Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
cauliflower
Photo: Etbe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
With cauliflower, you eat the still closed, dense flower head that grows as a white head among the leaves. It is more demanding than other cabbage varieties because it requires consistent water and nutrients, otherwise the head remains small or bolts prematurely.
Care instructions
Plant pre-grown seedlings from April with a distance of at least one arm's length in nutrient-rich soil and keep the soil consistently moist, as any water stress results in smaller heads. For white varieties, break a few outer leaves over the head so that it remains white and tender, and harvest as soon as the curd is firm and closed; if you wait too long, it will become grainy.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, moist, lime-loving
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
legume family (Fabaceae)
particularly well establishedLeguminous plants collect nitrogen in the soil, from which Brassicaceae benefit as heavy feeders.
For example Bush beanPole beanBroad beanMarker peaSugar peaRed bean and 30 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
carrot family (Apiaceae)
You can pair celery and dill with all Brassicaceae because they repel the cabbage whitefly with their scent, a proven companion.
For example Carrotcelery rootDillParsleyCarrot fennelCoriander and 19 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed-culture Practice
mint family (Lamiaceae)
You will notice that the intense scent of basil, thyme, and others confuses the cabbage whitefly and keeps it away from the cabbage family.
For example LavenderThymeBasilRosemarySageHyssop and 31 more species in the catalogue
Source: bio-gardening intercropping practice
nasturtium family (Tropaeolaceae)
Nasturtium serves as a trap plant for you. Aphids and cabbage whiteflies prefer it over the brassicaceae next to it.
For example Tropaeolum majusMashua
Source: Trap plant practice in organic horticulture
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
Diseases & pests
5 relevantFrom the knowledge base, automatically linked by affected species. How to spot and prevent them is covered in full in the lexicon.
Phyllotreta
Flea beetles are tiny, black or metallic shiny beetles that jump away when touched.
More on Flea beetleDelia radicum
The cabbage fly lays its eggs at the root collar of crucifers, and the white maggots feed on the roots and root collars.
More on Cabbage flyPlasmodiophora brassicae
Clubroot is a soil-borne fungal disease caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae that affects all cruciferous plants.
More on ClubrootPieris brassicae
The Large White is the striking white moth whose yellow and black caterpillars can devour cabbage plants down to the leaf veins in a short time.
More on Large WhiteArion vulgaris
The Spanish slug is the most feared omnivore in the vegetable bed. It feeds at night and in damp weather, eating irregular holes into leaves, and often clears young lettuces or seedlings completely.
More on Spanish slugVarieties
7 varieties‚Clapton’
You especially take *‚Clapton’* when your soil is burdened with cabbage root rot, because it is highly resistant to this fungus.
‚Di Jesi’
This is *‚Di Jesi’*, an old, seed‑stable landrace from the Italian region around Jesi.
‚Erfurter Zwerg’
You have *‚Erfurter Zwerg’*, an old, seed‑firm classic from the Erfurt gardening tradition that stays compact and low.
‚Goodman’
You can rely on *‚Goodman’* as an F1 hybrid for the summer harvest.
‚Neckarperle’
A proven, open pollinated variety for the home garden that forms firm, snow white curds.
‚Vroon’
An early F1 hybrid for the first summer harvest, which you start indoors from February and set out into the bed under fleece from April.
‚Walcheren Winter 3’
A hardy, open pollinated overwintering variety from the Dutch Walcheren group, which you sow in early summer and plant into the winter bed.
Notes from real gardens
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From the magazine
Kohlrabi, the fast crop: sow in batches, harvest tender
Kohlrabi is ready to harvest in eight to ten weeks. Sow in batches from CW 12 to 30, plant shallow and water evenly, and you will pick tender bulbs all summer long.
Cauliflower and broccoli: firm heads and weeks of side shoots
Why the heads stay small, why you fold the leaves over the cauliflower, and how broccoli keeps delivering side shoots for weeks after the main head.
June: The First Big Harvest and the Beds in Full Swing
June brings the first big harvest: strawberries, peas and kohlrabi fill the basket. At the same time, sowing for autumn carries on, and the first pests need keeping in check. Your plan for early summer.