When to Plant Cauliflower
Start cauliflower indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost, then plant them out up to 2 weeks before your last frost. For a fall crop, sow again 13 to 16 weeks before your first fall frost.
Cauliflower at a glance
- Start indoors
- 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost
- Plant out
- up to 2 weeks before your last frost
- Fall sowing
- 13 to 16 weeks before your first fall frost
- Time to harvest
- 55 to 80 days from planting out
- Harvest lasts
- about 3 weeks
- Spacing
- 1 plant per square foot
- Frost
- Takes a light frost
Growing cauliflower
Cauliflower is the fussiest of the cabbage family: it needs steady cool weather, rich soil and even watering to form a good head. Choose a quick variety for spring and a longer one for fall, and plant out young plants without disturbing the roots. Colored varieties, from purple to orange and lime green, are a little more forgiving and keep their color in the pot if cooked briefly.
Dates by hardiness zone
Typical dates for each zone; your ZIP code gives your own.
| Zone | Start indoors | Plant out | Sow for fall | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | Apr 2–16 | May 14–28 | May 25 – Jun 15 | Jul 8 – Sep 28 |
| Zone 3b | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 3–17 | Jun 5–26 | Jun 27 – Aug 5 · Aug 27 – Oct 9 |
| Zone 4a | Mar 17–31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 8–29 | Jun 22 – Jul 31 · Aug 30 – Oct 12 |
| Zone 4b | Mar 13–27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 11 – Jul 2 | Jun 18 – Jul 27 · Sep 2 – Oct 15 |
| Zone 5a | Mar 8–22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 15 – Jul 6 | Jun 13 – Jul 22 · Sep 6 – Oct 19 |
| Zone 5b | Mar 6–20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 20 – Jul 11 | Jun 11 – Jul 20 · Sep 11 – Oct 24 |
| Zone 6a | Mar 4–18 | Apr 15–29 | Jun 26 – Jul 17 | Jun 9 – Jul 18 · Sep 17 – Oct 30 |
| Zone 6b | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9–23 | Jul 2–23 | Jun 3 – Jul 12 · Sep 23 – Nov 5 |
| Zone 7a | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 2–16 | Jul 5–26 | May 27 – Jul 5 · Sep 26 – Nov 8 |
| Zone 7b | Feb 8–22 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Jul 12 – Aug 2 | May 16 – Jun 24 · Oct 3 – Nov 15 |
| Zone 8a | Feb 1–15 | Mar 15–29 | Jul 18 – Aug 8 | May 9 – Jun 17 · Oct 9 – Nov 21 |
| Zone 8b | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Mar 3–17 | Jul 24 – Aug 14 | Apr 27 – Jun 5 · Oct 15 – Nov 27 |
| Zone 9a | Jan 5–19 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Aug 6–27 | Apr 12 – May 21 · Oct 28 – Dec 10 |
| Zone 9b | Dec 7–21 | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Aug 25 – Sep 15 | Mar 14 – Apr 22 · Nov 16 – Dec 29 |
| Zone 10a | Nov 29 – Dec 13 | Jan 10–24 | Sep 6–27 | Mar 6 – Apr 14 · Nov 28 – Jan 10 |
| Zones 10b–11b | Frost is rare here, so grow cauliflower in the cooler months, from fall to early spring. | |||
Questions about cauliflower
Do purple and orange cauliflowers need covering?
No. Colored varieties keep their color in the sun, so you can skip tying the leaves over them.
Why is my cauliflower head small?
Stress while the plants are young, from dry soil, cold or crowding, can make them head early and small. Keep them growing steadily with even watering.
