Oh where did it all wrong? And no I’m not talking about the Australian men’s 4 by 100 metres freestyle team, there’s been enough dissection of that unfortunate event without my contribution. No instead I’m talking about my cauliflower. This week I harvested 2 lots of cauliflower, this is the first:
Not great is it? -especially when you consider it’s two heads. I think the main problem here was a lack of sun.
This much improved effort also has florets that are starting to separate but at least it looks like cauliflower rather than a kind of white broccoli.
I ran out of seed of the variety I used to grow and switched to this one which is called All year round (or something similarly imaginative) and I’m not sure changing was the greatest idea – last years heads were much denser.
My only other photo this week features parsley, spring onions and an out of focus carrot but at least shows I did manage to harvest things other than mangy cauliflower.
And those were pretty representative of my harvests this week, clearly I am distracted by Olympics and the 4:30am starts to watch the swimming are doing nothing good to my brain. It was great to see the Australia girls win the gold that the men couldn’t though.
If watching people splash along following a black line (or sitting on horses, bikes, in boats, on beams etc etc etc), is not for you then head over to Daphne’s where you’ll find heaps of medal winning veg instead. Personally though I’m off to have a bit of a lie down….
Oh I understand! And I am sorry about your cauli! Still it is edible and I bet still good for you.
Cauliflowers need firm soil and don’t like to be too dry. They also are hungry feeders.We also plant brassicas deeply – right up to the frist set of leaves – does any of that help?
The deeply thing may help. Our soil is pretty firm and this winter has been really wet. I gave them fortnightly doses of fish fertiliser on top of the normal bed prep so although it might be a feeding issue its not the first thing that springs to mind. Having said that they are placed pretty close to other crops so maybe there is too much competition fo nutrients.
My caulis look exactly the same. It is the first time I’ve managed to successfully grow brassicas without them being gobbled by the caterpillars so I’m not complaining too much. But they are mixed in with my broccoli – and they were mostly perfect so I don’t know what went wrong.
I find broccoli far easier I have to say, mine invariably works well – the same can’t be said for my cauliflowers.
Too bad about the cauliflower. I hope it at least tastes good.
Sounds like you are working very hard – hope you get some respite soon. Oh, and good to see some carrot in the mix – that doesn’t look too bad – I thought you couldn’t grow ’em?
It tasted pretty ordinary I have to say. The work thing is probably partially self inflicted in that I’m easily distracted and have a tendency to take on too much.
Sorry about the cauliflower…I do hope it tasted good despite it’s funny appearance!
Hi Liz,
Have to say I’m with you on the cauliflower front…have never been that successful-but all the best with the Olympics!!
I feel so much better to know that I’m not the only one fighting this particular veg.
Sorry about the cauliflower, and the swim team. 🙁 It was frustrating to watch the USA give up the lead when they were so.close.!! Congrats to the girls’ swim team!
How does the new cauli variety you’re growing taste?
The girls were great weren’t they. The French men were brilliant though weren’t they? Your 4 x 200 men were pretty special though.
Shame about your cauliflowers. My plants were carefully netted against butterflies and pigeons, but have been eaten away to nothing by the slugs. Your dedication to watching the swimming is inspiring – will you be getting up that early for the whole 2 weeks?
The swimming only has another couple of days to go and then I’ll have to make a decision about how much athletics I really need to see…
They may not be what you expected but the cauliflower are beautiful to look at! I’m fascinated at how it looks like it’s reverting to it’s broccoli roots. Maybe you’ve created a new and exciting hybrid! How did they taste?
It was a bit tough and more ‘green’ in flavour than cauliflower normally is – prehaps you’re right about reverting to its roots.
Cauliflower, what a prima donna, I gave up trying to grow that fussy veggie and just buy it at the farmer’s market now. Good luck on your next go-round. It does make for some pretty photos though!
I do like the farmers market idea – I should actually give in on some things and just leave them to the professionals.
We’ve never had good luck with cauliflower… hope yours has good flavor at least!
I think they need more space than I am prepared to give them, hmm or maybe they just don’t like me.
I’m with Michelle, I don’t even bother growing cauliflower – too fussy and unpredictable. Glad to hear someone else is operating on way too little sleep from watching the Olympics – I really MUST get some rest worked in. 😀
It is hard, particularly when I wake up in the night and think ” I’ll just turn the radio on for 5 minutes” and then 3 hours later realise its time to get up…
Now, there’s a familiar sight. Exactly like my one and only attempt at growing caulis. I certainly don’t wish anyone ill with growing their veggies but I’m a bit relieved that it’s not just me. And see! You CAN grow carrots!
I took your comment about rotted cumquats to heart and stayed up until midnight last night making lime chutney. Aarrgghh! I won’t be making that again for a few years, I can tell you.
Ah yes that carrot, it and about 3 more have been in the ground since Spring busily doing nothing while I smothered them with other crops. I foolishly thought a carrot colour mix would be interesting – ah no, the pale ones are particularly insipid.
I’ve never done any good with caulis and haven’t got any in this year – more from poor planning than from actually making the decision not to grow it…. okay back to watching people on horse and in boats! Love the olympics, not loving the coverage this time around though.
Channel 9 is pretty horendous I have to say, we also have Foxtel and with some exceptions where they are taking what I presume is the BBC commentary its pretty dire as well. What annoys me is that the commentators don’t seem to have done any research (Lucinda the equestrian commentator aside who I find endlessly entertaining.) nor do they seem able to keep track of time sufficiently to know whether people have made the finals or not. Quite irritating really. My person low though was Gian Rooney refering to Yu Shiwen as “that Chinese girl” I mean hello she has a name and you’d think they’d know it after calling her winning 2 gold medals. Anyway hope the Missile wins tonight.
This looks like my usual cauliflower.
Glad I’m not alone!
Yeah olympic has steal some of the gardening hours away.
Interesting, our cauliflower does not form the kind of head on the first photo even in shade.
It does that only if the weather not prefereable to them like mid-summer or sowing/transplanting too early in our garden. Looking forward for more of your cauliflower harvest. We have none anymore. My own wrong planning, really regretting it.
Ah I did transplant them fairly early so perhaps that is the reason – Good thought.
You are courageous to even try growing cauliflower. For me, it takes up too much space and is tricky to grow, so I have never planted it, just buy it. I transitioned from the Tour de France right in to the Olympics. Was rooting for Cadel Evans but he looked a little out of shape (maybe too many pork chops?) and wasn’t getting great support from his team.
Your probably right about cauliflower I probably would have been better off devoting the space to something else. He pulled out of the Olympics time trial pleading exhaustion so perhaps you’re righ about not being in the best shape. Ah well Bradley Wiggins has an Australian connection too – although even our media is a little reticent to draw too much attention to a now dead alcoholic father who abandoned him as a small child…. We just don’t seem to be covering ourselves with glory at the moment….