Here is an observation, but given the number of important variables it may not be meaningful.
In 2013 I started a new garden in Virginia and was late transplanting outside some of my crops. I started the cauliflower (and broccoli) indoors in 3.5" plastic pots in February, but couldn't get them transplanted outside until April 23rd, a full two months later. I was getting worried that they were getting tall and root bound but planted them out anyway. The result was 24 out of 24 beautiful large white heads of cauliflower (and a great crop of broccoli as well).
Every year since my cauliflower was terrible, even with the same variety (Snowball X). In fact that same year 2013 my fall planting produced 0 heads from 24 plants. One variable is that all of these subsequent plantings were put out at my normal 5 week old seedling stage instead of the two month old seedlings that produced the great crop of 2013. I'm thinking that the stress of being root bound may have pushed the plants to head, but that is just a theory based on a single observation.
Has anyone else noticed a correlation of seedling age to productivity in cauliflower?
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