Cauliflower

[MrBig46]

These are just such 60 mm high collars, the lower part of the cups is cut off. I then sprinkled anti-slug product around the cups. In that tunnel, it is relatively humid and warm, which suits the slugs, and they are able to destroy plants even in winter. I have to check the protection again in the spring, possibly add the product against slugs.
Vldimír

[MrBig46]

Yesterday, I moved the tunnel from the winter cauliflowers to another bed. I think that the plants are big and strong enough, and that it would be necessary to fertilize them with some fertilizers with more K and P than N and thus encourage the formation of flowers.
Vladimír

[JRinPA]

@MrBig46
Are you starting that Cauliflower by direct seed in the ground? Or are they transplants?

I ask because with my overwintering of spinach, I believe it is working well for me because they are direct seeded into the ground. The root system will get deeper and more well protected from the cold.

We usually get down to 5F here for a couple nights per year, but most nights in the winter stay above 15F. I am wondering how they would do here. I'm thinking about trying it this autumn. The only problem is, this year I had cabbage protected until early January, at which point it snowed and got fairly cold. Hungry deer got inside the fenced garden at that time due to the snow drifts/wind and ate everything. They ate right through the frozen non-woven cloth.

I think I would need a wood and glass cold frame of some sort, rather than just the cloth.

[Hornad]

Your cauliflowers are beautiful. I wish that I could find someone who would sell me walcheren or aalsmeer in the united states

[MrBig46]

I'm going to leave two plants of each variety for seed. If it works out, I should have enough seeds and could send them over. I just don't know which variety is on the left and which is on the right. I didn't write it down and forgot.
Vladimír

[Hornad]

Please don’t send any. I found an overwintering cauliflower “purple cape” from adaptive seeds that is supposed to have a 5% chance of surviving -15 C.

[JRinPA]

5%? Those aren't betting odds!

[Hornad]

5%? Those aren't betting odds!

Worse than that. I emailed someone who grows them and they said

Our purple cape mostly died off this year due to the 16 degree (-9 C) low we had with icy conditions. It may have done better with row cover, but we didn't cover it. Purple Cape is nice in March when it works. It does not hold long in the field and will get black spots in the center of the head if not harvested promptly, especially with wet weather. I would suggest planting twice as much as you need and not being attached to the outcome, but I'd suggest that with all crops ha ha.

[MrBig46]

Today I inspected the cauliflowers in more detail. All of them have already planted flowers up to 8 cm in size. It is certain that most will grow to full size as early as April or early May. I was thinking about what to put after the cauliflowers, probably zucchini or pickled cucumbers. The two on the right are outside the fabric and are for seed.
Vladimír

[JRinPA]

Harvest in early May...that is an odd time for something to come out, but there is certainly a lot of things capable to go in as replacement.

[MrBig46]

Aalsmeer cauliflowers really try. In five days since the last photograph, the situation has completely changed. More than half of the plants have already shown rosettes and the largest one is already 14 cm in diameter (I was interested and so I measured it). I reckon Saturday will be the first harvest and my favorite spring food, fried cauliflower.
Vladimír