New! Exceptionally early purple cauliflower.
Be the first to market with purple cauliflower! Very attractive, medium-dark, purple heads. Our best-performing purple variety in warm weather and also an excellent fall crop. Much earlier than Graffiti or Lavender. Widely adapted. Avg. 84,000 seeds/lb. Packet: 25 seeds.
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Brassica oleracea
CULTURE:
Cauliflower prefers a well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter, a pH of 6.0–7.5 with consistent moisture throughout the growing season. Irrigate regularly for best results. Cauliflower does not do well in hot weather; the best success is with spring and fall crops.
EARLY SPRING CROP:
Use early and midseason varieties. Sow in 72-cell plug flats. Seedlings should be ready to transplant in 4–6 weeks. If possible, keep soil at least 70°F (21°C) until germination, and 60°F (16°C) thereafter. Transplant outdoors when seedlings are no older than 4–5 weeks old. Older plants tend to be stressed and do not perform as well as actively growing seedlings. Harden plants carefully by gradually increasing cold before transplanting out, 18" between plants and 24–36" between rows.
FALL CROP:
Use midseason and storage varieties. Start seedlings as above in May and transplant to the garden in June–July. To ensure mature heads, seed the crop early in areas where heavy freezes occur early in fall.
WINTER CROP:
Successful cauliflower crops can be grown where winters are mild (temperatures rarely below 32°F (0°C)). Transplants can be set out from September to February in these regions.