Cauliflower
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
Botanical family: Brassicaceae
A cultivar of Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, the 'curd' is actually an aborted, hypertrophied inflorescence. Two harvest windows: spring (sow under cover in January-February, plant in March-April) and autumn (sow May-June, harvest September-December). Cauliflower hates watering swings, a sudden lack of water causes premature bolting or a degenerate curd ('ricing').
Full sun
Deep, rich, cool, pH 6.5-7.5
Regular and sustained (temperamental in drought)
Variable depending on variety
Role in permaculture
Very greedy for nutrients and water, to be placed after a legume green manure or on a bed well amended with mature compost. Fold the outer leaves over the white curd to protect it from yellowing (sunlight), that's the natural 'blanching'.
Good companions
Attract pollinators and beneficial insects
Trap plants (variable effect, need watching)
Aromatic: scent said to confuse pests
Poor companions
Same family: shared diseases and pests
Traditional avoidance (antagonism not demonstrated)
Insects attracted or useful
Known pests & diseases
Pests and diseases that commonly affect this plant, tap to learn how to recognise and manage them.
Seasons & availability
Depending on the variety, cauliflower is cut all year round: early types, main-season types, then late ones that overwinter. In France, Brittany grows the autumn, winter and spring cauliflowers, and the North those of summer, from June to October.
Available: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- RHS, « How to Grow Cauliflowers » (rhs.org.uk/vegetables/cauliflower/grow-your-own)
- La Ferme de Sainte Marthe, « Réussir la culture du chou-fleur » (fermedesaintemarthe.com/en/blogs/comment-reussir-la-culture-de/reussir-la-culture-du-chou-fleur)
- Interfel, « Chou-fleur : Présentation, disponibilité, conservation » (lesfruitsetlegumesfrais.com/fruits-legumes/choux/chou-fleur)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
Its richness in fibre and sulphur compounds can make digestion difficult in sensitive people (bloating); sufficient cooking improves it. In case of anticoagulant treatment (cabbage provides vitamin K) or a thyroid disorder (crucifers contain goitrogenic compounds), seek advice from a health professional rather than relying on a single food.
Family behaviour: Brassicaceae
In general, Brassicaceae produce glucosinolates, sulphur compounds with a mild biocidal effect on the soil (a biofumigant effect, sometimes sought between two sensitive crops). Members of the cabbage and mustard family, they are prone to the cabbage white and clubroot.
Understanding families means learning one rule per family rather than every pairing one by one. Learn more →
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Common varieties
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), American writer · United States, 1894
In Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), Mark Twain places as the epigraph of chapter 5, through his character's 'calendar', a quip that has become proverbial: the cauliflower is a cabbage with a college education, the author adding that 'training is everything'. The formula plays on the idea of breeding and selection, but it must be read for what it is: a writer's sally, not botanical data. It nonetheless nicely states a real truth, namely that the cauliflower is indeed a cultivated, selected form of Brassica oleracea, the same species as the common cabbage.
Mark Twain, The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), chap. 5, épigraphe de « Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar ».
A literary reference: it's an author's humour, neither a people's folklore nor a scientific fact. Only the botanical reading, the cauliflower as a cultivar of Brassica oleracea, is accurate; the quip itself carries no verifiable claim and is not presented here as traditional knowledge.