How to Plant and Grow Cauliflower Successfully in Your Garden

Get all the basics on how to grow cauliflower, including planting, sunlight, watering, and more.

Cauliflower is a cool-weather annual grown for the harvest of its large, tight heads of white flower buds or curds. Thanks to newer varieties available in purple, chartreuse, and orange, cauliflower can be an eye-catching addition to the table and the garden. At harvest time, you get only one head of cauliflower from one plant, but that’s all you’ll need of this versatile vegetable to make delicious cauliflower recipes such as cauliflower rice and air fryer cauliflower.

Some gardeners find cauliflower challenging to grow because it requires a lot of maintenance. Cauliflower requires cool temperatures for growing, consistent watering, and ongoing attention due to its susceptibility to pests. However, if you follow cauliflower’s preferences explained in this guide, you won’t have many problems growing this delicious vegetable.

Where to Plant Cauliflower

Plant cauliflower where it will be able to grow in rich, well-drained garden soil and receive at least six to eight hours of sun daily. Cauliflower grows best in soil enriched with compost.

How and When to Plant Cauliflower

It’s best to grow cauliflower for a late spring harvest and then replant it in late summer for a fall harvest.

For spring planting, sow seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last spring frost date or buy transplants from a local garden center. Whether you go with seedlings or transplants, plant them in the garden about one to two weeks before your area’s last frost date in spring. Don’t sow seeds directly outdoors in spring because cauliflower is sensitive to frost.

For fall harvest, sow seeds indoors around July 1 and plant the seedlings outdoors in mid-August or about 90 days before your area’s first fall frost date.

Plant cauliflower seedlings about 18 inches apart in rows 2–3 feet apart.

Cauliflower Care Tips

Growing cauliflower requires planning because it has little tolerance for heat, drought, and cold, and it is a fairly demanding crop when it comes to light and water.

Light

Cauliflower grows best in full sun. Choose a location in your garden where it will get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.

Soil and Water

Cauliflower thrives in organically rich, consistently moist, well-drained soil. Add a 2-inch layer of compost in the growing location before planting cauliflower to create a foundation for vigorous plants.

Water around cauliflower plants with 1 to 2 inches of water per week to keep the soil consistently moist. Avoid splashing water onto the leaves as much as possible to prevent diseases.

 Apply mulch around the plants to protect the shallow roots, reduce weeds, and retain soil moisture.

Temperature and Humidity

Grow cauliflower in the cool temperatures of fall and spring. It thrives in moist soil and consistently cool weather that doesn’t rise above 70°F or dip below freezing. Cauliflower grows best in moderate humidity of 40 to 60 percent.

Fertilizer

Fertilize cauliflower plants at planting time with a complete vegetable garden fertilizer, such as 5-5-5. Fertilize again one month later with a high-nitrogen fertilizer such as 15-5-5.

Potting and Repotting Cauliflower

Cauliflower’s compact shape and shallow roots allow it to grow in a pot. Grow each seedling in a 12-inch-wide and deep container with a large drainage hole. Since cauliflower is an annual, it won’t need repotting. Water the plant regularly to keep the soil consistently moist.

Pests and Problems 

Rotate your cauliflower crops to reduce soil-borne disease. Don’t plant cauliflower in the same location more than once every three years.

When you see holes in the leaves of your cauliflower plant, they are most likely caused by cabbage worms and cabbage loopers. These pests often hide in harvested heads. Also, be on the lookout for aphids, cutworms, woodchucks, and rabbits, which attack seedlings.

To control pests, prevent them from reaching your plants by placing row covers over them in late spring and early summer.

Harvesting Tips for Cauliflower

To harvest cauliflower, use a sharp knife to cut each head below its inner leaves. You’ll know the heads are ready for harvest when they are firm, tight, and about 6–8 inches in diameter. 

You can spread out the harvest by cutting some young cauliflower heads. It’s best not to leave cauliflower in the garden too long before harvesting it because the florets can quickly separate and lose their flavor.

Types of Cauliflower

Cauliflower varieties with white curds is most common, but you can also find varieties with yellow, orange, chartreuse, or purple curds.

‘Snow Crown Hybrid’

‘Snow Crown Hybrid’ is one of the easiest cauliflower plants to grow. Plant this beautiful, large, white variety, which is heat—and cold-tolerant and matures in just 60 days. It is vigorous and produces large, snow-white heads that are 7-8 inches across.

‘Graffiti’

Add color to your dinner table with ‘Graffiti’, a bright purple variety that is stunning when served raw with a dip. Its medium-to-large head is smoky purple when cooked and matures in 80 days.

‘Cheddar Hybrid’

Surprise your family and guests with ‘Cheddar Hybrid’. This variety produces medium-sized yellow/orange heads that hold their color even after cooking. It matures in 68 days.

Related: 10 Best Cauliflower Companion Plants to Grow Together

Garden Plan for Cauliflower

Cauliflower can be planted in a mixed bed of veggies to maximize your harvest. Use this raised bed garden plan to get you started:

3-Season Raised Bed Plan

This three-season plan for a raised bed makes planning a vegetable garden and successfully harvesting your own produce easy. It includes cauliflower in spring and again in fall.

Start in early spring with this plan to grow your produce, although you can leave part of the garden unplanted so it’s ready for warm-weather vegetables later. Sow seeds for many early spring vegetables directly into the soil, but start with transplants for cauliflower and other spring vegetables for an even earlier harvest. Plant warm-weather vegetables in late spring or early summer and follow up in late summer with cool-weather vegetables, including a second cauliflower crop.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much cauliflower can I give my dog?

According to the ASPCA, sharing cauliflower with your dog is safe when it’s cut into small pieces and given sparingly in small portions. Dogs should only eat unseasoned cauliflower. Remove the core of the cauliflower before you cut it into small pieces for your pet.  

Why do you have to blanch developing cauliflower heads?

Blanching cauliflower results in bright white curds and a mild flavor. To blanch cauliflower, wrap the long outer leaves over its head and hold them together with twine, clothespins, or rubber bands until you are ready to harvest.

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