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Cauliflower
Habit (mature) · Ahammed Saad / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Limited coverage
Cauliflower
Brassica oleracea (Botrytis Group)
A cool-weather brassica grown for the large, tight head of aborted white flower buds — the "curd" — that forms at the center of a rosette of broad blue-green leaves. The same species as cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi, it is harvested before the curd ever opens into true flowers. Grown as an annual; notoriously fussy, with little tolerance for heat, drought, or cold, it does best in the cool temperatures of spring and fall.
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: moderate (56/100)
Edible
Light
Full sun
Water
Consistent moisture
Mature size
12-30" tall · 18" apart
Hardy in zones
2a-11b
brutally cold to nearly frost-free winters
Summer heat range
Cool-Mild
cool to mild summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
No
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Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder describes cauliflower as a cool-weather vegetable that "can be difficult to grow well in large part because it has little tolerance for heat, drought and cold," favoring spring and fall plantings.
Climate notes
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Well-suited
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea (Botrytis Group)). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/cauliflower
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited18 source-backed.
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes
Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Backs 1 field
Image
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
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