Cauliflower.

Conditions at a glance

• Light Full sun — 6+ h
• Warmth Cool-season · dislikes both heat and hard frost
• Humidity Moderate; even soil moisture matters more
• Water Steady and generous — never let it dry out
• Pot size ≥ 20 L per plant, and only for mini varieties
• First harvest ≈ 3–5 months from sowing, depending on the type

Grow it in your space

1. Sow in spring for a summer/autumn head, or in July for an autumn one — start indoors in cool areas.
2. Give each plant room: about 45–60 cm apart. Mini varieties can go at 15 cm.
3. Plant into firm soil and disturb the roots as little as possible — a check now shows up as a poor head later.
4. Water steadily. This is the whole game: a dry spell during head formation cannot be undone.
5. For white varieties, once you can see the curd, fold or tie the outer leaves over it to keep it pale. Orange, purple and Romanesco types want the sun — leave them uncovered.

How to tell it's ready

• Tightness, not size — cut as soon as the head is big enough for you while it is still firm and compact. A small tight head beats a large loose one — that is the whole judgement.
• Curds beginning to separate — when the surface starts opening into visible segments it is past its best and turns bitter. Harvest immediately, whatever the size.
• White types starting to yellow — colour creeping in means it has gone too far or caught too much sun. Cut it now and blanch earlier next time.
• Cut with a knife, leaves attached — take the head with a few of the leaves beneath it — they protect the curd on the way to the kitchen.
• A tiny head on a small plant is 'buttoning' — not your timing — a stressed plant heading early. It will not grow on, so pick it and treat the cause (root disturbance, dryness, or a cold or hot snap).

Watch-outs

• Buttoning — a marble-sized head on an undersized plant — caused by a check to growth: root disturbance, irregular watering, or a sudden cold or hot spell.
• Bolting — running to flower instead of forming a curd — same root cause as buttoning, a stressed or checked plant.
• Discoloured curd — sun yellows a white head and frost browns it; fold the outer leaves over to shade and shelter it.
• Cabbage caterpillars — holes in the leaves and green droppings — net the plants early, that is far easier than picking caterpillars off.
• Club root — stunted, wilting plants with swollen, distorted roots — a soil-borne disease; don't replant brassicas in the same spot.