50 Best Varieties and Types of Cauliflower with Names and Descriptions

After white cabbage, cauliflower is considered the second most popular vegetable. It's nutritious and hypoallergenic. It's given to one-year-olds as a first food. The appearance of cauliflower varies depending on the variety. Breeders have developed a wide variety for different regions of the country. These colorful heads will be a delight to any garden and will delight the eye until autumn.

Features of cauliflower

Cauliflower differs from regular cauliflower not only in appearance but also in taste. Before growing it, novice gardeners should familiarize themselves with its characteristics.

Pros and cons of planting crops on a plot

Gardeners who have grown cauliflower in their gardens find only one drawback: it doesn't store well. Other reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

There are some nuances of care:

1. Water regularly and moderately. Immediately after transplanting seedlings into the garden, water them three times a week. As the plants grow, reduce watering to twice a week.
2. Cauliflower doesn't like loosening the soil around the plant because its roots are close to the surface. However, it does appreciate mulching. Suitable mulching materials include peat, humus, and sawdust.
3. Fertilizer application – 3-4 times per season. The first application of manure is made 2 weeks after transplanting the seedlings into the soil. The second application is made 10-12 days later. A complex of mineral fertilizers is added to the manure.
4. To avoid diseases and prevent insect infestations, strictly adhere to proper growing practices. Wood ash or tobacco can be used as a preventative measure.

Please note! To reap a decent harvest, you'll need to put in a little more effort than when growing white cabbage.

The best varieties of cauliflower for open ground

The variety of this crop available to consumers is vast. When purchasing seeds, consider your location. Varieties suitable for the Moscow region differ from those suitable for southern regions.

Snow globe

This variety's name lives up to its appearance. The small, snow-white heads weigh approximately 850 grams each. High yields are achieved through dense planting. The plant is compact, requiring little space for its leaves to expand.

This early-ripening variety is considered the best among its kind. It is disease-resistant. Ripening time is 65 days after planting. This allows for two harvests per summer. Seedlings establish and develop well. It is characterized by simultaneous ripening of flowers.

Movir

An early-ripening hybrid, resistant to sudden temperature drops and drought. Its heads ripen quickly. Two harvests can be produced per season. The inflorescence is round, slightly flattened, white, weighing up to 1.2 kilograms. The pulp is pleasant to the taste. It does not show any particular immunity to diseases and pests.

Flora Blanca

This is a mid-season variety. Ripe, creamy-white fruits are harvested in 112 days. The inflorescences are round, slightly flattened, and each one weighs up to 1.2 kilograms. The leaves provide good sun protection.

Seeds sown for seedlings germinate simultaneously, as do the mature heads of cabbage. The variety is resistant to early frosts and diseases.

White Beauty

This variety features large, round inflorescences weighing up to 1.2 kilograms. It produces consistent yields, with a ripening period of 55 to 65 days. It is not particularly resistant to pests, requiring timely treatment. It is recommended to cover young seedlings with plastic wrap overnight. It tolerates transportation and short-term storage well. The vegetable retains its attractive appearance even when frozen.

Amerigo

Full maturity occurs 80 days after planting. Each cabbage weighs no more than 2.5 kilograms. This variety is resistant to pests and some diseases.

Cabbage can grow in the garden until frost, as this variety is cold-hardy. Its large leaves protect the head from the sun. Seedlings are planted in their permanent location in mid-May or early June.

Early maturing varieties and hybrids

Early-ripening hybrids and cultivars vary in head shape, weight, and flavor. They are popular with gardeners due to their rapid ripening period. The harvest is ready long before the cold weather sets in.

Alpha

This variety produces good yields. It is characterized by early head ripening. Heads are ready for harvesting just 62 days after planting. The head is round, with distinct tubercles, and is white in color.

Alfa has excellent flavor and a long fruiting period. Harvesting begins with the first frost.

Vinson

This early-ripening hybrid is medium-sized, with a round head and small bumps. It boasts high marketability, tender flesh, and a mild flavor. Average weight is up to 2, sometimes 3, kilograms. Vinson is highly competitive due to its pleasant cabbage flavor. It is a versatile variety—it can be added to salads or used as a stand-alone dish. It can also be frozen and canned.

Summer resident

Like Alpha, it has a long fruiting period. From seed emergence to maturity, the cabbage takes 108 days. The inflorescences are round and small, weighing up to 1 kilogram.

The heads are white, sometimes slightly cream-colored, dense, and fine-grained. They store well for short periods. They are used in canning, cooking, fresh, and freezing.

Guarantee

An ultra-early variety. Forms large heads with protective upper leaf blades. The heads are fine-grained, white, and spherical, and ripen evenly. Garantiya has a distinct flavor. It is immune to bacterial blight and tolerates short-term storage well.

Goat wolfberry

Developed by Russian breeders, this variety boasts a compact plant with a straight trunk. The leaves are light green with a grayish bloom. The heads weigh up to 1 kilogram and are spherical in shape. If the soil is fertile and the plant is properly cared for, each head can weigh up to two kilograms. The inflorescences mature in 70 days. It is widely used in cooking.

Express F1

This ultra-early variety produces heads weighing no more than 0.5 kilograms. The cabbage is white, sometimes creamy. It has the best flavor among early varieties. The ripening period lasts 62 days. It is susceptible to pests but is resistant to bacterial wilt.

Seedlings are planted in the ground as early as early May. At night, to protect from possible frost, they are covered with plastic or a special non-woven material.

Important! If cabbage leaves begin to deform, feed them with nitrogen and potassium fertilizers.

Mid-season and late-season varieties

These varieties, like the early ones, have a great diversity.

Cortes

It produces a late harvest. Each head weighs 2 to 3 kilograms, and ripens 75 days after planting. Cortes has the following advantages: a high yield and self-covering heads. It requires regular feeding and thrives in fertile soil. It tolerates low temperatures well and can withstand short frosts.

Snowball

This mid-season variety matures in 78-119 days. Harvesting occurs in August-September. The heads are round, slightly flattened, and bumpy. The white inflorescences, which cover the leaves at the top, are tightly packed together. They weigh from 500 grams to two kilograms.

It has a good flavor without bitterness and a stable yield with timely care and proper watering. This variety freezes well.

Fractal

A fractal is a figure consisting of constantly repeating, specific parts that vary in size. This is the principle of self-similarity. At all levels, fractals are identical to themselves, no matter the size. Numerous fractals can be found in nature. A tree with branches similar to the trunk, only smaller in size.

The vegetable fractal is a representative of the cauliflower variety – Romanesco.

Romanesco

The name comes from its place of origin – a suburb of Rome. Romanesco literally translates as "Roman." It has a very interesting appearance: large and small cone-shaped inflorescences are arranged in a spiral. They are a bright light green color.

The flavor is delicate, without bitterness, with a pleasant creamy-nutty aftertaste. It requires a lot of water, especially during drought. It requires a fertilizer made from a mixture of well-rotted manure and mineral components.

Purple ball

A mid-season variety. It requires regular watering and fertile soil. It will not produce a harvest in acidic soil. The bulbs are round and purple, weighing up to 1.5 kilograms each. The pulp contains a large amount of protein, minerals, and vitamins.

Parisian

A recently developed hybrid with a medium ripening period. Fruit ripens 80 days after planting. It can be stored for up to 2 months. It can be eaten fresh, canned, or frozen. It is very moisture-loving and does not tolerate highly acidic soil.

Freedom

It has a medium ripening period. The young seedlings are ready to harvest 80 days after planting. The heads are large—up to 2 kilograms—round and white. They have a moderately bumpy surface. They adapt well to variable weather conditions.

Crops with unusual coloring

Breeders are not limited to developing varieties with good taste and resistance to diseases and pests; they are also interested in developing varieties with unusual colors.

Clara's Corals

This late-ripening variety was recently developed by the Gavrish company. The purple cabbage has very small florets, weighing up to 250 grams. Light green leaves surround the head. This variety is known as an edible flower. It has excellent flavor. In dry weather, it requires daily watering.

Agnia

A new variety developed at the N.I. Vavilov Institute. Recommended for cultivation in the southern latitudes of the country. It has a snow-white, slightly bumpy head. The flesh is tender and delicious. A single head weighs approximately 1.5 kilograms. It is versatile in its uses: cooking, freezing, and canning.

Green snowdrift

This late-ripening variety was developed only in 2015. Its green heads are covered with leaves. It has gained great popularity among gardeners who appreciate beautiful and sophisticated vegetables. It has dietary properties and excellent flavor. Its downside is its low yield.

Dutch varieties

Holland offers a wide selection of cabbage varieties with different ripening times.

1. Goodman is a mid-early variety bred in Holland and also popular in Russia. The heads are white, slightly yellowed, and weigh up to 900 grams. The leaves curl over the head, protecting it from the sun. This variety is productive.
2. Artost F1 is a mid-early, large-fruited hybrid. Each head weighs 4 kilograms. Full maturity from planting takes 68 days.
3. Cambria F1 has white, spherical inflorescences. It produces fruit in 64 days and is resistant to fusarium. Each head weighs 2.5 kilograms.
4. Tiara F1 is an ultra-early hybrid. The buds are spherical and white, weighing no more than 2 kilograms. They have excellent flavor.
5. Farao F1 – fruit ripening period is 63 days. Each fruit weighs up to 3 kilograms. This variety is easy-to-grow and produces a quick harvest.

These Dutch-bred varieties are grown in Russia, in open fields. They thrive and produce high-quality crops.

What to choose depending on the region

In warm climates and good weather, cauliflower adapts and grows easily. In regions with cool or even harsh climates, it requires careful care, and choosing the right varieties is crucial.

For the Central Belt and Moscow Region

Gardeners in the Central and Moscow regions who grow cauliflower in their dachas have long since identified the best varieties:

1. White Cloud is an early-ripening hybrid bred in Russia. The head is white, flat-round, and weighs up to 2.5 kilograms. It has a good flavor. The leaves are upturned.
2. "Maslyanaya Golovushka" (Oil Head) is an early-ripening variety developed by Russian breeders. It has a spherical head, yellowish-green in color. The cabbage is bumpy. Each inflorescence weighs 1.5 kilograms. The leaves are waxy, gray-green, and small.
3. Flirt is a mid-early variety. The head is oval, bumpy, and white. It weighs up to 2.3 kilograms. The leaves have wavy edges and are covered in wax.
4. Socius is a mid-season variety. The heads are small and flattened, weighing about 1 kilogram each. They are spherical, bumpy, and white. The leaves are long and gray-green.
5. Amandine is a late-ripening hybrid with excellent flavor, weighing 1.5 kilograms. The head is round, flattened, and white. The leaves have wavy edges.
6. Givont is a late-ripening hybrid with small white inflorescences, weighing up to 700 grams.

The varieties presented are versatile and can be used in cooking, canning, and freezing.

For the Urals and Siberia

For the harsh climate of the Urals and Siberia, there are specially bred varieties that easily tolerate unstable weather.

1. Lilac Ball – early maturing, 55 days after planting young plants in their permanent location. It is frost-hardy and resilient to sudden weather changes. The heads are bright purple, round and flattened.
2. Tsvetnoy Express is an early-ripening variety, maturing within two months. Each round head weighs 600 grams. The cabbage is white with a slight yellow tint. This variety is high-yielding and frost-hardy.
3. Amphora F1, an early-ripening variety with a spherical head weighing up to 0.5 kilograms. Both the head and leaves are gray-green in color. Suitable for freezing.

Important! It's impossible to distinguish between varieties when purchasing seedlings. Distinctive characteristics begin to appear much later. To avoid making a mistake, buy plants from a trusted seller!

Thanks to the diversity of varieties and the wide selection of cauliflower seeds available at gardening stores, gardeners can grow it throughout the summer. The color and appearance of the elite varieties Romanesco, Lilac Ball, and Clara's Corals are particularly noteworthy.