Applications of fertilizer to developing seedlings begin when leaves appear, usually with a starter solution weekly. Ideal growing temperatures are about 18В вЊ (65В вЏ) when seedlings are 25 to 35 days old. In soil that is loose, well-drained and fertile, field seedlings are shallow-planted 1В cm ( 1вЃ„ 2В in) and thinned by ample space вЂ“ about 12 plants per 30В cm (1В ft). Transplantable cauliflowers can be produced in containers as flats, hotbeds, or in the field. Long periods of sun exposure in hot summer weather may cause cauliflower heads to discolor with a red-purple hue. In the northern hemisphere, fall season plantings in July may enable harvesting before autumn frost. The earliest maturity possible for cauliflower is 7 to 12 weeks from transplanting. Climate Д«ecause weather is a limiting factor for producing cauliflower, the plant grows best in moderate daytime temperatures 21вЂ“29В вЊ (70вЂ“85В вЏ), with plentiful sun, and moist soil conditions high in organic matter and sandy soils. Horticulture Д¬auliflower is relatively difficult to grow compared to cabbage, with common problems such as an underdeveloped head and poor curd quality. The ultimate origin of the name is from the Latin words caulis (cabbage) and flЕЌs (flower). The word 'cauliflower' derives from the Italian cavolfiore, meaning 'cabbage flower'. It was introduced to India in 1822 by the British. They were introduced to France from Genoa in the 16th century, and are featured in Olivier de Serres' ThГ©Гўtre de l'agriculture (1600), as cauli-fiori 'as the Italians call it, which are still rather rare in France they hold an honorable place in the garden because of their delicacy', but they did not commonly appear on grand tables until the time of Louis XIV.

ДЇranГ§ois Pierre La Varenne employed chouxfleurs in Le cuisinier franГ§ois. This association continued into Western Europe, where cauliflowers were sometimes known as Cyprus colewort, and there was extensive trade in western Europe in cauliflower seeds from Cyprus, under the French Lusignan rulers of the island, until well into the 16th century. In the Middle Ages, early forms of cauliflower were associated with the island of Cyprus, with the 12th- and 13th-century Arab botanists Ibn al-'Awwam and Ibn al-Baitar, claiming its origin to be Cyprus.

Pliny's description likely refers to the flowering heads of an earlier cultivated variety of Brassica oleracea.

Pliny the Elder included cyma among cultivated plants he described in Natural History: ' Ex omnibus brassicae generibus suavissima est cyma,' ('Of all the varieties of cabbage the most pleasant-tasted is cyma').

Cauliflower seedlings