Cauliflower 'Graffiti' (Brassica oleracea) – Purple Curd Vegetable Plants (12 Plants in 2 x 6-Cell Trays)

Cauliflower 'Graffiti', often called purple cauliflower, is a compact, eye-catching vegetable that forms dense, vivid purple heads and tastes as good as it looks. Brassica oleracea is a rewarding crop for a sunny kitchen garden, and this variety gives colour on the plate as well as in the veg bed.

The purple stays bright when the curds are eaten raw and softens to a muted violet when lightly cooked, so it suits roasting, steaming or salads. The plants have broad, blue-green leaves around a central purple curd.

You get 12 young plants, growing one to a cell in 2 plastic 6-cell trays, ready to plant out into well-prepared beds or raised beds once the risk of frost has passed. Cauliflower likes a sunny spot and deep, fertile, firm soil that is not too acidic. Any check to growth from drought, cold or root disturbance can give small button heads instead of full curds, so water regularly in dry spells.

Feed every two to three weeks while the plants are growing, and protect them from pigeons, cabbage white butterflies and slugs with netting or collars. A root fly collar around each stem helps too. Harvest the heads when they are firm, tight and well coloured.

Cultural Information

• Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea Botrytis Group
• Common Name: Cauliflower, Purple Cauliflower
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: Approx. 45-60cm tall and 45-60cm wide
• Growth Habit: Upright, compact brassica with broad blue-green leaves and a central purple curd
• Perfect For: Vegetable beds, raised beds, allotments and kitchen gardens
• Foliage: Broad, blue-green outer leaves
• Planting Position: Full sun
• Soil Type: Fertile, firm, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil that is not too acidic
• Hardiness: Not reliably hardy; plant out after the last frosts and harvest before winter
• Planting Time: May to June
• Seasonal Interest: Harvest from July to October
• Type: Grow Your Own vegetable