Cauliflower: A Source of Nutrients – How to Grow Your Own Cauliflower?
Healthful Vitality | 09/01/2021 | By NP Lifestyle Team | How to Grow Your Own Cauliflower?
Cauliflower is yet another vegetable that can provide you with a lot of nutrients. Whether you are on a vegan diet or not, having cauliflower in your diet is an excellent way to improve your health.
However, you have to look into different conditions while growing any vegetable. They include the weather, soil type, and so on. Here, we have brought together various factors you can consider while growing cauliflower in your home garden.
Choose the Right Conditions to Grow Your Own Cauliflower
Everything starts with selecting the right conditions to grow these plants. When it comes to cauliflower, it is best to grow them during cold weather. Cauliflowers can grow well when there is consistent availability of cold weather. It would help in the proper maturation of the plants. While planting, it depends on the climatic condition of your region.
However, you can consider late summer temperature as an ideal situation to grow your own cauliflower. But, during this time, the temperature has to be lower than 80 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also opt for autumn to plant cauliflower. Similarly, you have to consider the temperature while you are harvesting cauliflower. It is best to do so around 12 weeks before the Fall Frost starts.
Types of Soil and Taking Care of the Plant
You have to opt for fertile, well-drained, and moist soil. You can improve the fertility of the soil by adding organic matters, such as compost. While planting cauliflower, the ideal soil pH value has to be between 6.5 to 6.8. It would help in the optimal growth of the plant.
Other than the soil, you have to be considerate about watering the plant. However, you have to ensure that you are not overwatering the plant, which would lead to its death. You have to supplement fertilizers that would help in initiating plant growth. However, ensure that you are relying upon organic fertilizers and not on chemical products.
You have to take measures to avoid pests that can affect your plants. There are different things that you can do to reduce pest infestations. However, it depends on the type of pests, the area you are cultivating, and other similar factors. If you are planning to plant more vegetables, do read how to grow mushrooms from here.
Harvesting Cauliflower from Your Garden
Similar to sowing and growing the crops, you have to harvest them at the right time. If not, it would spoil the yield that you have gained. While growing cauliflower, you have to blanch the head of the cauliflowers. It is a way to prevent the darkening of the cauliflower. You can harvest the cauliflowers about a week after you have conducted this process.
Here, you have to look into the climatic conditions as well. While harvesting, you have to use a knife to cut it from the base. Ensure that you have left a few leaves along with it, as it would help in protecting the head. The cauliflowers would be ready for harvest around 50 to 100 days after you have planted the crops. However, it also depends upon the plant variety you have selected.