Cauliflower (Snowball)

📖 About This Plant

Cauliflower (Snowball) is the classic American white cauliflower — an heirloom open-pollinated variety whose compact, bright-white, tight-curded heads have been a standard in home vegetable gardens since the 1880s. Snowball Y (the improved selection) produces 6–7 inch heads in approximately 70 days from transplant, making it one of the faster-maturing heading cauliflower varieties and the most forgiving for home gardeners who don't have the extended cool seasons that larger, longer-season types require. The flavor is mild, slightly nutty, and sweeter than many hybrid varieties — excellent roasted, steamed, in gratins, as cauliflower rice, or simply eaten raw with dip. Unlike broccoli, cauliflower curds need protection from sun exposure to stay white: a process called blanching that requires tying the outer leaves over the developing curd.

📊 Quick Facts

📅 When to Plant in Your Area

🌱 Care Tips

Cauliflower is the most technically demanding common vegetable — it needs precise cool temperatures to develop properly. Start transplants indoors 4–6 weeks before your last frost for spring planting, or 10–12 weeks before first fall frost for autumn crops (the preferred approach in most of the US, as fall cauliflower is dramatically easier and more flavorful). Space transplants 18–24 inches apart. Maintain even moisture — water stress at any point causes small, loose, or bitter curds; a soaker hose on a timer works well. Feed with a high-nitrogen fertilizer at transplanting and again 3 weeks later. The critical and unique care step for white varieties: when the central curd (the "head") reaches the size of a golf ball, gather the outer leaves over it and secure them with a rubber band, twist tie, or strip of cloth. This "blanching" blocks sunlight, preventing the curd from turning yellow or developing a strong flavor. Check every 2–3 days — the head grows quickly and can go from perfect to overblown in days. Harvest when the curd is 6–8 inches across, still tight and white. Snowball heads hold briefly in the field at cool temperatures but deteriorate quickly in heat; harvest promptly.

🤝 Companion Plants

These plants grow well alongside Cauliflower:

🌿 Related Vegetable

More vegetable that grow in similar conditions:

❓ Frequently Asked Questions