Flame Star Hybrid Cauliflower Seeds

Days to Maturity: 62 from transplant

Pretty pastel-orange heads finish a week sooner than the old favorite Cheddar Hybrid, stand up better to heat and stress, and have a lovely smooth bite. This new beta-carotene-packed variety belongs front and center in your cool-season veggie garden.

Flame Star Hybrid is a paler shade of orange than Cheddar, but contains all the nutrients you're looking for. The heads are medium-sized and very high quality, with a dense structure (they are heavier than you expect) and smooth consistency. Great for fresh eating as well as cooking.

And Flame Star Hybrid is the one you want for warm or challenging climates. It is the most heat-resistant orange cauli yet, and it stands up better to other environmental stresses, too. All around an improved performer, with big yields of tasty heads.

Only carrots have more beta carotene than this spectacular hybrid, so if you're looking to increase your vitamin A intake, here's a delicious way to do it. And even if you're not, who can resist the allure of these attention-getting florets?

Cauliflower is a cool-season crop suitable for spring and fall cultivation. If you live in a warm climate, fall crops will probably be more successful, since the cooling temperatures enhance the flavor of the fruit. Farther north, spring and fall are equally successful. For spring, sow seeds indoors 5 to 7 weeks before setting out as soon as the soil is workable. For fall, begin seeds in late summer. Set the seedlings 18 inches apart in the garden.