Help needed with cauliflowers please

[kolesy]

Have had allotment for just over a year & really enjoying it. Had lots of lovely veg to share with family & friends but cannot get cauliflower's to grow. Have tried seeds & plants but they produce tiny heads then go to seed. Please can someone tell me what I am doing wrong .

[kolesy]

[chriscross1966]

Given my problems with them (:D) possibly timing is wroing for the variety, they're pretty sensitive too it, also watering and feeding regime, soil type..... Have you tried nine-star perrenial?

chrisc

[kt.]

/quote]

Sounds like irregular watering.  They need regular watering especially during dry spells.  Once watering becomes intermittent it stunts their growth causing them to bolt and run to seed when watering commences again.

Good ground preparation too - Some well rotted compost dug in or surface laid will do well.  Once the plant has plenty of leafy growth, put a feed of calcified seaweed around the base or general area. This is excellent for caulis and only needs to be applied once about 1/2 way through the growing period but before the  plant starts producing the heads.  The most reliable, quickest growing and large cauliflowers I find, are Candid Charm F1.  Perfect everytime.  Most previous varieties I tried were nowhere near as reliable. 

http://www.kingsseeds.com/Ko-transact/productlist.asp?as=True

[Tee Gee]

Please can someone tell me what I am doing wrong

Not really because I don't know what you are doing!

My first thought is your problems may be occurring prior to planting out!

Cauliflowers resent root disturbance so if you planted 'bare rooted' plants this might be your main problem.

I prick mine out into 3" pots and grow on in a cold frame or cool greenhouse until they are of planting out size. In this way the root ball is not disturbed.

Then I just leave them to get on with it and generally I have no problems!

This link might help you; http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Cauli/Cauliflower.htm

It includes a couple of slide shows in the related links column.

[kolesy]

Thank you for help. Think  maybe it is cos I disturb the roots . Will do as advised & put in 3inch pots & keep fingers crossed.

[Digeroo]

Welcome to the forum Kolesy.  I don't think you are the only one who has problems with caulis.  There was a thread some months ago about what you cannot grow and lots of people named caulis.

I used to think it was my soil until I got an allotment and my next door but one neighbour had beautiful huge caulis and mine were two inches across.  I am determined to finally grow a decent one.

I managed some brilliant Romanesco without much problem.

[Fork]

Dont leave your cauliflowers too long in those individual pots or they will begin to think they are there for the duration......they need to be planted out as soon as they can be.let them form a good root sytem in the ground instead of in the pots.

Dont plant them too close together either...this will make smaller heads too.