How do you get good caulifowers?

[Digeroo]

I am hopeless at caulis and seems I am not the only one.  Would appreciated some good advice on how to grow nice big ones.

Got a few nice Romanesco and a couple of decent purple but my largest white one was miniscule.

[Digeroo]

[saddad]

I was going to say grow the purple winter ones!!  :-[

[1066]

is that another excuse to get more seeds......  ;)

But I'd appreciate info on cauli growing tips aswell !

[landimad]

Leave the ground a few months to consolidate it.
choose a sunny site, and avoid frost pockets.
plenty of manure and lime in winter, followed by a good sprinkling of growmore in spring.
sow as you would normally, then when ready to move dip in calomel dust paste if club root a problem.
leave about 2 foot between each one, then hoe on a regular basis.
feed regularly and water often.
with this in mind you should in theory have good plants, but as I have already posted earlier mine came to nothing.
I will try again next year to see whether if this works or no.

[Borlotti]

Morrisons.  ;D ;D ;D

[tim]

Lime? Only if you need it.

1. I'm afraid that I now buy in plants & have 100% success.

2. Mistake - plant too many. How many do you eat per what?

[shirlton]

I had never grown a cauli until last year. I got the seed from marshalls and it is called SERAC. I plant  about 10 seeds in the spring and then again in early summer.They have been lovely.

[cornykev]

Pass.   :'( :'( :'(

[grawrc]

I got my best results from spring cauliflower (first time I've done caulis is this year) which I sowed indoors in October 2008 and then planted out.  Unfortunately I still haven't started any off this year so may have to have a go at the trickier varieties.

[davyw1]

There is plenty of good advice if you search " How to grow cauliflowers "
MY WAY
The best place to plant them is where you have grown your peas or beans the season before if you have dug the finished plants in.
If your brascica follow your potatoes and you manured them in then there is no need to dig in more manure. If not then turn over the part you where you want to grow them digging in plenty of organic compost or manure, do this months before as apposed to weeks before planting to allow the soil to consolidate, then lime ( if need be ) about 6 weeks later at the earliest. They prefer a neutral or slightly alkaline soil. PH
The soil should have been dug deep as the prefere a loamy well drained soil.
I set my seed away in small trays only half a dozen at a time three weeks apart so i don't get one crop all at once. They then get transplanted into pot ( plastic cups) to grow on. After hardening them off and they are ready to plant they go where i have already marked out with a plank which every time i walk near  i walk along the plank to compress the soil. the plank is then moved to where my next lot is going to go.

I plant them about 18" appart 2ft between rows. When the plants are in i then place a ring of either growmore or fish blood and bone around the stem making sure none of the fertilizer is touching the stem. I also put a little calcified plus around as well ( high nitrogen ).
From then on they get a little drink every day just enough to keep the roots moist the encourage rapid growth and mainly to ensure they don't get checked in their growth any stress will reduce the size of the curd.
As soon as the curd appears i tie the leaves together with string to protect the curd.
I often give them a high nitrogen feed when the plant looks at it best but before the curd appears.

My main to types are Cornel and Candid Charm.

Hope this helps you to get good cauli,s.

[saddad]

Morrisons.  ;D ;D ;D

Or trade them with more successful plot neighbours...  :)

[gridgardener]

try the variety white sails it is very forgiving and grows massive heads

[kt.]

This was my first years success with caulis.  Grew Candid Charm F1.  Sow in succession  late mar-jul for harvest end of jun-nov.  Deakin were a disaster and won't be trying again.  My Snow March F1 caulis are doing well so far and look like they will produce the goods in spring.

[Digeroo]

Actually a few cauliflowers are the only veg I have bought for months so I am will you Borlotti.  But I will definitely try again to grow them myself. 

I'm with Tim, there is plenty of lime around here.

I have some overwintering ones and shall also give it a go in the spring.  Read that I should start the first seeds off in January. 

Thought I had finally done it - had a huge plant and it got bigger and bigger but it turned out to be a Romanesco. 

[Jeannine]

Another useless cauli grower here..till I tried Shasta..no problem ever since and they grew huge and white . I have grown several types together and only the Shasta were any good so type must have something to do with it.

XX Jeannine

[1066]

1. I'm afraid that I now buy in plants & have 100% success.

I was given some plug plants a friend bought, and guess what I got next to naff all  ::). Memo to self must try harder next year.

And thanks Davy for your way of planting out - I've got a better idea of what to do next year with my seedlings, walking on planks to firm up the ground, and using string to tie them in (i tried folding the leaves over and that certainly didn't work!)

[PurpleHeather]

In 2008 I planted All year round ones and gave loads of seedlings away and every one including me had a good crop.

Not all were great, some were undersized but you can always add a couple of them together and a few single neighbours were delighted with 'just enough for one meal' from my bounty.

I ran out of those I had frozen in what should have been exactly the right time to harvest this years.

I think I got two minging little caulis this year from the same variety.

So in answer to the question

I dunno.

[Deb P]

Another useless cauli grower here..till I tried Shasta..no problem ever since and they grew huge and white . I have grown several types together and only the Shasta were any good so type must have something to do with it.

XX Jeannine

Another vote for Shasta here...Jeannine kindly gave me a pinch of seed to try when still in England, I've since sent off to Canada for some more as they are the only seeds I've had fab results from! ;D

[lancelotment]

Tried All The Year Round on several sowings this year and had remarkably consistent results, none of which were edible!  Lance

[1066]

Tried All The Year Round on several sowings this year and had remarkably consistent results, none of which were edible!  Lance

Oh b*******r ! Having just taken delivery of my Kings seed order I have a packet of All Year Round! Oh well, I'll give them a try and if not put the rest in a swap and hope someone else has better luck ;)