I am so excited to announce my first ever 3 Cauliflowers grown from seed. I spotted them this morning, as the netting came off the Brassica cage a few days ago in the high winds. I’ve kept the netting off so I can check for slugs with the wet weather. They have made my January!

In August, last year I sowed variety Cauliflower – Bola de Nieve. This is the first time I have grown Cauliflowers in late summer for an Autumn/Winter harvest.

The reason I sowed Autumn Cauliflowers and not Spring Cauliflowers

We have a lot of Cabbage White butterflies and growing Cauliflower in spring for a summer harvest is not an option, well only if you want to have a fight with trying to keep these pests out of your netting all summer long.

This is not my idea of summer fun so I thought I’d try sowing them late summer instead. There were still cabbage white butterflies around but only for a few months and then when October comes they disappear.

3 Reasons to Grow Cauliflower – Bola de Nieve.

• 1. It is a compact variety, perfect for small vegetable gardens.
• 2. It is a quick autumn growing variety. From a July sowing, Harvest in November or sow in August for a January harvest.
• 3. Look forward to harvesting tight white curds of cauliflower of up to 15cm in diameter.

Growing Cauliflowers with Kale and Spring Cabbages

This is my Brassica Raised Bed. It is 2 meters long by 1 meter wide.

I have 3 autumn cauliflowers on the right hand side spanning over 1 meter.

I have 3 Kale – Black Magic plants (dark green) in the middle of the bed. Kale leaves are harvested as and when I need them for dinner.

Bottom left of the photo is my Chinese Cabbage plant which the slugs and caterpillars took a liking to, so I’ve left it as a plant for the pests to eat and hoped that the pests wouldn’t move to any of my other brassicas. So far they haven’t moved off the Chinese cabbage. As you can see from the holes in the leaves, they are having a big feast!

At the back in a square shape, spanning 1 meter square, I have 4 spring cabbages, which will be ready for spring greens in March and heart up in April.

This just shows you don’t need a big space to grow brassicas!

More Reading

Seeds to Start sowing in July and August for an Autumn and Winter Harvest.