×
  • Home
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Manage Account
  • Authors
  • Keyword Index
  • Join

Food Gardening Network

Growing Good Food at Home

Join
Mequoda Publishing Network
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • Sign In
  • Search

Air Temperature Considerations for Your Cauliflower

Gardening Guide: Marvelous Cauliflower: All You Need to Know about this Cruciferous Veggie, from Planting to Eating

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Air Temperature Considerations for Your Cauliflower

By Norann Oleson

Cauliflower head that has “buttoned”

Cauliflower head that has “buttoned”

Above all, growing cauliflower depends on temperature. If you live in a zone where you have two to three months of temperatures averaging in the 60s, specifically 65 to 68 degrees F during the day, you’re in prime growing territory. Everyone else has to work a bit harder, but it is done in zones 2 to 11.

Cauliflower can take a bit of frost, which may cause the leaves to “burn,” but the flower head will continue to grow. Still, a sudden cold snap may cause the plant to “bolt,” or finish its life cycle prematurely and create an inedible crop.

At the same time, a sudden heat wave may cause it to button—separate the flower heads into smaller “buttons” instead of staying in a nice tight head. And because the number of days to maturity for a plant varies from 50 to 100, you want to be careful in selecting a seed packet or a transplant, and choose a variety that matches your average weather.

In warmer climates, plant in the fall for an early spring crop. In colder areas, you can start indoors in early spring, or plant outdoors in late summer for a fall crop, to avoid peak heat or cold.

In early spring, your garden is likely to be in full sun. As trees begin to leaf out, you’ll get some shade, but if not, be prepared to provide your own partial shade with floating row covers. These are lightweight fabric installations that arch over your crop, left open at both ends of the row to allow air circulation.

If, on the other hand, you’ve planted a fall crop, you have to worry about cold snaps. In that case, you want to have row covers of a heavier material that is placed low to the plants and has closed ends, to retain heat. (Be sure to open the ends or remove the cover when temperatures rise again.)

  • Bonus: In addition to temperature control, row covers help deter unwanted pests!

Have you used row covers to regulate temperatures around cauliflower? Tell us how that worked for you.

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Tags

cauliflower, growing cauliflower

Comments

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Curator’s Corner
  • Introduction
  • Feature Articles

  • Air Temperature Considerations for Your Cauliflower
  • Growing Cauliflower from Seeds
  • Growing Cauliflower from Seedlings
  • Growing Cauliflower in Containers
  • Caring for Cauliflower in the Garden
  • Problems with Cauliflower Heads
  • Blanching and Harvesting Cauliflower
  • Dealing with Cauliflower Pests
  • Dealing with Cauliflower Diseases
  • Essential Tools and Equipment for Growing Cauliflower
  • Plant Profiles

  • Flame Star Cauliflower
  • Early White Hybrid Cauliflower
  • Depurple Hybrid Cauliflower
  • Cheddar Hybrid Cauliflower
  • Attribute Hybrid Cauliflower
  • Recipes

  • Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad
  • Cauliflower Fried Rice
  • Loaded Cauliflower
  • Cauliflower Fritters
  • Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
  • Additional Articles

  • Nutrition Facts about Cauliflower
  • Health Benefits of Cauliflower
  • Resources about Cauliflower
  • Cauliflower Glossary
  • Related Articles

  • Discover the 6 Cauliflower Growing Stages
  • Marvelous Cauliflower: All You Need to Know about this Cruciferous Veggie, from Planting to Eating

Enter Your Log In Credentials

This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

  • Lost your password? Create New Password
  • No account? Sign up

Need Assistance?

Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at
(800) 777-2658

Food Gardening Network is an active member of the following industry associations:

  • American Horticultural Society
  • GardenComm Logo
  • MCMA logo
  • Renewd logo
  • Manage Account
  • Join
  • About Food Gardening Network
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Food Gardening Network
99 Derby Street, Suite 200
Hingham, MA 02043
support@foodgardening.mequoda.com

FREE E-Newsletter for You!

Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own garden—with our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Powered by
Mequoda Publishing Network
copyright © 2023 Mequoda Systems, LLC

Food Gardening Network® and Food Gardening Magazine® are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC.