Clementine
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
Wikimedia Commons
Our brightest orange cauliflower. Big sturdy plants produce excellent crops, even under less-than-ideal conditions. The earliest maturing orange variety in our trials. For summer and fall harvest.
Harvest
55d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Zones
6–9
USDA hardiness
Height
10-24 inches
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Clementine in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 brassica →Zone Map
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Clementine · Zones 6–9
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | March – April | May – June | May – June | June – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | May – June | April – June | June – October |
| Zone 5 | February – March | April – May | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 6 | February – March | April – May | April – May | May – November |
| Zone 7 | February – March | April – May | March – May | May – November |
| Zone 8 | January – February | March – April | March – April | April – December |
| Zone 9 | January – January | February – March | February – March | March – December |
| Zone 10 | January – January | February – March | January – March | March – December |
| Zone 1 | April – May | June – July | June – July | July – September |
| Zone 2 | April – May | June – July | May – July | July – September |
| Zone 11 | January – January | January – February | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 12 | January – January | January – February | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 13 | January – January | January – February | January – February | February – December |
Succession Planting
In zone 7, start Clementine indoors in late February or early March, then transplant out in April once nighttime lows hold above 40°F. For a fall crop — which often produces better heads because cauliflower wants cooling temperatures as it matures — count back 55 days from your first expected frost and start a second round of transplants accordingly. Late July indoor starts followed by an early September transplant date is the usual target here.
Two rounds per year (spring and fall) is about all the Georgia climate allows before heat shuts things down. Daytime highs consistently above 80°F cause loose, leafy heads or no head formation at all, so the window between your last frost and mid-May is the entire spring opportunity. Don't try to stretch this into a rolling weekly succession the way you would with lettuce or radishes.
Complete Growing Guide
Our brightest orange cauliflower. Big sturdy plants produce excellent crops, even under less-than-ideal conditions. The earliest maturing orange variety in our trials. For summer and fall harvest. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Clementine is 55 days to maturity, annual, hybrid (f1). Notable features: Heat Tolerant.
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Soil: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 0 ft. 10 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 12 inches-3 feet. Growth rate: Medium. Maintenance: Medium. Propagation: Seed, Stem Cutting. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Clementine reaches harvest at 55 days from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.
The fruits dry and split when ripe.
Color: Brown/Copper, Green. Type: Siliqua. Length: > 3 inches.
Garden value: Edible
Harvest time: Fall, Summer
Edibility: The foliage is edible raw or cooked but when cooked can emit an unpleasant odor.
Storage & Preservation
Store freshly harvested Clementine heads in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator at 32–40°F with 90–95% humidity; properly cooled heads keep for 3–4 weeks. Handle carefully to avoid bruising the tender curds. For longer storage, blanch florets for 3–4 minutes, then freeze on trays before bagging—frozen stock holds quality for 8–10 months. Pressure canning is not recommended due to texture loss, but pickling curds in vinegar brine yields crisp results. Drying is viable but takes 12–18 hours at low temperature and concentrates flavor strongly. This variety's compact, uniform head size makes it ideal for whole-head freezing after blanching, reducing prep work compared to larger cultivars.
History & Origin
Clementine is an F1 hybrid developed through controlled cross-pollination. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.
Origin: W. Europe
Advantages
- +Vibrant orange color makes Clementine visually striking in gardens and markets
- +Extremely early maturity at 55 days allows multiple harvests per season
- +Robust plant structure handles poor growing conditions better than most varieties
- +Consistently produces excellent yields even in suboptimal weather or soil
Considerations
- -Orange varieties typically have shorter storage life than white or green cauliflower
- -May require consistent moisture to prevent premature bolting or riciness
- -Less cold-hardy than traditional white varieties for late fall harvests
Companion Plants
Nasturtiums and marigolds are the two companions worth planting right alongside Clementine cauliflower every time. Nasturtiums act as a trap crop — aphids pile onto them and mostly ignore the cauliflower, which makes scouting easier because you know exactly where to look. French marigolds do something different: planted densely for a full season, they suppress soil nematode populations, which matters in our zone 7 Georgia garden where root-knot nematodes can quietly wreck a brassica bed before you notice anything above ground. Neither competes hard for water at the 18–24 inch spacing cauliflower needs.
Dill and thyme earn a spot at the edges. Both attract parasitic wasps that prey on cabbage loopers (Trichoplusia ni) and imported cabbageworms — the same caterpillars that'll shred a forming head before you catch them. Onions planted as a border add pest confusion through their sulfur compounds, and their shallow roots don't conflict with cauliflower's mid-depth root zone. Lettuce or spinach tucked into the gaps functions as a living mulch: low-growing, shades out weeds, and harvested long before cauliflower needs the space.
Tomatoes are the one to keep well away — they're heavy feeders with overlapping nutrient demands, and they share soilborne pathogens that move easily between beds. Pole beans fix nitrogen, which sounds like a benefit, but that extra available nitrogen tends to push cauliflower toward excessive leaf production at the expense of tight, dense heads.
Plant Together
Nasturtiums
Acts as trap crop for flea beetles and aphids, protecting brassicas from damage
Marigolds
Repels cabbage worms, aphids, and other brassica pests with strong scent
Dill
Attracts beneficial wasps that parasitize cabbage worms and other brassica pests
Onions
Repels cabbage maggots, aphids, and flea beetles with sulfur compounds
Lettuce
Provides ground cover and efficient space use without competing for nutrients
Carrots
Deep roots complement shallow brassica roots, improving soil structure
Thyme
Repels cabbage worms and flea beetles while attracting beneficial insects
Spinach
Cool-season companion that maximizes garden space and shares similar growing conditions
Keep Apart
Tomatoes
Competes heavily for nutrients and may inhibit brassica growth through root competition
Strawberries
May stunt brassica growth and creates unfavorable soil conditions
Pole Beans
Can shade brassicas excessively and compete for soil nutrients
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #747447)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Common Pests
Cabbage worms, aphids, flea beetles, cabbage loopers
Diseases
Black rot, clubroot, powdery mildew, downy mildew
Troubleshooting Clementine
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Leaves webbed or chewed through, small green caterpillars visible on undersides around weeks 3–5
Likely Causes
- Imported cabbageworm (Pieris rapae) — larvae of the white butterfly you see hovering around the bed
- Cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) — slightly larger, loops its body as it moves
What to Do
- 1.Hand-pick larvae in the morning when they're slowest and drop them in soapy water
- 2.Apply Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) as a foliar spray — it's specific to caterpillars and won't hurt beneficial insects; reapply after rain
- 3.Cover transplants with row cover immediately after planting and leave it on through the first 4 weeks
V-shaped yellow lesions on leaf edges that turn brown and papery, with black discoloration inside the stem when cut
Likely Causes
- Black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris) — a bacterial disease that enters through leaf margins and spreads fast in warm, wet weather
- Overhead irrigation or heavy rain splashing bacteria from soil or infected debris onto leaves
What to Do
- 1.Pull and trash (don't compost) any infected plants immediately — black rot spreads quickly to the whole bed
- 2.Switch to drip irrigation or water at the base; keep the foliage dry
- 3.Rotate this bed out of all brassicas for at least 2 full seasons; black rot persists in soil debris
White powdery coating on upper leaf surfaces, appearing most often on mature leaves after heads begin to form
Likely Causes
- Powdery mildew — a fungal disease that thrives in dry days with cool nights, common in late summer and fall in zone 7
- Poor airflow from crowded planting at less than the recommended 18-inch spacing
What to Do
- 1.Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda with 1 tablespoon summer horticultural oil per gallon of water and spray preventively every 3 to 5 days — NC State Extension's organic disease guidance confirms this combination works against powdery mildew
- 2.Strip the worst-affected leaves and dispose of them in the trash, not the compost pile
- 3.Space plants at least 18 inches apart so air can move through the canopy; Clementine's dense heads trap humidity when crowded
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Clementine cauliflower take to mature?▼
Is Clementine cauliflower good for beginner gardeners?▼
Can you grow Clementine cauliflower in containers?▼
How much sun does Clementine cauliflower need?▼
When should I plant Clementine cauliflower?▼
What makes Clementine different from other orange cauliflower varieties?▼
Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
- BreederJohnny's Selected Seeds
- USDAUSDA FoodData Central
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.