[Natasha]

Well, I've had my allotment for a year now and I'm starting to experiment with packets of seeds I can't fit in the back garden. 

One of these was cauliflower ' All the Year Round' which was free from a magazine.  The seeds are still in date.  They were planted quite late - some time between late May and early July, but I managed to mislay the seed label with the date on. 

I have curds! Now, this immediately makes them the best cauliflowers I have ever grown.  However, my largest curd is about one and a half inches across.  The plants look like a row of purple sprouting broccoli, only with white curds.  (They are definitely caulis!)

So my question is, do the curds increase in size once they appear or is this it?  Will they turn into fine enormous cauliflowers or should I pick the entire row at once and have them in single meal, because that's all I have got?

I really have no idea.  I've seen seeds, plants and full-blown caulis but I don't know how they get from A to B to C.  I'm still thrilled mind you.  These are the best caulis ever! 

[Comfreypatch]

They will get bigger, mine are small at the moment but bigger than last week. They are not the same variety as yours. If the curd gets exposed bend a leaf over it to protect it from the sun! Pick them when you think they are big enough for a meal, depends how many you are feeding. I don't like to let mine get to large.

[Natasha]

They will get bigger! That's amazing news.  Thank you!  (I would have been quite happy with what I've got - my lovey one and a half inch cauliflowers.)  I'm off to bed grinning from ear to ear now

[TheWhiteRabbit]

They will get bigger but they'll get to a point where they'll then start to loosen up. That can happen quite quickly so keep an eye on them. I don't think they taste any worse for being on the loose side but it doesn't look quite as pretty!

[Comfreypatch]

Natasha I am posting a pic of one I picked today, didn't think any were ready then OH spied this one

[Comfreypatch]

Can anyone tell me why some of my caulis get a pink bloom on them?  I thought maybe it was the sun but they are protected by their leaves and I have enviro mesh on and green shading netting to protect them from the sun. They get it every year some worse than others. I only grow caulis that are ready in the autumn. I am hoping this year it won't happen.

[Natasha]

TheWhiteRabbit, thank you - I shall go down tomorrow after work and see how they are doing.  I love the opportunity to grow new veg that an allotments gives you - different things are doing well there, compared to my garden.  (I've had swede this year, whereas in my grden they are mined to death by slugs, and also my first ever Savoy cabbage!)

[Natasha]

Comfreypatch, wow!  How long do they take to get to that point from the first appearance of the curds?

[Comfreypatch]

Natasha probably about two to three weeks but that's dependant on weather. I must admit I missed that one when looking the other day but the one I did see was about golf ball size and is now at least tennis ball size. I think you need to keep looking regularly as they can soon go over. I don't let them get too large. I can't see the point of growing things to huge sizes they taste much better when smaller and younger. Although saying that some of my cabbages have got enormous this year, must be the weather we've had. Good luck with your caulis. It sounds as though the allotment has better growing potential than your garden.