In this month’s Food Gardening Magazine, you get everything you need to know about planting cauliflower, growing cauliflower, and harvesting cauliflower—cauliflower in the garden is a feast for the senses! So fresh and delicious, you may have a hard time waiting for cauliflower harvest time. You may never buy cauliflower at the market again!

We’ve got you covered from planting through harvesting and cooking! We have all the guidelines you need to start growing cauliflower in the garden. We’ll talk about cauliflower planting season and the ideal cauliflower growing conditions so you know the best way to grow cauliflower.

Plus, you get specific advice about growing cauliflower indoors—and why growing cauliflower in containers can be a really great idea! Get the details on cauliflower varieties, cauliflower plant spacing, and what to expect in the different cauliflower growing stages. With our cauliflower varieties list, you’re sure to find a cauliflower plant that’s perfect for your garden!

This gardening guide about cauliflower is your #1 guide for being the best cauliflower gardener you can be! You should refer to this gardening guide whenever you have questions about your cauliflower garden—from planning to planting and from maintaining and nurturing to harvesting and reaping the rewards in your kitchen.

First, you get a complete Introduction to Cauliflower—including the history and background of this descendant of wild cabbage. Cauliflower—or cabbage flower—counts among its family members cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, and more! Cauliflower was popular in Asia for centuries before it made its way west to Europe. And even though the first cauliflower plants were grown in the New World in the 17th century, cauliflower didn’t really catch on until the 1900s.

Then, you get Feature Articles about Cauliflower that include:

• Air Temperature Considerations for Your Cauliflower—of all the growing requirements for a successful harvest, temperature is the most important when growing cauliflower. Learn the strategy for success to give your cauliflower crop the conditions it needs to flourish.
• Growing Cauliflower from Seeds—learn about starting seeds indoors or out, and which cultivars are going to give you better flavor come harvest time.
• Growing Cauliflower from Seedlings—get the details on growing your cauliflower from seedlings, whether they’re seedlings you started or seedlings from a local nursery. Learn about the best time and method for transplanting your young plants, whether you’re aiming for a spring crop or a fall harvest.
• Growing Cauliflower in Containers—cauliflower’s shallow roots make it a good candidate for container gardening. We’ll talk about the risks and benefits of nurturing your cauliflower in containers versus growing it in the open garden.
• Caring for Cauliflower in the Garden—learn about maintaining a healthy nutrient and water balance for your cauliflower with tips on watering, mulching, moating, and fertilizing.
• Problems with Cauliflower Heads—cauliflower is a sensitive crop, so it’s important to be up-to-speed on prevention and cure advice. That will help you avoid problems like unexpected color; disease side effects like bacterial soft rot; blindness (when you get a plant with no head); bolting (when the plant rushes to seed instead of forming a head); and a wide range of other problems with colorful names you hope you never have to learn. We’ll give you tips on preventing these problems in the first place by following cauliflower-growing best practices.
• Blanching and Harvesting Cauliflower—it’s a delicate dance to get your cauliflower to cooperate. Learn how to blanch the heads, how best to harvest them, and how and where to store your harvested heads.
• Dealing with Cauliflower Pests—the best defense against pests is vigilance. Keep an eye on your plants and learn how to deal with each one should you encounter them. We’ll give you tips on dealing with everything from aphids to cabbage loopers and more—and you’ll be amazed at some of the weapons at your disposal.
• Dealing with Cauliflower Diseases—pest damage can open your cauliflower crop to a number of diseases, most of them fungal. Learn how to protect your plants and help ward off disease in the first place.
• Essential Tools and Equipment for Growing Cauliflower—get the full list of essential gardening tools and harvesting equipment for growing cauliflower, including floating row covers and the ever-handy cauliflower prep tool … and tools for almost all of your gardening needs.

Next, this premium gardening guide highlights five popular cauliflower varieties to help you choose the cultivars you want to grow—this is just a sampling of the many varieties available:

• • Attribute Hybrid Cauliflower

• • Cheddar Hybrid Cauliflower

• • Depurple Hybrid Cauliflower

• • Early White Hybrid Cauliflower

• • Flame Star Cauliflower

And all your cauliflower-gardening efforts are so much more satisfying when you have quick and easy-to-make recipes, to ensure your harvest gets the credit it deserves at the dinner table. Food Gardening Network is all about providing simple recipes for making outstanding dishes. Try these recipes and enjoy your cauliflower harvest:

• • Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

• • Cauliflower Fritters

• • Loaded Cauliflower

• • Cauliflower Fried Rice

• • Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

Next, you’ll learn all about the health benefits of cauliflower with Nutrition Facts about Cauliflower and Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Cauliflower. Learn about its powerhouse vitamin content and its antioxidant power that seizes free radicals to help protect your health. We’ll tell you about cauliflower’s digestive and anti-inflammatory benefits, too.

And to be sure you have everything you need to grow your own cauliflower, we’ve included a Resources about Cauliflower section—so that you can easily find additional tools and information about cauliflower.

Finally, our Cauliflower Glossary section gives you the explanation of key cauliflower-gardening terms and concepts—so, you’re never in the dark or confused about important cauliflower-gardening ideas.

Check out this premium gardening guide now— Marvelous Cauliflower: All You Need to Know about this Cruciferous Veggie, from Planting to Eating—and you’ll really learn everything you need to know about cauliflower!

Mary Van Doren, Norann Oleson, Victoria Arnold, and Samantha Pulcherz contributed to the creation of this gardening guide.