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What’s Wrong With My Cauliflower? By: Angela Judd | March 10, 2018

The first time I grew cauliflower, it turned out perfectly. I thought… this is easy! I grew cauliflower again the following year, and there were plenty of volunteers for the “What’s wrong with my cauliflower?” pictures. Learn what’s wrong with your cauliflower (and how to fix it!) in this blog post.

What’s wrong with my cauliflower?

Are you wondering, “What’s wrong with my cauliflower?”

Cauliflower is a cool-weather crop in the Brassica family (which includes cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts). It’s trickier to grow than its relatives because it doesn’t like it too hot … or cold. It is also very sensitive to moisture and doesn’t like to have soggy roots or dry out.

Discoloration or purple-tinged edges in white varieties of cauliflower

Pink or purple-tinged cauliflower is often caused by exposure to sunlight. To prevent this, cover head by blanching.

To blanch cauliflower:

When head is visible and about 2 inches wide, clip outer leaves together with a clothespin to cover head and keep out of sunlight. Clip together loosely and check occasionally for pests and growth, or to let dry out after a rain.

Bitter tasting cauliflower

Bitter tasting cauliflower can be caused by too much heat or sun. It can also taste bitter from a lack of moisture, uneven watering, waiting too long to harvest, or overcooking.

If bitter cauliflower has been a problem, try growing purple varieties (they tend to be less bitter).

Loose heads or buttoning (very small head or several small heads)

Buttoning cauliflower can be caused by young plants being exposed to several days of freezing temperatures. It can also be caused by a lack of water or nitrogen, or waiting too long to harvest. Remove plant; it will not recover.

To prevent cauliflower buttoning in the future, protect cauliflower from freezing temperatures. Providing regular moisture and fertilizer can also help prevent buttoning cauliflower.

Cauliflower covered in small flowers

When cauliflower is covered in small flowers, it may mean you waited too long to harvest. Cauliflower has bolted and is focused on producing seeds. The plant becomes bitter and inedible. Remove plant; it will not recover.

To prevent cauliflower flowering in the future, harvest sooner.

Cauliflower bolting

Bolting happens when the ground reaches a certain temperature (usually too hot). The plant wants to ensure survival, and shifts to producing flowers and seeds rapidly. Remove plant; it will not recover.

To prevent cauliflower bolting in the future, plant later (or earlier) in the season to avoid hot temperatures.

Holes in leaves of cauliflower plants

Holes in the leaves of cauliflower plants are usually caused by cabbage worms or cabbage loopers. Learn how to get rid of cabbage worms in this guide.

• When you see the holes, handpick caterpillars.
• Cover small plants with floating row cover to prevent moths from landing on leaves and laying eggs.
• Bacillus thuricide (Bt) is helpful when applied correctly.
• Rotate where you plant brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, kale, etc.) each season to help prevent pest and disease problems from building up in the soil.

Read here for more tips to prevent pests and diseases organically in the garden.

Now that you learned what went wrong, learn how to grow cauliflower successfully by reading this post.

Fresh cauliflower from the garden or farmer’s market? Here are my five favorite ways to use fresh cauliflower.

Make a green powder “superfood” with extra leaves from brassicas after harvesting. Learn how in this blog post.

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7 comments on "What’s Wrong With My Cauliflower?"

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1. My Cauliflower hasn’t grown much since I planted it a month ago. It has rained a lot here in PA, and I know they don’t like soggy feet but is this the reason or could it be something else I did wrong?

   Reply

   1. Cauliflower is definitely the most temperamental member of the brassica family. That could be it, the weather this year has been extremely difficult in some regions. Hang tight and hopefully, it will come out of it and begin to thrive.

      Reply

2. My cauliflowers keep on growing upwards and are very thin and tall and don’t look like they can hold a head if any grow what has happened to cause this. The broccoli is nice and wide and a lot shorter

   Reply

   1. They may not be getting enough light.

      Reply

3. I have cauliflower seedlings which are producing heads far too early. These were purchased from the “cheapie bin” at a local garden centre. They have been transplanted to my garden. Have they been left too long in the original plant seeding container too long?

   Reply

   1. If they were stressed and root-bound, yes, they could button or produce heads too soon.

      Reply

4. My cauliflower never even tried to grow a head, even though I started the seeds in a tray in early spring and kept them watered. Only one seed germinated (disguised as lettuce, but that’s another story) and almost as soon as I transplanted it I had huge leaves but no head, then yellow flowers. From what I’ve seen though the leaves if not the flowers should still be edible – ?

   Reply

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