When to sow Cauliflower (summer) in the UK
Cauliflower (summer) 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 (summer) 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 | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| South Coast and Channel | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| South East and Home Counties | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| East Anglia | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| Wales and West Coast | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| Northern England | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| Northern Ireland | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | mid January to late February | early April to early May | early April to mid May | early June to early August |
About the earliest indoor dates
The indoor sowing dates shift with your local last frost, because that is what decides when the seedling can go outside. Under glass, though, the limiting factor is daylight rather than frost. In the mildest regions the table pulls this sowing back into midwinter, and a UK windowsill in January has neither the light nor the day length to raise a sturdy plant — you get pale, drawn seedlings that never catch up. Unless you are growing under supplementary lighting, treat mid February as the practical earliest sowing for cauliflower (summer) however mild your area.
Growing notes
Sow early-summer varieties indoors in mid- to late winter and move them outdoors about six weeks later for curds in early summer. Any check to growth from dryness or root disturbance produces tiny, loose curds, so water generously and never let the plants dry out.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 60 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 60 cm
- Plants per m²
- 3
- Days to maturity
- 150 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.8 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- 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
- boron deficiency
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for cauliflower (summer).