The message
from Pushkin contains these words:


As new vegetable gardeners my husband and I decided to grow beans,
sprouts and winter cauliflowers. We had a successful crop of
everything except cauliflowers. They grew plenty of leaves but not one
flower. In the Autumn my husband cut back the larger leaves on the
outside of the plants thinking that this would enable the flower to
grow
I should be grateful for any help/advice etc.

Just a guess....mild winter, or cutting back the leaves, may have
knocked them off-course and delayed things?

Even veg longterm gardeners often have a failure of one crop or
another. Don't rush to pull them out, they might have a last-minute
fling. Keep an eye out because once the flower starts, it grows very
fast.

I only grow summer ones, which are very straight forward. Leave all
the leaves on because as the flower or curd starts to form, you can pin
the biggest leaves across it with a threaded stick, to keep it clean
pale and tight. For anyone who hasn't grown cauliflowers, they are one
of those veg whose fresh-picked taste and tenderness is vastly superior
to shop bought. Delicious cut at tennis-ball size and steamed whole.


Janet.