Cauliflower is often called broccoli’s finicky cousin. It does not like it when it gets too cold, too warm or too dry. Under such conditions heads do not develop well.

In north Florida this means we want our cauliflower to be planted early enough in the fall to mature before we get a hard freeze, and early enough in the spring to mature before the temperatures begin to soar.

So, while there are still cauliflower seedlings available locally, now is not a good time to be planting them. Broccoli and cabbage are better choices for this time of the year. You will enjoy much greater success with your cauliflower crop if you set your seedlings out between Jan. 15 and Feb. 15.

If you want to grow cauliflower from seed, now is the time to start them indoors or under glass. Once started, they can be grown outdoors protected by a simple cold frame until it is time to set them out in the garden. My cold frame is nothing more than an old window with some cement blocks under one end and some scrap plywood to close off the sides on cold days and nights.

You can find a great variety of cauliflower seeds using my custom search engine located on the upper right section of this page under the North Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide.