Fall is an excellent time to grow cole crops such as broccoli, cabbage, and different varieties of cauliflower. The cool fall weather makes them produce better and sweeter, and most of the bugs that bother them in the spring are long gone, so temptations to spend money on any control are greatly reduced. The trick I have found for a successful fall crop is to go with transplants, but I have not had much success growing my own cole starts during the summer months. My trick is that I have found in late June that several local nurseries that have some cole starts left over from earlier in the spring. At that time I buy what I can, and transplant in spots where peas, beets, or other early season crop has been harvested. Even if I have to wait a little while for those other crops to mature, I keep those transplants healthy as long as I can until space is available. The transplants may sulk a little bit in the hot weather, but as summer progresses, and as the weather cools, most of my plants are in the perfect position to thrive, and I’m harvesting by early October. This year I was lucky enough to find cauliflower varieties including Cheddar, Purple, and a Romanesco type that looks quite peculiar, but tastes really good, and these varieties require no blanching at all.
I always found this Romanesco variety of cauliflower to appear quite evil, but it is my family's favorite! I really need to try Brussell Sprouts next year!
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