Cabbage Growing Guide
Cabbage is a versatile, cool-season vegetable suited to spring and fall planting. It comes in a variety of shapes, colors, and leaf textures. With little planning, you can harvest cabbages all year round because there are so many varieties to grow. This healthy vegetable is rich in fiber and Vitamin C. Making healthy and nutritious meals from homegrown cabbages like cabbage rolls, kimchi, and salads is very satisfying. So, every gardener should grow this beneficial veggie in their vegetable garden.
Read our cabbage growing guide to learn how to sow, grow, and harvest this hardy vegetable packed with vitamins.
About Cabbage
Cabbage belongs to the brassica family, which includes Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, and kohlrabi. You can grow this hardy, nutrient-rich, and flavorful vegetable anywhere. The key to growing cabbage is rich soil, good fertilization, and a lot of water. Cabbage seeds can be started indoors or sown outside, taking 4-6 months to mature.
Plant cabbage in early spring to harvest it before the peak summer heat or in late spring to harvest it in autumn and winter. Keep reading to find out how to grow successful cabbage crops in spring or fall.
Varieties of Cabbages
There is an amazing range of cabbage varieties, each with different shapes, textures, and colors. Cabbage is grouped based on their harvesting season. If you plant small batches of each variety, you can enjoy harvests all year. All types are grown similarly but with different planting and harvesting times.
Spring Cabbages are planted in late summer. They produce pointed heads or loose leaves.
Summer Cabbages are planted in early spring and have large round heads. They are available in multiple shapes and sizes.
Autumn Cabbages are sown in mid-spring, often producing large round heads, so they need more space.
Winter Cabbages are sown in late spring and form large heads. These types include crinkly Savoy’s and smooth drumheads. Once winter cabbages mature, they stand undamaged for several months. Store them in a cool and frost-free place.
Here are some of the cabbage varieties you can grow:
Earliest Of All: Pale green and small heads. Ready to harvest from July.
Primo: Solid ball head.
Golden Acre, Quick Start: Produce 3-pound heads.
Savoy King: Hardy, autumn/winter variety.
Gonzales: Softball-sized heads. Best for small gardens.
Cheers, Blue Vantage: Disease-resistant varieties.
Langedijk: Forms tender heads with a white center. Use in fall and winter.
Spacing and Soil Needs
All varieties of cabbage grow best in rich, moist, fertile, and well-drained soil. Early plant varieties require higher soil fertility than mid and late-season varieties.
Cabbage plants prefer soil with a pH of around 6.5-6.8. Apply lime to acidic soil to increase the pH above six and prevent clubroot disease. Cabbage will grow in sandy and clay soils; however, adding compost and rich organic matter to planting beds is best to improve soil quality. Do not grow cabbages in the same area where you planted cabbages or any member of the Brassica family in the last few years.
Cabbage plant spacing depends on the variety and size of the cabbage.
- 30 cm apart for small varieties with compact heads.
- 45 cm for large-headed varieties.
- 10 cm for spring cabbages, then thin them to 30 cm in late February and March.
- Row spacing should be 12-36 inches.
- Check seed packets to know the exact spacings.
Growing Zones and Planting
Cabbage grows in USDA zones 1-10 and can tolerate temperatures as low as 20°F. Short days and cool temperatures are ideal for their growth. Although cabbage is grown throughout the US, 78% is produced in five states: California, Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, and New York.
Moreover, this versatile vegetable grows best in full sun. So, plant them in a sunny area with 6-8 hours of sunlight daily.
When to Plant Cabbages
For a summer harvest, sow seeds indoors six to eight weeks before your area's last spring frost date.
Sow seeds directly outdoors or transplant seedlings in mid-summer for a fall harvest. If you live in an area with a hot and dry climate, wait until late summer to plant transplants. However, ensure the summer heat does not dry out the young plants.
Cabbage is a frost-tolerant crop that can still be affected by spring frosts. Affected plants will produce low-quality leaves and undeveloped heads. Therefore, planting seeds in the right time window is crucial based on when you want to invest them. Sow summer cabbage varieties in mid-spring, autumn-winter cabbage varieties in late spring, and spring types in late summer and harvest them the following year.
How to Plant Cabbages
Sow cabbage seeds indoors 2cm deep in pots or modular trays. Place them on a sunny windowsill. The seeds should germinate within a few weeks. Transplant the seedlings outdoors after about five weeks or before the last spring frost date. Harden off the young plants for over a week before transplanting them outdoors. Plant seedlings according to their spacing needs. Apply a mulch layer around the base of plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Life Cycle of the Cabbage Plant
Growers can increase the quality and quantity of yields by understanding the plant's life cycle. Here are the growth stages of cabbage.
Germination Stage
This is the first growth stage in the cabbage plant's life cycle. When seeds are sown in a container or garden soil, they start germinating within 5-10 days.
Seedling Stage
The seedling stage starts about 10 to 14 days after sowing seeds. At this stage, the seed becomes a young plant. Tiny new leaves are sprouted from the sowed seeds, and the plant produces root-like, stem-like, and leaf-like structures.
Vegetative Stage
After the seedling stage, the plant develops deep root systems, proper stems, and lush green leaves. The vegetative phase lasts 4-6 weeks; at the end of this stage, you get a whole plant.
Flowering and Bolting Stage
Once the plant structure fully matures, it can produce flowers that are responsible for reproduction. During this stage, the plants undergo phases of change both below and above the ground. Some signs of this phase are thick primary stems and the development of higher leaves.
Fruiting Stage
Following the bolting stage, the heads start to form. As cabbage heads mature, the leaves will become softer and tightly packed.
Maturation Stage
Once heads reach their full size, they enter the final stage and are ready to be picked, used, and stored. The plant's overall life cycle is completed 4 to 5 months after planting.
Fertilization Needs
To encourage plant growth, fertilize cabbage plants two weeks after transplanting or thinning with a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10).
Apply nitrogen-rich fertilizer three weeks later. Cabbage is a heavy feeder, so it needs nitrogen in the early stages of its life cycle. Once heads begin to form, avoid adding additional nitrogen.
Cabbage Water Needs and Irrigation System
Cabbage needs more water in the early stages of development. So, you should water plants deeply to maintain consistent soil moisture. Water seedlings and young cabbage plants regularly, and don't let the soil dry out. Once plants are well established, water them 1-2 inches weekly. When the heads start to form, water plants generously to increase their size.
Drip irrigation is the most efficient method to irrigate cabbage plants. This system delivers water directly to the root zones of plants through drip emitters. Use a drip irrigation system to water efficiently, reduce evaporation, conserve water, control weed growth, and improve yield quality.
For row crops and small to medium gardens, use 15 mils of drip tape to water your cabbage crop. If you grow cabbage in raised garden beds, use the 1/4" soaker dripline with 9" spacing to distribute even water.
Read more:
How to Install Drip Irrigation in a Greenhouse
Harvesting and Usage
Depending on the variety, cabbage generally takes four to six months to mature. Most cabbage varieties produce one- to three-pound heads. Harvest cabbage when the heads reach the desired size. Mature heads may split if left on the stem for a long time. Use a sharp knife to cut the stem above the ground level. Leave a 10 cm stalk, which might produce a small second crop. After harvesting, dig out the stems and root system to prevent the spread of diseases.
Usage
To use cabbages and prepare them for dishes, remove the floppy outer leaves and use the inner dense head. Wash your cabbage heads well. Cabbage can be used raw or cooked in many dishes like coleslaw, kimchi, sauerkraut, any side dish, and salads. They are an excellent source of vitamins, fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. So, you can also use them to make nutritious soups and stews.
Storing
It is best to eat cabbages fresh as soon as you harvest them, but you can store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 weeks. Some winter varieties can be stored for months in a dry, cool, and frost-free place.
Common Cabbage Pests and Diseases
Cabbage is a hardy and strong plant, but they are prone to several pests and diseases. Cabbage attracts many bugs that can infect plants. Therefore, it is essential to know about these problems and how to control them. Here are the common cabbage pests and diseases.
Aphids are gray green in color. They feed on leaves, causing them to deform or yellow and wilt.
Flea Beetles attack young cabbage plants and cause tiny holes in leaves. Their attacks are worst in dry weather, so keep the soil moist to prevent flea beetle attacks.
Cabbage worms also attack cabbage plants, making large, rough holes in the leaves. They also lay yellow eggs on the undersides of the leaves.
Clubroot is a soil-borne fungal disease that affects plants' roots and leads to wilted or stunted plants. To reduce the problem, add lime to maintain soil pH.
Black rot is a bacterial disease that infects the outer parts of cabbage plants. The symptoms of this disease include yellow areas on leaf edges and collapsed leaves.
Downy mildew is also a fungus that attacks cabbage and causes yellow/angular spots on leaf surfaces.
Care and Control
Here are a few tips to control these problems and grow healthy cabbage plants.
- Choose disease-resistant seeds or varieties.
- Cover plants with mesh or row covers.
- Practice crop rotation.
- Avoid applying excessive fertilizers.
- Remove infected plants immediately.
- Add native plants to attract beneficial insects.
- Clean and disinfect gardening tools.
- Keep the garden beds clean and debris-free.
- Keep plants weed-free by hoeing regularly.
Follow the guide and grow this cool-season, nutritious vegetable in your garden and enjoy its benefits throughout the year! Happy growing!