing time to harvest, mid-season varieties up to five months, and late varieties about six months. Therefore, when choosing, you need to consider the climate of your region. For example, in some regions, late varieties simply don't have time to ripen.

It is also important to note that while early varieties can be sown directly into open ground, it is advisable to grow mid-season and late varieties through seedlings.

Pre-sowing preparation

Before sowing, the seeds need to be prepared. Select large seeds and place them in a thermos filled with hot water (up to 55 degrees Celsius) for 2 hours. Afterward, remove the seeds from the water and let them dry.

To plant the seeds, you need to prepare a container and special soil. A large, spacious box or small individual cups (including peat ones) will work well. You can purchase the soil from a store or make your own by mixing peat moss, sand, humus, and sawdust.

To be on the safe side, you can bake the mixture in the oven for about 5 minutes at up to 80 degrees Celsius. This will remove any pathogens.

Growing seedlings

Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out in mid-March.

1. Fill the box with soil (after making drainage at the bottom) or cups.
2. Sow the seeds, burying them about half a centimeter deep.
3. Lightly sprinkle the seeds with soil and sand.
4. Water lightly.
5. Leave in a warm, sunny place.

After about 5 days, sprouts should appear, after which the containers with seedlings will need to be moved to a cooler place.

If the seedlings are kept in the same container, they should be transplanted into individual pots approximately 10 days after germination. On the 20th day after germination, it is advisable to feed the seedlings with a nutrient solution of water, potassium fertilizer, and superphosphate in the proportions of 10 liters: 10 grams: 20 grams, respectively.

Water as the soil dries.

Site selection and preparation

Site requirements:

• It is better to allocate a sunny area for cauliflower, protected from strong gusts of wind;
• the soil should preferably be loamy and rich in humus;
• in terms of acidity, slightly acidic soil or soil with a neutral pH level is recommended;
• The best predecessors are potatoes and legumes.

In the fall, dig up the area, removing weeds and adding fertilizer (70 kg of manure per 10 sq. m). Do not level the area.

In the spring, about a week before planting, add humus (1 bucket) and nitrophoska (1 tbsp) per 1 sq. m.

Planting seedlings and sowing seeds

Early varieties can be sown outdoors from mid-April. In northern latitudes, seedlings should be covered with plastic film.

The seedlings should be transplanted approximately 1.5 months after sowing. At this point, the sprouts should have 4-5 leaves and a developed root system.

To transplant them you need:

• prepare the holes, ensuring that the distance between them is at least 25 cm;
• fertilize each hole with humus and water with settled water;
• after the moisture has been absorbed, place the sprouts in the holes, removing them from the cups together with the lump of earth and deepening them to the first leaf;
• dig in and water;
• mulch;
• shade for a couple of days.

Care

• Watering. Cauliflower needs to be watered about once a week. It's important to avoid overwatering, otherwise the plant will begin to overextend its roots instead of developing florets.
• Mulching. Cauliflower roots are close to the surface, so after watering, it's a good idea to mulch the soil with peat or humus. This will help protect the roots from overheating and freezing.
• Whitening. To keep the cauliflower florets white, you can cover them with regular leaves and secure them with a clothespin.
• Top dressing. Ten days after planting, and then every two weeks, the cabbage should be fed with an infusion of mullein or bird droppings.

Getting a decent cauliflower harvest isn't all that difficult. Follow our tips, and you're sure to harvest several large, snow-white florets this fall.