Autumn Giant Cauliflower Seeds Gondian - Brassica oleracea

The Autumn Giant cauliflower seed packet (reference : 28375681) carries a late-season variety of Brassica oleracea: sown in spring, it heads up just as the vegetable garden starts to empty.

A variety that fills the late season

Its value lies in its calendar. It is sown from April to June and cut from October to December, which is to say once the tomatoes, the courgettes and the beans are finished. It takes the space they leave, and holds it into the depth of winter.

It is a long cycle — count several months between sowing and cutting. In return, the plant has all the time it needs to build a dense, heavy curd with even florets, rather than a hollow head rushed to maturity.

The inturned leaves, and what they do

This is the feature the seed house puts forward : the leaves close over the head instead of opening into a rosette. They screen it from sun and rain, and that is what keeps the curd properly white — an exposed cauliflower yellows or spots.

The other effect is seasonal. A harvest running into December is bound to meet cold nights, and the foliage capping the head then serves as cover. Nothing stops you adding a fleece in harsh weather, but the variety does not depend on it.

Sowing, transplanting, cutting

Sow in a nursery bed, then move the young plants out once they stand up on their own. Cauliflower is a hungry crop : it wants deep, rich soil that does not dry out. Thin soil gives a small curd, or none at all.

Give it room. The plant reaches 40 to 60 cm and spreads as much ; crowded, it competes with itself. Cut the head off at the base while it is still firm, without waiting for the florets to begin parting.

Full sun, steady watering

It asks for full sun and moderate watering, but above all steady watering. This is where a cauliflower is most often lost : a dry spell mid-cycle, even a short one, checks the plant and the curd stays small.

In the kitchen the head holds up raw, sliced thin, as well as steamed, roasted or melted into a slow dish. It freezes after a quick blanching, which is handy when several plants come ready at once.

The packet and the brand

The seed comes in a Series A packet (16 x 9 cm), produced in the European Union, and intended for home garden use. Gondian is a French seed house founded in 1880, part of Vilmorin Jardin since 2018.