Growing cauliflower

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In order to choose a more suitable one among the variety of varieties of a crop such as cauliflower, one must give preference to a local hybrid. The plant must be resistant to extreme weather changes. Cultivation will be effective if different species are sown.

Growing cauliflower

Plant characteristic

A representative of the cabbage family, cauliflower today ranks second after white cabbage in terms of planting. It is cultivated throughout Europe, America, China, Japan.

Cauliflower is an annual spring or winter plant. In one year, it forms a head and fruits with seeds. Cauliflower has an underdeveloped root system. It is fibrous, located close to the soil surface.

The crop is harvested 90-170 days after germination, the seeds ripen in 200-240 days. The period of entering the stage of technical ripeness is extended.

The stem is cylindrical. The average height reaches 0.15-0.7 m, depending on the variety. The direction of the leaves is horizontal, straight or obliquely upward. They often look like a curved spiral. The color can be from light green to blue-green with a waxy bloom of varying intensity. The length of the leaf plate is 15-90 cm, narrow in width. The shape is elliptical, oval, ovoid.

Description of the head of cabbage

The cauliflower organs used in primitive varieties are individual flowering shoots. Other species form heads, which are tied due to the twisting of the apical strongly branching shoots with the rudiments of inflorescences. The heads are tied in the 9-12 leaf phase. Their shape is round or flat-round. The color is green, purple, yellow, white. Shades can be different.

When fully ripe, a head of cauliflower forms buds, flowers and seed-bearing fruits. They emerge from several that grow on the peripheral part of the shoots. The color of the flowers is white or yellow. Sizes are often small and medium. The fruits are pods. There are many seeds inside. Their germination capacity lasts for 3 years.

Fresh cauliflower is sweet and juicy. At a temperature of 0 ° C, preservation is 7-10 days without loss of qualities,

Description of the appearance of the fruit:

• the head of cabbage is heavy and strong;
• there are green leaves all around;
• there are no dark spots.

Color is not indicative of freshness. It can be different, depending on the illumination of the area where the cultivation is carried out.

The usefulness of a vegetable

Cauliflower is the best representative of the family. It tastes great.

The chemical composition per 100 g of fresh produce is as follows:

• 8-11.7% dry matter;
• 1.7-4.2% sugar;
• 0.5% starch;
• 0.6-1.1% fiber;
• 1.6-2.5% of crude protein, which is 2 times higher than its amount in white cabbage species.

The dietary properties of cauliflower are high. It contains many vitamins, including C, A, PP, B vitamins, etc.Cabbage contains potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, pectins and organic acids.

Application of the vegetable

The use of cauliflower is multidirectional, as it has many positive qualities.

In cooking

Cabbage is suitable for diet food

There is a concept of the glycemic index (GI). It is an indicator of the effect of food on blood glucose levels. The GI of stewed cauliflower is only 15 units, so it is worth including it in the diet.

Cabbage is good for overweight people because it contains tantalic acid. It prevents carbohydrates from being converted to fats and is great for introducing complementary foods to babies. For this purpose, mashed potatoes are made from cauliflower. There are many types of baby food on the market where the content of the vegetable is indicated on the label.

Cooking cauliflower requires knowledge of the intricacies of this process:

• so that during heat treatment the cauliflower retains its white color, 1 tsp is added during cooking. Sahara;
• you can improve the taste by boiling it in mineral water.

A variety of dishes are prepared from cauliflower, it is eaten raw in salads, used for decoration. Very tasty and aromatic cauliflower pancakes, as well as broths based on young inflorescences. They are baked in the oven. The vegetable is also prepared with beets. Many people love spinach cauliflower, which is a low-calorie, healthy meal.

A dish called tempura made from vegetables is perfect for dinner. The cabbage retains its quality despite heat treatment. Properly cooked vegetables are crispy on the top but very tender on the inside. For cooking, take only fresh heads of cabbage, divide into inflorescences, blanch for 3-5 minutes, fry for 3-6 minutes on each side in batter:

• flour - 70 g;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• water - 120 g;
• starch - 70 g;
• spices (salt, pepper, nutmeg).

They also make a cauliflower casserole according to Jamie Oliver's recipe, for which you will need:

• milk - 0.5 l;
• flour - 50 g;
• butter - 50 g;
• broccoli - 0.5 kg;
• cauliflower - 1 kg;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• stale bread - 2 slices;
• Cheder cheese (mature) - 75 g;
• some fresh thyme;
• almond petals - 75 g;
• olive oil.

Chop the garlic, place in a saucepan, add oil, melt. Add 1 tbsp. l. flour, fry for 1 minute, pour in milk, stir all the time. Broccoli, disassembled into inflorescences, boil in this sauce for 20 minutes until soft. Half of the grated cheese is added to the filling. Cauliflower inflorescences are placed in a vessel, poured with sauce. Sprinkle on top with the remaining cheese and crumbs (chopped bread with spices and olive oil), bake in the oven at 180 ° C for 1 hour. Readiness is determined by the crispness.

Many people cook flan from cauliflower. For the dish you will need the following ingredients:

• cauliflower - 800 g;
• butter - 6 tbsp. l.
• eggs - 3 pcs.;
• milk - 230 ml;
• flour - 3 tbsp. l .;
• thick sour cream - 100 ml;
• onions - 1 head;
• dill;
• ground black pepper;
• salt.

The flour is fried in oil, the milk is poured in and boiled for half an hour, stirring all the time. The inflorescences are boiled in a water bath for 40-50 minutes. Beaten eggs are mixed with chopped onions and sour cream, poured into the prepared sauce, spices are added. Cauliflower is cooked in separate pots, which are greased with oil, sauce sauce is added, sprinkled with dill, baked in the oven for 25 minutes at 180 ° C.

Cabbage is versatile in cooking

Cauliflower flowers and leaves are also cooked. They are fried in batter, in bread crumbs, prepare first courses, side dishes for the second, add to salads.

Cauliflower is fermented, pickled, frozen. Do homework. The Royal Luxury recipe is a good one. The following ingredients are used:

• cauliflower - 2 kg;
• beets - 1 pc.;
• carrots - 1 pc.;
• peppercorns - 6 pcs.;
• allspice peas - 3 pcs.;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• sugar - 100 g;
• salt - 100 g;
• water - 1.5 liters.

Grind beets and carrots. Inflorescences and grated vegetables are placed in a jar, spices are added, whole garlic. Bring water with sugar and salt to a boil. The brine is poured hot into jars, left warm for 3-4 days. After this time, close with a nylon lid, store in a cool place.

For medicinal purposes

Cauliflower has found application in medical practice due to the following properties:

• promotes tissue regeneration;
• positively affects the work of the digestive tract: it is easily digested and absorbed, does not irritate the mucous membrane;
• strengthens the immune system;
• prevents inflammation of the skin;
• prevents the occurrence of depressive conditions, chronic fatigue;
• improves heart function;
• removes cholesterol from the body;
• strengthens the walls of blood vessels.

In case of insufficient secretion of gastric juice, a diet of cauliflower is recommended. For this purpose, it is used boiled. Vegetables are often consumed in order to prevent female oncological diseases. The substance indole-3-carbinol contained in them is involved in the process of estrogen metabolism. They are contraindicated in gout.

Juice is prepared from cauliflower. It is used for gastritis, diabetes, bronchitis, kidney disorders, liver disease, gum disease.

Cauliflower should be in every home. She will definitely find a use.

Varieties

Cauliflower has many varieties, which differ in the shape of the leaves and the size of the heads. The classification of popular varieties by ripening time (from the appearance of the first shoots) is presented in the table

Unusual views

Cheddar F1 is an early variety. This is a cauliflower with an orange head. It contains a large amount of carotene. Fruit weight - from 1 to 2 kg. It is consumed fresh, frozen.

The variety surprises with the color of the head

The Purple Beauty is a mid-season species. It has a deep purple color. The average weight of a head of cabbage is 1.5 kg. The shape is rounded, slightly flattened. Positive characteristic: cold-resistant, immune to disease, stored for a long time. The popularity of purple cauliflower has grown tremendously recently.

Growing

When performing all agrotechnical processes, cauliflower pleases with a good harvest. You can enjoy fresh vegetables for a long time if you grow by seedling. Also, for this purpose, several varieties are planted.

Seedling

Seed planting time is mid-March under greenhouse conditions. If the seedlings grow in cold greenhouses - May 15-20. The timing is adjusted in accordance with the climatic conditions of the region.

The timing of flowering and its fertility depend on the observance of the sowing time and correct fertilization.

It is convenient to use peat pots for seedlings, then the plants are planted in a permanent place without picking. For growing seedlings, heated greenhouses are used, in which a garden bed is prepared. The soil is disinfected, and then saturated with microelements. To do this, 1 sq. m make:

• 0.5 kg of humus;
• 70 g superphosphate;
• 30 g of potassium sulfate.

Use a line sowing method, the distance between the rows is 15-20 cm. The seeds are placed at a depth of 5 mm. Sprinkle them with fine mulch or sand, slightly moisten the soil.While the seedlings germinate, they provide a temperature of 18-20 ° C. Then it is lowered to 5-6 ° C. After 5-6 days, it is increased again to 15 ° C. With such a temperature regime for cauliflower, its organs develop correctly.

The pick is made after 1-2 weeks. The seedlings must be strong and healthy. To do this, it is fertilized 3-4 times:

• 2 weeks after picking (50 g of nitrophoska per 10 liters of water is applied at the root);
• in the phase of 1-2 true leaves (1 g of a mixture of molybdenum and boron per 10 liters of water, the resulting solution is sprayed with plantings);
• in the phase of 4 true leaves (20 g of nitrophoska per 10 liters of water is applied at the root);
• 10 days after the previous one (50-60 g of nitrophoska, 2 g of boric acid, manganese sulfate and copper sulfate per 10 liters of container, this is a root top dressing).

The soil is moistened after fertilization. Watering is carried out as the topsoil dries up. Before planting, the plants are hardened. The seedlings are ready to plant when the cauliflower has a strong root, straight stem and 5 leaves.

Landing

First, they cook in the garden. To do this, in the fall, lime or dolomite flour, mineral fertilizers are added to it, and they are dug up. In early spring - wood ash. The culture loves wet, heavy soils. Chernozems or loams are suitable for its cultivation.

It is better if tomatoes, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, beets, and legumes grew on the site before. Bad predecessors are radishes, radishes, turnips, rutabagas. Seedlings are planted according to the 50x50 scheme. The well is fertilized with the following composition: a little humus, 5-7 g of nitrophoska. The roots are powdered with a biostimulant called Kornevin. After planting, watering is carried out: 1 liter of water for each plant.

Care

Proper care will ensure a good harvest

When growing, cauliflower requires certain rules to be followed. Providing optimal conditions contributes to a good harvest.

Watering and loosening

This is a moisture-loving culture. She needs constant hydration. Cabbage in the first days after planting requires a large amount of water, then watering is done 2 times a week. Adult plants moisturize less often: once every 7-10 days. Both the lack of moisture and its excess are harmful, therefore, the amount of water introduced is monitored.

After each watering, the soil is loosened to a depth of 6 cm. At the same time, weeding is performed. Mulching helps control weeds. It also contributes to the retention of moisture in the ground.

Shading

If the cauliflower bloomed quickly, and the heads darken or turn yellow, the sun harms the plants. The heads of cabbage become loose and unsuitable for consumption. To prevent this, the upper leaves are tied in a bunch above the head.

Top dressing

Fertilization is an important cultivation activity. The culture requires the introduction of the following trace elements: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, and also loves boron and molybdenum. With their lack, plants get sick. If there is not enough nitrogen, the upper leaves turn pale green, the lower ones turn blue or red. Phosphorus starvation is manifested by shrinking leaves. Their color ranges from dark green to purple. With a lack of potassium, the leaves turn yellow. In all cases, the growth of the head of cabbage is delayed.

To provide plants with nutrients, the following fertilizing is carried out:

• 2 weeks after disembarkation. Use the following solution: 0.5 l of liquid mullein, 1 tbsp. l. complete mineral fertilizer, 10 liters of water. Consumption - 5 liters per 1 sq. m.
• 7-10 days after the first one. The following agent is used: 30 g of ammonium nitrate, 2 g of potassium chloride, 40 g of superphosphate, 2 g of boric acid, 10 l of water.
• During the formation of heads of cabbage. The following substance is effective: 10 liters of mullein solution (1: 8), 30 g of ammonium nitrate, 30 g of superphosphate, 20 g of calcium chloride.

Diseases and pests

Cauliflower is affected by various diseases:

• mucous bacteriosis;
• black leg;
• altenariosis;
• viral mosaic.

To combat them, it is forbidden to use chemicals.It is still impossible to prepare infusions from poisonous plants. Biofungicides are used against fungi: Gaupsin, Fitosporin, Alirin-B, Gamair, Planriz, Trichodermin, Gipokladin, Binoram, Trichopol. They are not harmful to human health. In order for the drugs to give an effective result, they must be used regularly. The first treatment is carried out in the spring and repeated every 10-12 days until the crop is harvested.

Cauliflower also suffers from pests:

• cabbage whites;
• aphids;
• cabbage fly;
• worms.

Slugs and snails are very dangerous. To fight them, dusting with wood ash is done. It is sprinkled on the ground under the plants and in the aisles. Bioinsecticides are used to control other pests. The following drugs are effective: Bitoxibacillin, Bicol, Boverin, Verticillin.

Conclusion

Cauliflower dishes are very tasty and healthy, so they should be in the diet of every person. The vegetable also has beneficial effects on health.

To always have cauliflower on the table, you need to make every effort: the culture is capricious. It requires compliance with all the rules of growing and care.