Growing cauliflowers.

McKneff

First time growers and first time allotment holders.


The caulies have lots of greenery around them but they have grown to a small size and then bolted.
Any idea what we have done wrong please.

trollopscarletwoman

McKneff wrote: »

First time growers and first time allotment holders.


The caulies have lots of greenery around them but they have grown to a small size and then bolted.
Any idea what we have done wrong please.

Could be lack of water but more likely the ground is too soft. Im doing this on a tablet so ill write more after

trollopscarletwoman

According to allotment gardener Terry Walton (Radio 4) suitable ground for caulis should be recently undug and to make a planting hole should require a crowbar. That's how hard the ground needs to be.

Some gardeners stamp the ground down where they are to grow brassicas though cauli I find is the most unpredictable of them all.

Caulis are notoriously difficult to grow well and both he, and me, have difficulty with them. So if you get even a basic head you're doing okay.

Farway

I have never had good cauliflowers, try growing calabrese [broccoli] or purple sprouting broccoli instead.

As I heard on Gardener's Question Time [radio 4] sometimes it is wise not to keep banging your head on the wall, and just grow what will grow for you

[Deleted User]

I grow good cauliflowers but I like the overwintered ones. I start them at home and plant them out with cabbage collars, I just planted mine out 3 days ago, just before some rain. I use F1 varieties as they are good and strong and reliable. I put them into the raised bed after broad beans and the soil is humus rich and fairly soft. I just press the soil around them as I do with all my brassicas. Solid ground is an old wives tale. I have been growing good brassicas for 40+ years and as long as I rotate, use net and cabbage collars I am usually successful. I did have a cutworm in one bed last year but fortunately I did have spares. A cutworm looks like a large curled up caterpillar underground and I found him. My caulies last time were enormous with tight white heads. When you see the heads btw, just bend a few leaves over them

Meganjones

McKneff wrote: »

First time growers and first time allotment holders.


The caulies have lots of greenery around them but they have grown to a small size and then bolted.
Any idea what we have done wrong please.

could be a combination of things as the others have said, the ground soil for eg.