[AlaninCarlisle]

Is there a trick I'm missing here? I've tried most popular varieties, work hard on the soil incorporating loads of well-rotted horse muck and dress with Growmore in early summer but the curds before they start to flower are barely five inches across,about half the size of those in Tesco etc

[mumofstig]

I wish I could get mine to that size   

That's no help at all, but thought it needed saying 

[Eightball]

make sure to really really firm the ground in around the plants when you put them in. The roots can get damaged from wind rock and that sets back the plant. The firm ground helps to protect against it.

[AlaninCarlisle]

What puzzles me is that the ones that the Supermarkets sell as British will be probably grown in their millions on 20 acre fields in Lincolnshire where the special treatment that you correctly advocate and the loving care that I give them are impossible

[JayG]

They probably have an arsenal of pesticides and artificial fertilisers at their disposal to help them, which of course you finish up eating the residues of (I'm not suggesting they're dangerous, and I'm quite a long way from being a 100% organic grower myself, but at least you know what went into growing your (sometimes rather small  ) portions of veg, plus the satisfaction of having actually grown your own!) 

[devonbarmygardener]

I'm just chuffed this year I managed to grow it at all!

I grew 'Ironman' if thats any help

[Sparkyrog]

What puzzles me is that the ones that the Supermarkets sell as British will be probably grown in their millions on 20 acre fields in Lincolnshire where the special treatment that you correctly advocate and the loving care that I give them are impossible

Re the treatment the ground is probably ploughed ,normal depth is 6 " worked down with a power harrow maybe 4" then rolled with a 3 to 6 tonne roller before being drilled then rolled again !

[boldondig]

What I have learnt is that spacing can effect the size of the cabbage. My plot neighbour grows huge cabbage but spaces them at least 2 foot apart. I grow mine under netting to protect them - plant them at 9" spacing and get smaller ( but really nice and undamaged ) cabbages.

[m1ckz]

i grew russian this year,,havested in late june ,,8 an 10 inches across   great crop

[mumofstig]

I can't find Russian Calabrese seed listed anywhere 

[3759allen]

i used to work on a farm sowing and cutting cauliflowers and can only put there success down to all the chemicals that get sprayed on the soil and plants.

i can assure you it's not love and care. we used to throw the plants around, stack them upside down on each other to transport, some were absolutely dry and knackered by being left in the sun and all just got thrown down the holes in the planter. but our farm was one of the biggest supplier of cauliflower in kent and renowned for it's quality.

i keep hearing about them suffering from stress, but this doesn't seem right due to how we "stressed the plants we planted".

i don't actually know why it's so hard to grow them in the garden or plot, i'm having exactly the same problem though. it annoys me. lol

[m1ckz]

jdtbasketman .....is the name i got them from on ebay,,,type that in on ebay

[seaside]

I have seen two allotments this year with calabrese almost the size of footballs. One was sown with green manure and dug in at the beginning of March, and one plot was a newly opened site on real fertile virgin meadow land.
It's so obviously all about the soil and nutrients. Farmers analyse their soil, which is a good idea, and then chuck all sorts of chemicals into it, which isn't a good idea, unless you're earning a living and eat elsewhere.

[devonbarmygardener]

i grew russian this year,,havested in late june ,,8 an 10 inches across   great crop

 
Wow.

I'm sensing ebay might sell out of russian calabrese!

[mumofstig]

I still can't find them - so maybe not