Cauliflower Flora Blanca - Brassica oleracea
Cauliflower Flora Blanca - Brassica oleracea
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis Flora Blanca
Cauliflower
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Description
The Cauliflower 'Flora Blanca' is an old variety renowned for its very white, dense and regular heads, well protected by enveloping foliage. It is suited for autumn and early winter harvests. This is a variety appreciated by organic gardeners for the reliability of its production, its good field performance and its ability to remain in the ground a little longer, or even to overwinter under light protection. In the kitchen, its crisp and fine heads are suitable for gratins, purées, pickles or freezing.
The cauliflower belongs to the Brassicaceae family. The species is Brassica oleracea var. botrytis. 'Flora Blanca' is part of the white-headed cauliflower group, it is an old Dutch selection variety, sometimes marketed in France under the name "Flora Blanca – Gloire d’automne". Its life cycle is biennial for seed production, but the plant is cultivated as an annual for head harvest.
The plant forms a stocky clump 50 to 70 cm high, with a spread of about 50 to 60 cm, with a short, thick stem bearing a broad collar of leaves. The foliage is abundant, deep green, slightly glaucous and undulate, sheathing the head well. The head (or "pomme") is medium to large in size, well domed, formed of very tight, fine inflorescences, of a pure white, characteristic of this variety which hardly yellows if the soil is cool and the head partially sheltered from light. Depending on conditions, it takes 90 to 130 days between planting and harvest, with a total cultivation time of 4 to 5 months from sowing.
If the head is not cut, it elongates into a ramified flower stem bearing clusters of small yellow flowers with four petals, hermaphroditic, pollinated mainly by insects (bees and other pollinators).
First consumed in Germany only 300 years ago, cauliflower has earned a prime place in our kitchens as it lends itself to many preparations. It can be eaten raw in salads, as an appetiser, or cooked, plain, in a gratin with cheese or accompanied by a curry sauce. It is a low-calorie vegetable rich in vitamin C.
Cauliflower is a demanding vegetable, requiring excellent base manuring and regular moisture.
Harvest: Cauliflower is harvested when its head is very compact by simply cutting it off at ground level.
Storage: Cauliflower does not store very well. It is best consumed soon after harvest. It keeps for a few days in the refrigerator. You can very well freeze it after blanching for 3 minutes in boiling salted water.
The gardener's tip: the cabbage's main enemy, the Large White butterfly (Pieris brassicae) is a pretty cream-white butterfly with small black spots that awakens from April-May to wreak havoc all summer by devouring its leaves. While spraying a solution based on Bacillus Thuringiensis is a curative measure, one can opt for prevention by installing, in a sealed manner on hoops, an insect-proof mesh. These meshes are easy to set up and reusable to protect, for example, your carrot and leek crops.
Harvest
Plant habit
Foliage
Botanical data
Brassica
oleracea var. botrytis
Flora Blanca
Brassicaceae
Cauliflower
Brassica oleacera Flora Blanca – Gloire d’automne
Cultivar or hybrid
Biennial
Planting and care
Sowing: the germination temperature of Cauliflower Flora Blanca is around 12°C and takes about 14 days.
It is sown from April to June for a harvest from September to December.
You can proceed by direct sowing in situ or prepare young plants which will then be installed in the garden in their final position.
Preparation of young plants: at home or in a heated shelter, from late autumn to late spring, or in a cold frame or nursery for the rest of the year, sow the cauliflower seeds at a depth of 1 cm in a tray filled with good sowing compost. Cover lightly with compost or vermiculite. Cover with the transparent lid of the tray or a plastic film until germination. Remember to keep the substrate moist but not waterlogged!
When the seedlings appear strong enough to be handled, prick them out into pots and, for sowings under heated shelter, gradually acclimatise them to cooler temperatures before transplanting them into the garden, when no more frost is to be feared.
Direct sowing: In properly amended and finely worked soil, draw furrows one centimetre deep, spaced 60 cm apart. Sow the seeds and cover them with a thin layer of fine soil; when the seedlings are well developed, thin them out, keeping only one young plant every 60 cm or so.
Cultivation
Cauliflower is a greedy vegetable, requiring well-manured soil, rich in nitrogen and potash. It is advisable to make a generous application of mature compost (about 3/4 kg per m2), preferably in autumn, by raking it in to a depth of 5 cm, after having, as with any vegetable crop, thoroughly loosened the soil. It is not very tolerant regarding soil pH, which should be between 5.6 and 6.5. In acidic soil, care must be taken to gradually raise this pH by applying calcium in the form of Dolomite or Lime.
Cauliflower, like all cabbages, is quite susceptible to diseases such as Clubroot and to pests (Cabbage White, Cabbage Root Fly, Flea Beetle, Gall Midge...), so it is very important for this crop to pay attention to crop rotation.
Its association is favourable with many vegetables such as tomato, lettuce... But avoid planting it near other Brassicaceae as well as near courgette, fennel, corn salad, leek and strawberry.
Seedlings
Care
Intended location
Planting & care advice
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Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
The flowering period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, etc.)
It will vary according to where you live:- In zones 9 to 10 (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), flowering will occur about 2 to 4 weeks earlier.
- In zones 6 to 7 (Germany, Poland, Slovenia, and lower mountainous regions), flowering will be delayed by 2 to 3 weeks.
- In zone 5 (Central Europe, Scandinavia), blooming will be delayed by 3 to 5 weeks.
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands).
It will vary according to where you live:
- In Mediterranean zones (Marseille, Madrid, Milan, etc.), autumn and winter are the best planting periods.
- In continental zones (Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, etc.), delay planting by 2 to 3 weeks in spring and bring it forward by 2 to 4 weeks in autumn.
- In mountainous regions (the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, etc.), it is best to plant in late spring (May-June) or late summer (August-September).
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.
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