Cauliflowers

[jazzidoodle]

Why can't I grow cauliflowers when I lived in Worcestershire I had them coming out of my ears!

I now stay not far from Glasgow and I am lucky if I get a blown head the size of a golf ball!  Limed ground and fed a little growmore (tried with and without growmore- makes no difference)  I am coming to the conclusion that my soil is rubbish.  There is plenty of manure in the plot (I have horses so there is no shortage of the stuff)  It is well rotted (over 5 years old) and broken down.  I have the same problem with calabrese but my psb is fantastic, so is my Kale, but I want caulis!

Can anyone help?

[jazzidoodle]

[Tee Gee]

You have mentioned quite a lot and I can't understand why you are failing? 

You haven't mentioned the variety/varieties you use? your problem might be here.

I use nothing else  other than a F1 hybrid, I have had excellent results this year with Candid Charm, now waiting to see how my Snow Prince go on, they mature a few weeks later than C/charm thus giving me continuity.

[jazzidoodle]

Hi

I have tried all year and snowball the snowball is the one that gave me v small blown heads.  All year produces nothing but healthy leaves!

[Tee Gee]

I have tried all year and snowball the snowball is the one that gave me v small blown heads.  All year produces nothing but healthy leaves!

Both of these are run of the mill varieties (sorry) the only thing they have in common is they are supposed to be designed as the name suggests; to be sown at various times of the year.

From my experience I see this as a sales pitch, yes possibly you can sow at various times of the year and at sometime in the year you may get one sowing right!

I still say go for F1 hybrids that are bred for purpose and usually do as it states on the packet.

I grow three varieties in a season (I don't bother with the winter/spring ones)

My earliest is Candid Charm ( which I am eating now)followed a few weeks later with Snow Prince.

Both these varieties are sown at the same time (it is the breeding that dictates maturity)

Then I sow 'Thompson' a couple of months later which I harvest around Sept/Oct.

OK they are more expensive but I find that a packet of each will last me two or three seasons, (it used to be more but the suppliers are drastically cutting the number of seeds in the packet)  >:(

The other thing is I usually get is a high germination rate and those that have germinated generally all of them gives me a curd 8"- 9" in diameter!

This I call value for money!  :) Wheras what you have been buying is not :'(

Think about it for next year!

This is a typical harvest for me;

[Digeroo]

I pushed out the boat and went for Serac F1 and have had brilliant results for the first time ever.  Sown April and now being harvested.  Lovely heads like the pictures.

I also grew some cheapo ones and as Tee Gee says they do not cut the mustard.  Even those that had produced something are rather off white and rubbery.   Very poor results for the effort of planting out and watering etc.  As my mother would say you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

[Stevens706]

This year I have great results with Castlegrant another F1

[jazzidoodle]

f1 it is then for next year. When you are new to it there are so many varieties you get bamboozled! Thank you all for your advice