Cauliflower woes
fred lundberg
Posts: 2
I built a very deep large raised bed which i am trying with leeks,caulis & sprouts.
I have already realised i put a few too many plants in a couple of which floundered dwarfed by others who are thriving.
I also know why i have white fly invaders as the leaves are pushing against the netting so they can be got at 
Apart from white fly invaders who i am picking off & spraying (any tips).... i am most worried about my Cauliflowers
Theyre all quite tall greenery wise but i am seeing no sign of a curd appearing at all...am i being too inpatient or have they somehow failed please.
They did go in quite late june 8th but as the garden centre were still selling the plants i thought i would give it a try.
Most grateful for any help.
0
Posts
it depends if you've done winter or summer caulis, if you sowed early spring (March time) then you should be harvesting about now, if you planted June onwards then you'll get a crop next year
They need the soil to be firm, in a raised bed the soil could be too loose.
I'm in the same situation Fred, waiting for mine which went in late. Let's see what happens in spring!
When you say "white fly", do you mean white butterflies or tiny whiteflies? The tiny whiteflies will obviously get through any net. But something I only just found out about Large White butterflies is that they can apparently get through any netting bigger than 7mm mesh, which is why I keep finding them inside my cage. I'll be looking for a source of fine mesh netting for next year.
Also, as cornelly said, I had read that caulis like firm ground, and I was careful to prepare it, but when mine got to be a similar height to yours a couple fell over in the wind. You might not have that problem if yours are more sheltered, but I put some short canes in to give a little support.
Another tip I got from reading (very little experience of my own yet!) is not to feed caulis too much at the green stage otherwise they might only produce greens and not curds. As ever, your mileage may vary and someone wiser than I may be along soon...