do i need to tie the big leaves around my cauliflower?

[katie9143]

my mom said i had to but i never heard of that

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

You don't have to but it will make your cauliflower heads more tender and white if you do. I don't really tie mine, I just fold the leaves inward and crack the spine a bit so they stay.

[katie9143]

crack the spine of the leaves so they fold in over the white cauliflower? will that help them grow larger? i have had issues with both my broc and cauli having the smallest head....not at all what i expected....1-2 inches at best.

thnx

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

I don't think that folding or tying the leaves over the head will make the heads larger, it just blanches them so they are whiter and more tender.

What are you fertilizing them with? Last year was the first year I started using seaweed tea to water my crops. My cabbage family crops did especially well. I had several cauliflower heads that were more than a foot across.

I used nori seaweed that is sold of sushi as I don't have access to the ocean. I put a sheet of nori in a large bucket of water and let it sit for several days. It gets stinky. the solid part of the nori sinks to the bottom and the water turns brown. I would ladle some of the tea into a watering can and then fill the bucket back up. I would keep doing that until the water stopped turning brown. Then I would add another sheet of nori.

[lmonter]

Originally Posted by Rhiannon Feimorgan

I don't think that folding or tying the leaves over the head will make the heads larger, it just blanches them so they are whiter and more tender.

Yeah, this. Otherwise your cauliflower will get sunburnt (purplish) and go to seed super, super quick.

[katie9143]

i have fertilized with that neptune fish/seawead emulsion twice since i planted them in about a month and a half ago. its really weird cuz both my broccoli and cauli plants have produced the smallest veggies....like florets. my lettece and chard is growing great - tomatos and squash have just started blossoming like crazy and have tiny fruit.

this is my first yr so im pretty clueless.