When To Pick Cauliflower (The RIGHT Way To Harvest Them!) -

Curious as to When To Pick Cauliflower? Here is a quick and easy guide on when and how to pick and harvest yellow squash the right way!

This is the upcoming and new ‘it’ vegetable to be growing. Yeah, that’s right, today we are talking all things cauliflower. Cauliflower has increased in popularity as it provides a great vegan substitute, hello cauliflower wings!

So, if you found yourself caving in to the cauliflower hype and have decided to grow your own, then you have come to the right place.

Read on to find out more about all things cauliflower, in particular, we are talking about all things harvesting your cauliflower and we will give you the answer for when the prime time is to pick your cauliflower.

Just a quick disclaimer before we get into all things cauliflower… this is just a guideline, so if you find that your cauliflowers are ready before our guideline then just trust your instinct!

DISCLAIMER

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To Give You An Answer To The Question…

So, to give you the answer to the question – you should be able to pick your cauliflower approximately 80 days after you plant your seeds. So, if you start planting your cauliflower seeds in mid-June, or you plant the seedlings in late July, then you will have approximately 80 days before your cauliflower will be ready to harvest.

Cauliflower is actually one of the easier vegetables to grow, permitting that you grow your cauliflower plants at the right time and also in the right growing conditions. In fact, cauliflower is the best vegetable to grow in the fall time because this is right after that intense heat of summer.

Grow large cauliflower heads by giving high-quality compost for healthy growing vegetables!

This means that the temperature won’t be too hot for your cauliflower, but it also won’t be bitterly cold.

You must ensure that when you are growing your cauliflowers, they can enjoy the sunshine and also soak up a minimum of 1 inch of water per week.

Does Size Matter?

When it comes to cauliflower, size really does matter. But this is more where the cauliflower head is concerned. Another great way to spot when you should pick your cauliflower is by identifying the size of the cauliflower head.

Your cauliflower should be ready to harvest when the cauliflower head reaches 6-8 inches in diameter.

If you are not quite sure what to expect visually, then by all means grab your tape measure and work out the size of your cauliflower.

That’s right, precision is key here – and if using a tape measure to check the size of your cauliflower head works for you, then go for it! Practice makes perfect, so gradually over time, you will be able to know what to expect from your cauliflower visually.

Blanching Your Cauliflower Heads

However, before this stage, you must tend to the head of the cauliflower when it reaches about 2-3 inches big. This is where you have to use blanching on your cauliflower.

This is nothing to be afraid of, this stage simply protects the cauliflower heads from the powerful and penetrative sun rays while staying white in the key week or two before they reach the time where they are ready to be harvested.

In order to blanch a cauliflower successfully, you will need string, twine or a rubber band. This is to tie the cauliflower leaves together, and again this is definitely a practice that makes the perfect cauliflower kind of method, just so that you can work out what harnessing material works best for you.

You should gently lift the outer leaves of the cauliflower up and over the head of the cauliflower, and then tie the leaves. This is a crucial time for your crop to cultivate, as the cauliflower heads can succumb pretty quickly.

Protect your cauliflower plants from insects and caterpillars with this eco-friendly, easy to use insect netting!

Ensure that you monitor your cauliflower heads every day and make sure that they remain as healthy as possible, so the key things to look out for in your cauliflower are for them to be white, smooth, hard and tight.

This is another aspect of growing cauliflower that is key to bear in mind: trust your judgement. If the cauliflower curds begin to separate, loosen or open then you should definitely harvest the cauliflower. You should not think twice about this, you should do this immediately.

Harvest your cauliflower heads with this quality knife for quick clean cuts!

These would be signs to spot if your cauliflower is losing its distinctive texture and flavour, which is what you don’t want to ignore.

To harvest your cauliflower, you should grab a sharp knife and cut the head of the cauliflower. Leave about 3 inches of the stem and several leaves just to cover the cauliflower head. To store your cauliflower, you should wrap it in a paper towel then put it in a plastic bag.

Then, put this bag in a crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Your cauliflower should actually keep fresh for 2-4 weeks until you are ready to use it.

Note– If you want to make your green fingers happier and your life easier, you can use this affordable 83 pieces ultimate gardening set to help you repot like a pro!

What Will You Need To Harvest Your Cauliflower?

When it comes to actually harvest your cauliflowers, there are a few tools that we recommend you keep pretty handy just to ease the process as much as possible. Chances are, these are items that you will have in your toolkit or just in your home anyway.

If you find that you do not have some of these items, then if you head out and buy them you will have some solid investments when it comes to harvesting your cauliflowers for years to come. The following items are what we would recommend:

String, twine or a rubber band
Paper towel
Plastic bag
Tape measure
Knife

Why Has Cauliflower Become So Popular?

Over the years, cauliflower has become a popular vegetable substitute for carbs and in some cases meat too. Health experts have all agreed that this is a pretty great alternative.

This is a very recent development and is not something that everyone loves, but cauliflower has definitely increased in popularity through its versatility. Cauliflower can be a great alternative to chicken wings, you can replace the chicken with cauliflowers.

Or cauliflower can be a good alternative to rice. Cauliflower is actually a great carbohydrate that is high in fibre, low in calories and has a fair bit of vitamin C.

That’s right, cauliflower is the new craze – and there are not many people who have not sampled the cauliflower alternatively. If you are yet to try it, then what are you waiting for?! There is no time like the present, so give in to the craze!

Well, there you have it!

When to pick cauliflower and the right way to harvest them so you can have delicious veggies for your meals!