Cauliflower Winter Aalsmeer
Cauliflower Winter Aalsmeer
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis Winter Aalsmeer
Cauliflower
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This plant carries a 6 months recovery warranty
More information
We guarantee the quality of our plants for a full growing cycle, and will replace at our expense any plant that fails to recover under normal climatic and planting conditions.
Description
The 'Winter Aalsmeer' Cauliflower (in Latin, Brassica oleracea botrytis) is a very hardy variety, awarded by the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society, which withstands cold weather very well and produces beautiful creamy white bouquets, well protected by its foliage. Its growth is slow, making it a "long-term" crop. This cauliflower is sown from May to June for a harvest 40 to 46 weeks later.
A beautiful immaculate white and even, in recent years, cheerfully yellow, orange or violet, the Cauliflower is a flower vegetable whose fleshy meristem is consumed. It belongs to the large family of Brassicaceae (formerly Crucifers) and bears the Latin name Brassica oleracea botrytis. Sometimes called Cyprus Cabbage, the Cauliflower is a biennial vegetable plant whose presumed origin is China.
Consumed for the first time in Germany only 300 years ago, this vegetable has found a special place in our kitchens because it lends itself to many preparations. It can be eaten raw in salads or cooked, plain, in a gratin with béchamel sauce, or accompanied by a curry sauce that complements its flavour. It is a low-calorie vegetable and rich in vitamin C.
There are many varieties of Cauliflowers, each with a distinct growing period that should be respected. Thus, by carefully choosing your seeds, you can have this vegetable all year round.
Cauliflower is a demanding vegetable, requiring excellent basal fertilisation and regular moisture.
Harvest: Cauliflower is harvested when its head is compacted by cutting it at ground level.
Storage: Cauliflower does not keep very well. It is best to consume it quickly after harvest. It can be stored for a few days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it after blanching it for 3 minutes in salted boiling water.
Gardener's tip: The main enemy of the cauliflower is the Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae), a pretty cream-white butterfly with small black spots that emerges in April-May to wreak havoc all summer by devouring its leaves. While spraying a solution based on Bacillus Thuringiensis is an acceptable curative measure, we prefer, in our garden, to opt for prevention by installing insect-proof netting tightly on market garden hoops. These nets are easy to install and reusable to protect, for example, your carrot and leek crops.
Harvest
Plant habit
Foliage
Botanical data
Brassica
oleracea var. botrytis
Winter Aalsmeer
Brassicaceae
Cauliflower
Cultivar or hybrid
Annual
Planting and care
Sowing:
The germination temperature of 'Winter Aalsmeer' Cauliflower is around 12° and takes about 14 days.
It is sown from May to June for a harvest 40 to 46 weeks later, from February to May in the following year.
You can either sow directly in the ground or prepare seedlings that will be later transplanted to their final position in the garden.
Preparing seedlings: at home or in a heated shelter from late autumn to late spring, or a cold greenhouse or propagator for the rest of the year, sow the cauliflower seeds at a depth of 1 cm (0in) in a tray filled with good seed compost. Lightly cover with compost or vermiculite. Cover with the transparent lid of the tray or plastic wrap until germination. Don't forget to keep the substrate moist but not waterlogged!
When the young plants appear strong enough to be handled, transplant them into pots and, for seedlings in heated shelters, gradually acclimatise them to cooler temperatures before transplanting them to the garden, when there is no longer any risk of frost.
Direct sowing: In properly amended and finely worked soil, make furrows 1 cm (0in) deep, spaced 60 cm (24in) apart. Sow the seeds and cover them with a thin layer of fine soil. When the seedlings are well developed, thin them out, leaving one plant every 80 cm (32in) or so.
Cultivation:
Cauliflower is a demanding vegetable that requires well-rotted, nitrogen- and potassium-rich soil. It is advisable to apply a generous amount of mature compost (about 3/4 kg per m2) in autumn, by scratching it to a depth of 5 cm (2in), after thoroughly loosening the soil, as is done for all vegetable crops. It is not very tolerant of soil pH, which should be between 5.6 and 6.5. In acidic soil, it will be necessary to gradually raise the pH by adding calcium in the form of Dolomite or Lime.
Cauliflower, like all cabbages, is quite susceptible to diseases such as Clubroot and pests (Cabbage White Butterfly, Cabbage Fly, Flea Beetle, Cabbage Midge...). It is very important, for this crop, to pay attention to crop rotations.
It is beneficial to associate it with many vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce... But avoid planting it next to other Brassicas as well as zucchini, fennel, lamb's lettuce, leeks, and strawberries.
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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