01
Summer harvest
June to August
Plant modules or sow quick crops promptly. Remove brassica roots and check the sowing window rather than following a fixed rotation chart.
UK succession guide
What to plant after cauliflower.
Cauliflower belongs to the brassica family. The strongest follow-on choice depends on the exact clearance date—not the crop name alone.
Check my date and regionShort answer
Start with these credible options.
These are useful directions, not automatic recommendations. Use the tool to check whether the sowing window still fits.
- 01
Lettuce
Fast, compact and easy to stagger for continuous harvests.
Read the growing guide → - 02
Chard
Long harvest period, ornamental stems and excellent cold tolerance.
Read the growing guide → - 03
Peas
Sweet harvests early in the season and a clear handover into summer crops.
Read the growing guide → - 04
Garlic
Uses winter space efficiently and stores for months after curing.
Read the growing guide →
When the space opens
Potentially from early summer through winter, because variety groups mature at very different times.
- What the bed is like
- Firm ground after a space-hungry brassica, sometimes with mesh still in place and a large stem or rootball to remove.
- The key decision
- The variety and harvest month matter more than the word cauliflower: a June head leaves a summer slot, while a winter head may leave only a spring slot.
Choose by clearance date
The answer changes as the season moves.
These bands are starting points. Use the seed packet and the personalised tool for your region, cover and exact date.
02
Autumn harvest
September to November
Use winter leaves early in the period; move toward garlic or suitable hardy beans as light declines.
03
Winter or spring harvest
December to May
Prepare for the coming spring window. Do not replace one brassica immediately with another where rotation problems are a concern.
Clear the old crop well
Reset the space before replanting.
- 1
Lift the main rootball
A cauliflower stump can obstruct close sowing. Remove it and inspect roots for clubroot-like swelling before choosing the next crop.
- 2
Keep useful protection
Mesh hoops can be reused, but change to the protection needed by the successor and clean material that held diseased debris.
- 3
Restore the surface gently
Fill the planting hollow, remove weeds and add mature compost if the next crop or soil condition calls for it.
Avoid a poor handover
Two details worth checking
Suspected clubroot changes the plan
Do not follow with broccoli, cabbage, kale, radish or another brassica if roots suggest clubroot. Confirm the problem and extend the rotation.
Do not count one head as one date
Cauliflower types span multiple seasons. Use the actual harvest date in the SowNext tool.
Questions small growers ask
Specific answers for this handover
What should I plant after summer cauliflower?
Lettuce, chard, beetroot or spinach can use a June-to-August clearance. Modules shorten the handover, while direct sowing needs enough season left for the chosen variety.
Can I grow broccoli after cauliflower?
They are both brassicas and share several pests and diseases. Where rotation is possible, choose a different family—especially if clubroot or other persistent problems occurred.
What can follow winter cauliflower?
A winter or early-spring clearance can lead into peas, lettuce, carrots or beetroot, subject to soil condition and local sowing dates.
Sources and scope
Checked growing guidance
Season, variety and local conditions can move a clearance date. SowNext uses these sources conservatively and keeps the exact-date tool as the final check.
Before sowing
Three checks matter more than a fixed list.
- CalendarWill the successor establish before its conservative regional cut-off?
- Crop familyChanging family is useful where pests or soil disease have been a problem.
- Space and lightA credible date is not enough if the crop cannot physically fit or receive enough sun.