How Martha Stewart's Gardener Plants Cauliflower To Ensure A Healthy Crop

If you're like Ina Garten and think cauliflower is an underrated veggie, then Martha Stewart's head gardener has some advice for growing your own. Achieving that perfect, creamy color and the best possible taste, all you have to do is protect the head with its own leaves.

Blanching cauliflower heads, as this method is called, is a straightforward process that prevents the swiftly growing curds from turning green or purple. This process is so desired that wide new varieties are "self-blanching," meaning their leaves naturally curl over the head to shade it. After a month, a seedling's head should be a couple of inches across, about the size of an egg. Gently fold the leaves over the head and secure them with your desired tool, like rubber bands, twine, or little plastic clips. Just take care not to damage the leaves, as this may affect the health of your plant, and the leaves themselves are a great side dish!

In warm weather, you should only need to shade your cauliflower head for a few days, maybe a little more than a week. In the fall, growth is slower, so this can take up to three weeks. So long as there's no residual moisture on the cauliflower head and the leaves remain secure, your cauliflower should explode in size, developing a perfect color, taste, and texture. Still, this is just one aspect of growing the perfect crop, and cauliflower has pretty specific needs if you want to grow and harvest it at home.

Growing cauliflower is a challenge for new gardeners, thanks to how environmentally sensitive it is. Even if you supply its shallow roots with regular watering and fertilize it every couple weeks, the most important thing you can do is time your planting to ensure it gets enough sun and the perfect temperatures.

Cauliflower grows best between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit and thrives in full sun. Generally, a couple hours of shade won't harm its growth and can even help if you live in a particularly hot part of the world, but its head may not grow quite as large. Since their roots are so shallow, it may help to tie them to a stake or add a cage, as storms can knock them right over. Maintain a slightly acidic soil pH, around 6.5, to ensure it has a healthy root system and won't develop any diseases.

Once your cauliflower finishes blanching, it'll soon be ready to harvest. When you cut the stem, leave a few leaves around the head to prolong its freshness. A fresh head lasts up to ten days in the fridge, but you can store a whole head in the freezer for up to a year. Be sure to give it a good salt and vinegar deep clean to remove any dirt, and let it dry completely before storing to prevent it from rotting.