When to sow Cauliflower (autumn) in the UK
Cauliflower (autumn) is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Cauliflower (autumn) is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| South Coast and Channel | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| South East and Home Counties | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| East Anglia | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| Wales and West Coast | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| Northern England | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| Northern Ireland | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early March to late April | mid April to mid May | mid May to late June | late July to late October |
Growing notes
Sow summer/autumn varieties in spring, outdoors from mid- to late spring, for curds from late July to October and sometimes November; cut them before the first frost. Allow 45-60cm between plants and 60cm between rows.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 55 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 60 cm
- Plants per m²
- 3
- Days to maturity
- 170 days
- Yield per plant
- 1 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 25 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 35 cm
- Balcony rating
- 1 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- clubroot
- cabbage white caterpillars
- cabbage root fly
- pigeons
- cabbage whitefly
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for cauliflower (autumn).