Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Typically, only the head (the white curd) of aborted floral meristems is eaten, while the stalk and surrounding thick, green leaves are used in vegetable broth or discarded. Cauliflower is nutritious, and may be eaten cooked, raw or pickled.

Soil
Cauliflowers require a firm, fertile soil. Acid soils encourage club root, a terrible disease of the brassica family. Add lime if necessary to get a pH of about 6.5 to 7.0. Apply a dressing of a general fertiliser like Growmore in the spring, two or three weeks before transplanting your cauliflower plants. Rake gently over the surface to keep the bed firm.

Crop Rotation
If you are practicing crop rotation you should plant them in the bed used for legume in the previous season as the roots will provide nitrogen. If you manured the legume bed last year there is no need to add additonal manure.

No Crop Rotation
If you are not practicing crop rotation and your soil is poor, dig in plenty of well rotted compost or manure as early in the autumn as possible in order to give the the soil maximum time to settle. The cauliflower will not root as well in freshly dug soil.

Location
Choose a fairly sunny site, ideal a site where beans or peas were grown last year (as mentioned above).