From The Old Farmer's Almanac.
How To Grow Cauliflower
Cauliflower is part of the cabbage family along with broccoli, turnips, and brussels sprouts. It is important that cauliflower be planted early. It should be planted about three to four weeks before the last spring frost. If cauliflower is left to mature in the heat, it can acquire a very bitter taste.
1. Cauliflower seeds should be started indoors about eight weeks before the last expected frost of spring.
2. Seedlings need to be transplanted into the garden about three weeks before the last expected frost. Seedlings should be about six inches tall at this time.
3. Plant your cauliflower about eighteen inches apart in prepared garden soil. Cover the roots with dirt until you are just shy of touching the bottom leaves. Next, build out a little ring of soil around each plant. This will help hold moisture.
4. When the heads are between three to five inches across, you should prepare to blanch them. Blanching blocks the cauliflower heads from receiving direct sunlight. This keeps them sweet tasting and creamy white. To blanch, you should tie the leaves up around the cauliflower head. Just be certain that you do not tie the leaves too tight around the cauliflower heads. You want to allow the heads adequate room so they can continue growing as well as air circulation around the head. Blanching takes between five and eight days.
5. Depending upon the variety of cauliflower you have, you will harvest when the heads are between six and twelve inches across. You should harvest your cauliflower before the tight flower buds open. If you wait until the flower buds open and the flowers becomes loose, your cauliflower will start to loose its sweet taste. To harvest, cut the cauliflower just below the head.
From the comments I received at the last post it would appear that we are all ready for the idea that vegetable and fruit growing will be on the rise. Genie mentioned that the resurgence in vegetable gardening may be partly because we “have the Food Network to thank for some of this. People are learning how to cook better, and therefore want better ingredients, and a lot of that is because they’re being exposed to cooking in a way they hadn’t ever before.” I think Genie is correct. I have always found the Food Network a source of interesting programming and have spent time watching Emeril, Bobby Flay, and the rest. I think however that the real action is on the Internet. Lets face it, we are a voyeuristic society and find it fun to see what our neighbors are up to. That’s why I think its more fun to see what Genie or Melinda have cooked up. People want to be a part of a community, and its a lot easier to be a part of a food bloggers community than Bobby Flays.
I noticed that Melinda is involved in a “dark days of winter” food challenge. Here are the rules, “eat 90% local for every meal, an average of 50% from the garden. If we can’t get something local, we’ll purchase bulk and organic from a local supplier. Coffee, tea, spices and sugar will be organic, sustainable harvested and fair trade whenever possible. (There are some exceptions for traveling when we do.)” What I take away from this is her enthusiasm for the challenge. Its not a drag to do these things, but fun!It’s a challenge and its fun to see if you can do it. Gardening and eating local can be fun? Who would have guessed.
Here is why I think this stuff will lead to a growth in vegetable and fruit gardening. We’re talking about it! People are talking and sharing. Its so much easier to comment at a garden/food blog than at HGTV. Sure they accept e-mail but do you really think Emeril is going to write back? Community is built by a back and forth between community members. That back and forth is easily facilitated by blogging. This acts as a magnet for other people who feel the same way. Its starting to happen. Like Top Veg said “It is interesting to see how everything is coming together - to bring the increased interest in gardening. It is certainly happening in the UK.” It’s happening here, too.
Sadly, and deplorably, yes!
I stumbled across a site where the REAL geeks hang out and talk about gardening topics when they've run out of gadgets to review. Here at stevenf.com, the blog's author decided to share his views on trees. And it's not a bad review except it comes from one who seems devoid of taking the reviewed item for a test drive in his own garden. Instead, it comes from a guy loitering around car yards kicking the tyre rims to test their value.
But, I'm not about to berate him on his views of trees and their worth to society. He doesn't claim to be a passionate gardener, after all.
Yet reading through his comments you'll find some obvious gardening EXPERTS spreading their views upon the geekdom realm.
Trees are for noobs, I'm all about the shrubbery.
or,
Personally, I think trees are vastly overrated. A lot of tree-fanatics and tree heads claim their existence improves the vista, that they're pretty or somesuch nonsense, but when I look out of my window right now, all I see are ugly brownish stumps. My proposal would be to only have trees during the summer; they are an eyesore in winter.
and then this gem from someone who KNOWS,
Excellent review. We've got a number of trees installed at my house, although I wonder whether their much-hyped environmental benefits are all they're cracked up to be, especially when you consider the huge amount of waste they generate (do you have any idea how many different chemicals are in a leaf?!)[Emphasis mine]
All this from guys who are helping the environment by increasing server power, updating superfluous gadgetry and caring little about their carbon footprint.
It hit me hard though, when I read one commenter recommending the Brotherhood of the Anti-Arboreal Association - treehater.com. Treehater? People HATE trees? Wow! What kind of mixed up society do we live in?
Hey, Treehaters - try breathing without them!
"A tree beside the sandy
The coast live oak I planted beneath the pine last October is struggling. You can see the top of the oak's head peeking over the rocks at the base of the pine tree in both pictures. I expected some die back as it settled into it’s new home, but it’s going to have to work for a living - at least until it finds the secret paths beneath the waterfall rocks that have kept the pine alive. Both trees are situated in the high point of the yard, amid large rocks tossed there 40 years ago by the home builder to clear the footprint where the house stands (see the roof in the background of the second picture). 
My design here is pretty simple. The idea is that by the time the old pine finally succumbs, the live oak will stand ready to take it’s place, eventually providing shade for whoever else manages to cling to the meager soil and patiently assist the granite in its decomposition. 