Crop guide
Growing cauliflower
Growing cauliflower means matching type, timing, and spacing on the cited sheets. There is no single national planting date.
Growing guidance is general information. Timing, spacing, and care depend on cultivar, weather, soil, and local conditions. Check the sources and adjust the plan for your garden.
Steps (range, not a promise)
- 01Know the type on the cited sheet. Botrytis notes stay source-specific.
- 02Plant on the cited sheet’s timing. Regional dates stay on their own cards.
- 03Use in-row depth and spacing from one cited source.
- 04Log the bed so next season is not a guess.
Illustrative photograph — types, timing, and spacing stay on the cited sheets.
The season, on your ground
Save this bed — freeWhen to plantCareWhen to harvestGarden pests
What the sources say — at a glance
One source per card. Facts are not averaged.
Clemson HGIC 1326 (South Carolina)
Brassica oleracea, Botrytis Group. Cool-season. 60–65 °F. Rows 3 ft. 18 in in-row.
Details and limits (4)
Types
Clemson HGIC 1326 (South Carolina): cauliflower (Brassica oleracea, Botrytis Group) is a cool-season vegetable. It prefers average temperatures of 60 to 65 °F. Type notes — not a cultivar mill.
Timing
Clemson HGIC 1326 (South Carolina): cauliflower is a cool-season vegetable. Direct seeding is possible, especially for the fall crop. Timing on their sheet — not a national plant date.
Spacing
Clemson HGIC 1326 (South Carolina): plant cauliflower in rows that are 3 feet apart and spaced 18 inches apart in the row. Spacing on their sheet — not a BioArva average.
Limit
South Carolina HGIC 1326. Cool-season wording and 18 in stay Clemson. Not fertilizer.
Maryland Extension (Maryland)
Semi-hardy (light frost, attributed). Biennial treated as annual. 5–7 week transplants 3–4 weeks before frost-free date. 18–24 in × 24–36 in.
Details and limits (4)
Types
Maryland Extension (Maryland): semi-hardy (can withstand light frosts, but not heavy frosts or freezing). Biennial treated as an annual. Type notes — not a mill. Maryland’s attributed hardiness wording — not a planting-safety promise.
Timing
Maryland Extension (Maryland): set out 5- to 7-week-old transplants 3 to 4 weeks before the frost-free date. Seed in beds or flats for fall transplanting or direct seed into garden soil. Maryland timing — not a national plant date.
Spacing
Maryland Extension (Maryland): spacing 18 to 24 inches in-rows by 24 to 36 inches between rows. Spacing on their sheet — not a BioArva average.
Limit
Maryland cauliflower garden page. Semi-hardy wording and 18–24 in stay Maryland. Not fertilizer.
UMN Extension (Minnesota)
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis. 50–70 °F. April indoor; July fall. Seedlings 18 in apart.
Details and limits (4)
Types
UMN Extension (Minnesota): cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) grows in cool temperatures between 50 °F and 70 °F. Type note — not a cultivar mill.
Timing
UMN Extension (Minnesota): for spring-planted cauliflower, start seeds indoors in April. For the fall crop, start seeds in July, indoors or direct seeded in the garden. Minnesota timing — not a national plant date.
Spacing
UMN Extension (Minnesota): place the seedlings 18 inches apart. Spacing on their sheet — not a BioArva average.
Limit
Minnesota cauliflower page. 50–70 °F and 18 in stay Minnesota. Not fertilizer.
Illinois Extension (Illinois)
Cool-season. Transplants spring and fall. Not sooner than 2–3 weeks before frost-free date. 18–24 in in-row; wider for fall.
Details and limits (4)
Types
Illinois Extension (Illinois): cauliflower is a cool-season vegetable. Type notes — not a mill.
Timing
Illinois Extension (Illinois): cauliflower is best started from transplants for both spring and fall crops. Do not transplant sooner than 2 to 3 weeks before the average frost-free date in the spring. Illinois timing — not a national plant date. Illinois’s attributed frost-free wording — not a planting-safety promise.
Spacing
Illinois Extension (Illinois): space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in the row. Use the wider spacing for fall plantings. Spacing on their sheet — not a BioArva average.
Limit
Illinois cauliflower page. Cool-season wording and 18–24 in stay Illinois. Not fertilizer.
Make it yours
Save the bed in the Field Book so next season is not a guess.
Sources differ
When do you plant cauliflower?
Compare timing on the cited sheets. Clemson HGIC 1326 (South Carolina): cool-season. Maryland: 5- to 7-week-old transplants 3 to 4 weeks before the frost-free date. Minnesota: April indoors, July for fall. Illinois: transplants for spring and fall. Not a national plant date.
How far apart do you plant cauliflower?
The sheets do not agree on one grid. Clemson: rows 3 feet, 18 inches in-row. Maryland: 18 to 24 inches in-row by 24 to 36 inches between rows. Minnesota: seedlings 18 inches apart. Illinois: 18 to 24 inches in-row, wider for fall.
What to record in the Field Book
Save the bed with the crop and the date. You may add a photo and notes. Compare entries you have recorded with each other — not with a diagnosis from this page. If you want an identification, bring the record to local Extension.
Verified suppliers only
No supplier on this page
When a partner is listed, it will be outbound and disclosed. Nothing to buy here. Fertilizer, soils, and pesticides stay off this slot.
How we know — methodology. Ranges and assertions are cited per source, not blended.