Garden Supervisor, Katie Kingett, from The Lost Gardens of Heligan gives us a little insight into the history, varieties and growing traits of this brilliant brassica.
“Cauliflower has undergone a resurgence in popularity of late with cauliflower rice, couscous and steak adorning supermarket shelves in recent months and generating much debate. Low in calories and high in vitamin C this cruciferous vegetable can be included in your diet as a healthy alternative to high carb foods. This versatile vegetable can be eaten raw, sautéed or steamed, and sowing different varieties will provide you with a cauliflower crop almost year-round. Cauliflower hummus is another way in which to enjoy fresh, crisp cauliflower heads and high fibre veg. It’s a recipe I’ve only recently been introduced to but can definitely recommend.
Varieties
Cornwall has long been a staunch supporter and grower of the humble cauli, due to its mild climate which allows for an extended harvesting period. At The Lost Gardens of Heligan we grow two heritage cauliflowers – Autumn Giant and All the Year Round. A popular variety, Autumn Giant dates back to 1838 and produces large firm, compact curds which keep for a long period if protected by foliage. All Year Round is a reliable variety which can be sown throughout the year in open ground or in cold frames to extend the cropping season. In addition, we have introduced North Foreland F1 to further extend the cropping season into February and March.
Summer varieties are sown mid-spring; autumn varieties are sown from mid-to-late spring; and winter varieties in late-spring. This will then provide a crop from late-summer through to the following spring. Space summer and autumn cropping types 60cm/2ft apart, and winter varieties 75cm/30in apart. ‘Snowball AGM’ is a great home garden variety, producing dwarf compact plants, which can be grown closer together than others. If space is restricted try growing ‘Igloo’ which can be grown for mini-cauliflowers or left at wider spacing for larger heads.
Although cauliflower curds are traditionally white, there are a number of colourful varieties which produce, purple, lime green and orange curds. Look out for ‘Violetto Scilia’,’Sunset F1’ or ‘Trevi’ for purple, orange and pale green heads to add interest to your vegetable patch. The Heritage Seed Library has additional historic varieties available for those of you who would like to champion forgotten crops, such as ‘St George’, which produces huge football-sized curds or ‘English Winter’, which won a first class certificate from the RHS in 1873. For those of you with a penchant for romanesco cauliflower, Real Seeds provide an autumn maturing variety called ‘Ottobrino’.
Growing conditions
Though deemed by many as a challenging crop, the satisfaction of devouring a successful bounty of crunchy cauliflower is a real delight and well worth including in your gardening plans for 2018. Cauliflowers require rich deep soil and a sunny site. Add manure to enrich the soil, but firm the soil before planting by treading. It’s essential to water well during dry weather as any checks to growth can lead to deformed heads. Use a mulch to conserve moisture and water well enough to ensure the root zone is wet. Water plants well the day before transplanting, dig a deep hole and plant up to the first set of leaves. Bending a few leaves over summer types will protect curds from strong summer sun. Repeat the same process in the winter to protect less hardy varieties from frost. Cut heads while firm and enjoy. Crisp, nutritious and colourful, there really is the perfect cauliflower out there for everyone.”
for more information visit; http://heligan.com/