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How to grow Cauliflower in the UK

Tricky but rewarding. Needs rich soil and lots of water.

• DifficultyMore care needed
• WhereBeds
• Grows to60cm
• Spacing60cm
• Time to first pickabout 18 weeks

When to sow, plant and harvest cauliflower

Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.

Starting it indoors

1. Fill a small pot or tray with seed compost
2. Push the seeds in (1cm deep) - a couple per pot
3. Water gently, then put them on a bright windowsill
4. Keep the compost damp but not soggy - check it every day
5. When they have 2 proper leaves, give each seedling its own pot

Planting it out

1. Toughen them up ('hardening off'): put them outside in the day for a week, bring them in at night
2. Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
3. Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
4. Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
5. Space the plants about 60cm apart each way

Top tips for growing cauliflower

• Never let them dry out, or the heads will be tiny.

Looking after cauliflower

• Week 10: Fold a few leaves over the white head to keep the sun off it

Soil and feeding

Firm, rich soil that isn't acidic. Add manure or compost the season before, then firm the soil well - tread it down! Loose soil makes floppy plants.

Pests and problems

• Wood pigeons: strip the soft young leaves off peas, beans and cabbage-family plants
• Cabbage white caterpillars: hatch under the leaves and eat them to lace
• Slugs & snails: munch seedlings overnight, worst in wet weather

• Use netting with small holes (butterfly netting) so butterflies can't lay eggs
• Bend canes or plastic pipe into hoops over the row
• Stretch netting over the hoops, pulled tight so birds can't get tangled
• Peg or weigh down the edges so nothing can sneak underneath
• Check it every day

Harvesting and eating cauliflower

Cut when the head is firm and white, before it starts to split.

How to eat them: Cauliflower cheese!

Storing cauliflower

Keeps about 1 week.

• Keep in the fridge

Cut into florets, blanch them (dip in boiling water for 3 minutes, then straight into icy water - ask a grown-up to help), dry and bag.

Good varieties of cauliflower

• All Year Round: Reliable white heads.
• Graffiti: Bright purple cauliflowers!

Companion planting

Grows well with

• Nasturtiums: caterpillars go for nasturtiums instead of your cauliflower
• Sweet alyssum: tiny wasps and hoverflies that eat greenfly

Keep away from

• Strawberries: cabbage-family plants can stunt strawberries

Saving your own cauliflower seed

It only makes seed in its second summer.

1. This plant flowers in its second year, so leave one or two strong plants in the ground over winter
2. Next summer they grow tall and flower - bees love them
3. Cut the seed heads when they're brown and dry, and shake out the seeds
4. Cabbage-family plants cross with each other, so seed may not come true

Things to build for cauliflower

• Hoop tunnel cover:
• Cold frame:

Where to buy cauliflower seeds

Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon

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Cauliflower questions

When should I sow cauliflower in the UK?

In the UK, sow cauliflower indoors from early March to late April. These dates suit central England; sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland and up to two weeks earlier in the mild south and south west.

When do I plant out cauliflower?

Plant cauliflower out from mid May to late June.

When can I pick cauliflower?

Cauliflower is ready from early August to late October. Cut when the head is firm and white, before it starts to split.

How long do cauliflower take to grow?

Roughly 18 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.

Are cauliflower easy to grow?

Cauliflower are rated 'more care needed' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed.