Cauliflower Seeds - Snowball Self-Blanching, ORGANIC

Minimum Seeds per Packet: 200

Packet Weight: 2g

Planting Season: Spring or Fall

Sowing Method: Transplant or Direct Seed

Seed Depth: 1/4"

Direct Seed Spacing: 2-4"

Soil Temperature: 50-80 ℉

Days to Sprout: 5-14

Mature Spacing: 18"

Sun Requirement: Full Sun

Frost Tolerance: Moderately Tolerant

Days to Harvest: 68

When to Seed Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a cool season crop that needs consistent temperatures in the 60’s to grow a healthy head. If the weather is too hot, it may “button” or grow many small heads instead of one large one. For a spring or early summer harvest, start your cauliflower seeds six to eight weeks before your last frost date. The seedlings can be transplanted outdoors three weeks before your last frost date. For a fall harvest, use the days to harvest information found on the seed packet to count back from your first frost date to know when to start your seeds. Your seeds should be started indoors during this time to protect them from bolting in the summer heat. You can extend your season by utilizing season extension methods like frost cloth or a cold frame. 

Where to Plant Cauliflower

Choose a spot that gets full sun, though your cauliflower will tolerate some shade as the temperatures heat up in the spring. They’ll need well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. We recommend mixing in some high nitrogen fertilizer ahead of planting. 

Growing Cauliflower

Sow seeds ¼ inch deep and two to four inches apart, if direct seeding. When transplanting out into the garden, plant your seedlings 18” apart in rows 36” apart. Mulching can keep weeds in check as well as hold moisture in the soil. Ensure your cauliflower seedlings get at least an inch of water per week. For spring crops, increasing the amount of water they’re getting as the temperatures heat up can help to prevent bolting. Fertilize your cauliflower about three weeks to one month after transplanting. 

Harvesting Cauliflower

When the heads reach two to three inches in diameter, they should be blanched (protected from the sun) so they can keep their bright white color. Self-blanching varieties should handle this for you (though this quality performs better for a fall crop than a spring crop), but if not you can manually wrap the leaves around the head and secure them with twine. Harvest when your heads have reached the expected size but are still mostly smooth. Rough-textured heads are past their prime and won’t have that mild flavor and tender texture. Pay attention to your variety’s days to harvest information to know when to check your crop.

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) is an insect-pollinated biennial that needs only very mild winter conditions to trigger flowering. Early spring-planted crops will usually bolt, but fall-planted crops will not flower and go to seed until the following spring. To collect pure seed, isolate your cauliflower by ½ mile from any other B. oleracea varieties that may be in flower at the same time. Collect seed from at least six different plants to ensure good vigor and genetic diversity. A common seed saving method among home gardeners is to harvest the main heads from the plants, then allow the side shoots to flower and go to seed. Pick seed pods off the plants as they turn brown and completely dry. You can open them and empty out the seeds by hand, or crush the pods all together and then winnow by pouring the seeds and chaff from one container to another in front of a fan. Make sure the seeds are completely dried before storing them in an airtight container in a dark and cool location.