No guarantee at all that it'll work, but it's interesting to try.

Broccoli and cauliflower are essentially the same species, so it should be a fairly easy cross.

Fran,

The cross has been done with a heading broccoli. It's called a broccoflower.

I don't see any reason why a cross with a non-heading broccoli wouldn't give the desired results, at least in the F2 generation.

Have you tried blanching the little heads of the non-heading broccoli with opaque paper bags to prevent the chlorophyll from developing? It would be tedious, but you'll probably have to do the same thing when you breed your non-heading cauliflower to keep the "curds" white.

Karl

Here is a link that might be useful: Broccoflower

Thanks for the replies. Kearl, the broccoflower still has a full compact head. What I am looking for is a cut-and-come-again cauliflower having several small heads. I don't care about blanching. I'll try and see what comes.

Hi all,
Nine Star Perennial is a non-heading cauliflower-like winter broccoli. I've been growing this one for years & I love cutting the tiny creamy heads again & again in spring. You'll easily find seed sources on the net.
Lieven

You should be able to cross all of the following and produce fertile hybrids : cabbage , kale , collards, turnip, rutabaga, kholrabi,kholbaga, rape, mustard, bok choy , cauliflower, rabi , broccoli. If you do not get exactly what you want in the F2 generation try a back cross to one that has the missing traits . Good Luck .Have fun !