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Vegetable Full Sun Regular water

Cauliflower

Written by the GrowByCity Editorial Team · Updated April 2026
2 min read

Demanding but rewarding brassica. Hardy enough to withstand light frosts down to 0°C, cauliflower performs best when daytime temperatures stay between 10°C and 20°C. Give it full sun (6-8 hours of direct light daily) and regular watering to keep soil consistently moist, and expect to harvest in roughly 55-100 days. Widely grown in home gardens around the world, it adapts to a range of soil types and growing conditions.

Harvest 55-100 days
Temp Range 0°C — 24°C
Frost Tolerant ❄

Quick Answer: How to Grow Cauliflower

Cauliflower takes 55-100 days to harvest. It grows best in 10–20°C with full sun and regular watering. Cauliflower is frost tolerant and can handle temperatures down to 0°C. It can be grown in 350 cities worldwide.

Find the best time to plant Cauliflower in your city →

Growing Requirements

☀️
Sun
Full Sun
💧
Water
Regular
❄️
Frost
Tolerant
📅
Harvest
55-100 days

Temperature Range

10-20°C
-10°C 45°C
Optimal: 10–20°C Tolerates: 0–24°C
Tropical suitable: No
Cities growing: 350 of 350

Growing Tips

💡

Expert Tips

Blanch curds by tying leaves over the head. Very sensitive to heat and inconsistent watering. Can be planted 2-3 weeks before the last expected frost, giving it a head start on the growing season. Aim for about 2.5 cm of water per week, adjusting for rainfall. Organic mulch around the base helps maintain even moisture.

Quick Facts

  • Grows in 350 of 350 cities
  • Available in 7 regions worldwide
  • Temperature range: 0°C to 24°C
  • Optimal growing: 10°C to 20°C
  • Harvest in 55-100 days

Did You Know?

  • 🌱 Cauliflower is frost-tolerant, meaning it can survive light frosts and even thrive in cooler temperatures.
  • 🌱 Cauliflower needs at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth.

Step-by-Step Growing Guide

Cauliflower is the most demanding and least forgiving brassica — it requires precise cool temperatures (10–18°C) during head development. Any heat stress, cold shock, or inconsistent watering produces small, loose, or discoloured heads (called 'buttoning'). Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before transplanting for spring crops; transplant when temperatures reliably stay below 24°C. Grow in deeply prepared, fertile soil at pH 6.0–7.5. Incorporate generous compost and 200g per square metre of balanced fertiliser. Space 60–75cm apart in rows 75–90cm apart. Water abundantly and consistently — up to 4cm per week — never allowing soil to dry. Feed with nitrogen fertiliser every 3 weeks. As the central head (curd) begins to form and reaches 5–8cm across, draw outer leaves together over the curd and secure loosely with a rubber band — this 'blanching' keeps curds white and tender, preventing sunlight from creating a yellow or purple discolouration (except in coloured varieties).

Common Pests & Problems

Whiptail (molybdenum deficiency) causes distorted, strap-like leaves and failure to form a proper head — apply sodium molybdate as a foliar spray at 1g per 10 litres in affected gardens. Downy mildew produces irregular yellow patches with grey fuzz on the underside in cool, wet weather — improve spacing and avoid wetting foliage. Brown curd is caused by boron deficiency in sandy or alkaline soils — apply borax at 15g per 10 square metres. Caterpillars and aphids present the same challenges as other brassicas — use Bt spray and insect mesh consistently.

Harvest & Storage

Harvest when the head is 15–25cm across, pure white (for standard types), firm, and tightly curded — before the curd begins to separate and individual florets become visible. Once individual florets start to show, flavour deteriorates within days. Cut with a long knife, leaving several outer leaves intact to protect the curd. Store at 0–1°C with 90–95% humidity for up to 3 weeks. Refrigerated cauliflower head-down in a bag keeps for 1–2 weeks. Blanch and freeze for up to 12 months.

Popular Varieties

Snowball Self-Blanching is the classic white variety with self-wrapping leaves that curl inward to protect the curd naturally — reliable and widely adapted. Cheddar is a stunning orange-curd variety rich in beta-carotene with a milder, slightly sweeter flavour than white types. Purple of Sicily is an heirloom purple variety that turns green when cooked — nutty flavour and dramatic appearance, no need for blanching. Romanesco (often classified as cauliflower or broccoli depending on region) produces the remarkable spiral, chartreuse-green, fractal-patterned head with delicate, nutty flavour.

Companion Plants for Cauliflower

Good Companions

These plants grow well alongside Cauliflower:

Avoid Planting Near

Keep these plants away from Cauliflower:

Learn more about companion planting.

Where to Grow Cauliflower

Cauliflower can be grown in 350 cities across 7 regions worldwide

🌍 Europe (80 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Aarhus, DK hard
Amsterdam, NL hard
Ankara, TR hard
Antalya, TR hard
Athens, GR hard
Barcelona, ES hard
Bari, IT hard
Belgrade, RS hard
Bergen, NO hard
Berlin, DE hard
Bilbao, ES hard
Bologna, IT hard
Bordeaux, FR hard
Bratislava, SK hard
Brussels, BE hard
Bucharest, RO hard
Budapest, HU hard
Catania, IT hard
Cologne, DE hard
Copenhagen, DK hard
Corfu, GR hard
Cork, IE hard
Dublin, IE hard
Dubrovnik, HR hard
Edinburgh, GB hard
Florence, IT hard
Frankfurt, DE hard
Gdansk, PL hard
Genoa, IT hard
Glasgow, GB hard
Gothenburg, SE hard
Hamburg, DE hard
Helsinki, FI hard
Heraklion, GR hard
Istanbul, TR hard
Izmir, TR hard
Krakow, PL hard
Kyiv, UA hard
Limassol, CY hard
Lisbon, PT hard
Ljubljana, SI hard
London, GB hard
Lyon, FR hard
Madrid, ES hard
Malaga, ES hard
Marseille, FR hard
Milan, IT hard
Munich, DE hard
Naples, IT hard
Nice, FR hard
Nicosia, CY hard
Oslo, NO hard
Palermo, IT hard
Paris, FR hard
Porto, PT hard
Poznan, PL hard
Prague, CZ hard
Reykjavik, IS hard
Riga, LV hard
Rome, IT hard
Seville, ES hard
Sofia, BG hard
Split, HR hard
Stockholm, SE hard
Strasbourg, FR hard
Stuttgart, DE hard
Tallinn, EE hard
Thessaloniki, GR hard
Tirana, AL hard
Toulouse, FR hard
Turin, IT hard
Turku, FI hard
Valencia, ES hard
Valletta, MT hard
Verona, IT hard
Vienna, AT hard
Vilnius, LT hard
Warsaw, PL hard
Zagreb, HR hard
Zurich, CH hard

🌏 Asia (79 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Ahmedabad, IN hard
Almaty, KZ hard
Bali, ID hard
Bandung, ID hard
Bangalore, IN hard
Bangkok, TH hard
Beijing, CN hard
Busan, KR hard
Cebu, PH hard
Chandigarh, IN hard
Chengdu, CN hard
Chennai, IN hard
Chiang Mai, TH hard
Chittagong, BD hard
Chongqing, CN hard
Coimbatore, IN hard
Colombo, LK hard
Da Nang, VN hard
Dalian, CN hard
Davao, PH hard
Delhi, IN hard
Dhaka, BD hard
Dharan, NP hard
Fukuoka, JP hard
Galle, LK hard
Guangzhou, CN hard
Hangzhou, CN hard
Hanoi, VN hard
Harbin, CN hard
Ho Chi Minh City, VN hard
Hong Kong, HK hard
Hyderabad, IN hard
Incheon, KR hard
Indore, IN hard
Islamabad, PK hard
Jaipur, IN hard
Jakarta, ID hard
Jeju, KR hard
Johor Bahru, MY hard
Karachi, PK hard
Kathmandu, NP hard
Kochi, IN hard
Kolkata, IN hard
Kuala Lumpur, MY hard
Kunming, CN hard
Kyoto, JP hard
Lahore, PK hard
Lucknow, IN hard
Manila, PH hard
Mumbai, IN hard
Nagoya, JP hard
Nanjing, CN hard
Nha Trang, VN hard
Okinawa, JP hard
Osaka, JP hard
Pattaya, TH hard
Penang, MY hard
Phnom Penh, KH hard
Pune, IN hard
Sapporo, JP hard
Seoul, KR hard
Shanghai, CN hard
Shenzhen, CN hard
Siem Reap, KH hard
Singapore, SG hard
Surabaya, ID hard
Surat, IN hard
Taipei, TW hard
Tashkent, UZ hard
Tbilisi, GE hard
Tokyo, JP hard
Ulaanbaatar, MN hard
Varanasi, IN hard
Vientiane, LA hard
Visakhapatnam, IN hard
Wuhan, CN hard
Xi'an, CN hard
Xiamen, CN hard
Yangon, MM hard

🌎 North America (78 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Albuquerque, US hard
Anchorage, US hard
Atlanta, US hard
Austin, US hard
Baltimore, US hard
Baton Rouge, US hard
Boise, US hard
Boston, US hard
Bridgetown, BB hard
Buffalo, US hard
Calgary, CA hard
Cancun, MX hard
Charleston, US hard
Charlotte, US hard
Chattanooga, US hard
Chicago, US hard
Denver, US hard
Des Moines, US hard
Detroit, US hard
Edmonton, CA hard
El Paso, US hard
Fargo, US hard
Fresno, US hard
Guadalajara, MX hard
Halifax, CA hard
Hartford, US hard
Havana, CU hard
Honolulu, US hard
Houston, US hard
Jacksonville, US hard
Kansas City, US hard
Kingston, JM hard
Knoxville, US hard
Las Vegas, US hard
Little Rock, US hard
Los Angeles, US hard
Louisville, US hard
Lubbock, US hard
Madison, US hard
Memphis, US hard
Mexico City, MX hard
Miami, US hard
Milwaukee, US hard
Minneapolis, US hard
Monterrey, MX hard
Montreal, CA hard
Nashville, US hard
New Orleans, US hard
New York, US hard
Oaxaca, MX hard
Oklahoma City, US hard
Omaha, US hard
Ottawa, CA hard
Panama City, PA hard
Phoenix, US hard
Pittsburgh, US hard
Portland, US hard
Puebla, MX hard
Quebec City, CA hard
Raleigh, US hard
Richmond, US hard
Sacramento, US hard
Salt Lake City, US hard
San Diego, US hard
San Francisco, US hard
San Jose, CR hard
Santo Domingo, DO hard
Saskatoon, CA hard
Savannah, US hard
Seattle, US hard
Spokane, US hard
St. Louis, US hard
Tampa, US hard
Toronto, CA hard
Tucson, US hard
Vancouver, CA hard
Victoria, CA hard
Winnipeg, CA hard

🌍 Africa (39 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Abidjan, CI hard
Accra, GH hard
Addis Ababa, ET hard
Algiers, DZ hard
Antananarivo, MG hard
Arusha, TZ hard
Bamako, ML hard
Bloemfontein, ZA hard
Cairo, EG hard
Cape Town, ZA hard
Casablanca, MA hard
Dakar, SN hard
Dar es Salaam, TZ hard
Douala, CM hard
Durban, ZA hard
Entebbe, UG hard
Fez, MA hard
Freetown, SL hard
Harare, ZW hard
Johannesburg, ZA hard
Kampala, UG hard
Kigali, RW hard
Kinshasa, CD hard
Lagos, NG hard
Libreville, GA hard
Lilongwe, MW hard
Lome, TG hard
Luanda, AO hard
Lusaka, ZM hard
Maputo, MZ hard
Marrakech, MA hard
Mombasa, KE hard
Nairobi, KE hard
Ouagadougou, BF hard
Port Louis, MU hard
Pretoria, ZA hard
Tunis, TN hard
Windhoek, NA hard
Zanzibar, TZ hard

🌎 South America (39 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Arequipa, PE hard
Asuncion, PY hard
Barranquilla, CO hard
Belem, BR hard
Bogota, CO hard
Brasilia, BR hard
Buenos Aires, AR hard
Cali, CO hard
Campinas, BR hard
Caracas, VE hard
Cartagena, CO hard
Concepcion, CL hard
Cordoba, AR hard
Curitiba, BR hard
Cusco, PE hard
Fortaleza, BR hard
Georgetown, GY hard
Goiania, BR hard
Guayaquil, EC hard
La Paz, BO hard
Lima, PE hard
Manaus, BR hard
Medellin, CO hard
Mendoza, AR hard
Montevideo, UY hard
Paramaribo, SR hard
Port of Spain, TT hard
Porto Alegre, BR hard
Quito, EC hard
Recife, BR hard
Rio de Janeiro, BR hard
Rosario, AR hard
Salvador, BR hard
Santa Cruz, BO hard
Santiago, CL hard
Sao Paulo, BR hard
Sucre, BO hard
Trujillo, PE hard
Valparaiso, CL hard

🌊 Oceania (19 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Adelaide, AU hard
Alice Springs, AU hard
Auckland, NZ hard
Brisbane, AU hard
Cairns, AU hard
Canberra, AU hard
Christchurch, NZ hard
Darwin, AU hard
Dunedin, NZ hard
Gold Coast, AU hard
Hamilton, NZ hard
Hobart, AU hard
Melbourne, AU hard
Noumea, NC hard
Perth, AU hard
Suva, FJ hard
Sydney, AU hard
Townsville, AU hard
Wellington, NZ hard

🕌 Middle East (16 cities)

City Level JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Abu Dhabi, AE hard
Amman, JO hard
Baghdad, IQ hard
Beirut, LB hard
Doha, QA hard
Dubai, AE hard
Erbil, IQ hard
Jeddah, SA hard
Kuwait City, KW hard
Manama, BH hard
Muscat, OM hard
Riyadh, SA hard
Sana'a, YE hard
Tabriz, IR hard
Tehran, IR hard
Tel Aviv, IL hard

When should I plant cauliflower in my city?

The best time to plant cauliflower depends on your local climate zone. It thrives in temperatures between 10°C and 20°C. Since cauliflower is frost tolerant, you can plant it before the last frost date. Check your city's planting calendar on GrowByCity for exact dates.

Can I grow cauliflower in winter?

Yes, cauliflower is frost tolerant and can handle temperatures down to 0°C. In many climates, it can be grown through winter with some protection.

Get Cauliflower Seeds & Plants

Ready to start growing? Find Cauliflower seeds and starter plants online.

People Also Search For

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Similar Growing Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions about Cauliflower

When should I plant cauliflower?

The best time to plant cauliflower depends on your local climate. Cauliflower grows best in temperatures between 10°C and 20°C (can tolerate 0°C to 24°C). Cauliflower is frost tolerant, so it can be planted earlier in spring or later in fall. Check your city's planting calendar on GrowByCity for exact planting months.

Can cauliflower grow in tropical climates?

Cauliflower is not well-suited for tropical climates. It prefers cooler conditions with temperatures between 10°C and 20°C. In tropical areas, it may bolt, fail to fruit, or suffer from heat stress. Consider growing it in cooler seasons or at higher elevations.

How long does cauliflower take to grow?

Cauliflower typically takes 55-100 days from planting to harvest. It requires full sun and regular watering. Blanch curds by tying leaves over the head. Very sensitive to heat and inconsistent watering. Can be planted 2-3 weeks before the last expected frost, giving it a head start on the growing season. Aim for about 2.5 cm of water per week, adjusting for rainfall. Organic mulch around the base helps maintain even moisture.

Find the Best Time to Plant Cauliflower

See the planting calendar for Cauliflower in these popular cities:

Last updated: March 2026 · Climate data from NOAA, FAO, USDA

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