When to Plant Cauliflower in Brisbane, Subtropical Guide
That soil figure is read off our own weather station in South East Queensland at 6:55 this morning, not a model.
What this month normally looks like in Subtropical
In October the Subtropical zone normally runs 27°C by day and 15°C overnight, with about 77 mm of rain over 7 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -0.2°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 33 postcodes, SILO.
Jump to section
This Cauliflower guide is written for the Subtropical zone, which takes in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Mar to Jun
- Days to harvest
- about 17 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 60 cm apart
Cauliflower is a cool season brassica grown for its white curd. It is one of the fussier members of the cabbage family.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Subtropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar S
- Apr S/T
- May T
- Jun T
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Subtropical zone right now, Cauliflower included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Cauliflower in Subtropical Australia
- Soil
- Moist, well drained, fertile soil with plenty of compost (Yates). Firm the soil, and avoid beds that held brassicas in recent years.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- Sunlight
- Full sun, at least 6 hours (Bunnings, Yates).
- Spacing
- 60cm apart
- Watering
- Give 2 to 4 cm of water a week (Bunnings) and keep it even. Uneven water and heat can cause buttoning, and overwatering late in the crop can split the head (The Seed Collection).
- Good companions
- Nasturtium, Dwarf Beans, Onion, Cucumber, Dill
- Keep away from
- Lemongrass
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before brassicas go back in. The cabbage family is hungry for nitrogen and shares club root and other soil diseases.
Subtropical Growing Tips for Cauliflower
Recommended Varieties
- Cheddar
- Graffiti
- Snowball
Key Challenges
- Spring warmth arriving before the heads finish
- Caterpillars
- Downy mildew in damp weather
Pro Tips
- Plant on time, because late plantings button
- Net every plant
- Shade the head with its own leaves
Pests and problems for Cauliflower in Subtropical
- Bacterial Spot Watch
- Diamondback Moth Watch
- Cabbage White Butterfly Watch
- Damping Off Use sterile seed-raising mix. Avoid overwatering seedlings. Ensure good drainage and airflow. Sow thinly. Water with chamomile tea as... Watch
- Downy Mildew Downy mildew in damp weather Watch
- Common Garden Snail Watch
- Clubroot Rotate brassicas. Yates suggests avoiding beds that held brassicas in the last 2 years, and WA DPIRD suggests 4 years. Keep tools and soil... Watch
- Caterpillars Caterpillars Watch
Harvesting Cauliflower
When ready: Cut when the head is firm, tight and about 20 cm across (Yates), before the curd starts to loosen.
How to harvest: Cut the head with a sharp knife and leave a few outer leaves attached (Bunnings). Cauliflower makes one head per plant (The Seed Collection), so pull the plant out afterwards.
Storing and preserving cauliflower
How to keep it
- Freezing. No Australian source read for cauliflower. Cut into florets, blanch briefly and freeze, as for other brassicas.
What cauliflower costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Cauliflower
When do you plant cauliflower in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Jul
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Jun
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to Apr, Aug to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan to Mar, Aug to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jan, Sep to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Feb to Jun
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jan to Apr, Aug to Dec
Can you grow cauliflower all year round in Brisbane?
No. In the Subtropical zone the planting months are Mar to Jun. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Cauliflower in Brisbane?
A cool season crop. Start seed in trays in March and April and plant seedlings out from April to June, so the heads form in winter. Planting later than June runs into spring warmth and the heads button or turn loose.
What soil temperature do Cauliflower need?
Cauliflower germinate best when soil temperature is between 10°C and 30°C.
How do I know when Cauliflower are ready to harvest?
Cut when the head is firm, tight and about 20 cm across (Yates), before the curd starts to loosen.
What are the best Cauliflower varieties for Brisbane?
Recommended varieties for the Subtropical zone include: Cheddar, Graffiti, Snowball.
What grows well with Cauliflower?
Good companion plants for Cauliflower include: Nasturtium, Dwarf Beans, Onion, Cucumber, Dill.
Are cauliflower salt tolerant?
Only a little. Cauliflower are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Subtropical zone, Brisbane is its reference city.