Yay! I've always been afraid to start them that early, like there would be too many high heat days left in the year for a winter crop plant. This may work with all sorts of cool season plants. Thanks for the info.

Good job! I gave up trying to grow it after too many failures. Your recipe got me hungry. I know it's not going to taste as good as your garden fresh, but I'm going to buy some tonight and cook it like you said.

Congratulations! Cauliflower is one of the more difficult vegetables to grow in our area. I bought plants from Campbell road Nursery here in Raleigh in September and they are just beginning to form small heads. I have wire hoops over them already and will add frost cloth and plastic when needed to prevent them from freezing. My biggest challenge with starting these plants so early (in addition to the heat) is insects. How did you keep them from being devoured by the slugs and caterpillars?

Even up North I had problems keeping the aphids off them.
They get on every orifice, most you can't see until you start cutting the florets and the honeydew attracted the fungus like we get down here on crape myrtles.

Ralph, I planted cilantro as a companion plant (to ward off grasshoppers) and applied some BT when I saw signs of catepillar damage.

I only wish I could grow cilantro at the same time my peppers and tomatoes are ready for salsa making. :)

Dottie, I think down here they flower well beyond the time aphids are a problem (too cold).