How to plant and grow Cabbage

Cabbage is a cool season vegetable suitable for both spring and autumn. See our cabbage growing guide, which contains instructions on how to grow and grow this vitamin-rich, hardy, leafy vegetable!

Before planting out, the soil should be trodden firm – as though preparing a lawn – and then raked over. The cabbage head makes the plant very top-heavy and the roots, which are strong enough to grow through the compaction, must be anchored as firmly as possible. If you plant out in blocks at 45cm (18in) spacing, they soon cover the ground. This makes smaller cabbages but looks better and stops weeds. 

Although summer cabbages such as ‘Greyhound’ are appreciably fastermaturing than their winter counterparts such as ‘January King’ or Savoys, all cabbages need quite a long growing season. This requires some planning to fit them into the garden scheme of things, but is of great value in winter as they can stand ready for eating all winter if need be. Brassicas – the family that all types of cabbage belong to, as do cauliflowers, radishes, swedes, turnips and kohlrabi – all share the same preference for well-drained, well-manured soil in an open position. 

Conventional wisdom says you should grow cabbages on a piece of ground that was previously used for legumes (see page 293), which should have been freshly manured before the legumes were sown and whose roots will have left nitrogen in the soil via their nodules. However, all brassicas are very responsive to a fresh dressing of garden compost when planted, so any well-drained, rich soil will work, regardless of what has been grown previously. 

Winter cabbages come in a number of shapes and forms. Until the sixteenth century, it seems likely that all cabbages were loose-leaf, like our spring greens or what the Americans call ‘collards’. The round-headed form was first described in the sixteenth century and the first mention of a red one in Britain was in 1570 – so we can reasonably assume that this was when it first arrived here – almost certainly from Germany. By the nineteenth century, breeding had become extensive and sophisticated – there were Savoys with wrinkled leaves, Brunswicks, conical cabbages and drum-head, round, red, smooth whites, green, summer, spring and autumn cabbages – the range was huge. 

We do not grow anything like a comprehensive selection but I do like to have some (and there are hundreds of different varieties and hybrids available) of each of the following: 

• Savoys are familiar from their crinkly, blueish leaves. They are hardy and very good to eat. 
• ‘January King’ have a slightly purple tinge to their leaves and again are hardy and have very good flavour. 
• Red cabbages are very tough with thicker leaves and are relatively untroubled by cabbage butterflies or slugs. As well as being good to eat (especially with game).

Family:	Brassicaceae
Growing zones:	N/A
Growing season(s):	cool weather: spring or fall
Spacing:	18 inches
Start indoors or direct sow:	start indoors or purchase transplants
Indoor sowing date	6 weeks before transplant (9 weeks before average last frost)
Earliest spring outdoor planting:	3 weeks before average last frost
Soil temperature:	N/A
Fall planting:	start indoors 12 weeks before average first frost; transplant 6 weeks before average first frost
Sun needs:	6+ hours
Water needs:	moderate
Harvest category	one harvest for large head, though some varieties produce small heads after the primary head is harvested
Keep in Mind Tip:	Because of their long growing season, you may find cabbages still growing in the heat of early summer. Think ahead and plant a vertical crop on the south or west side to provide shade.

Snapshot	Many small-space gardeners skip cabbage because one large plant produces only one head. But for those with a little more space, cabbage is one of the most fun crops to grow, and it provides stunning beauty in the garden.
Starting	Cabbage is best planted as a transplant, whether grown in spring or fall. Start seeds indoors or purchase transplants from a local garden center. Plant transplants a little deeper than they were in their containers, to where the leaves touch the soil level. Cabbage requires a neutral pH soil in a highly fertile location; plant it where other brassicas have not grown for at least the previous three years.
Growing	Cabbage requires consistent moisture, but it doesn’t like too much. Mulch well and keep irrigation consistent, especially during dry spells. Add supplemental liquid fertilizer such as fish or kelp emulsion a few times during the growing season if growth seems to lag. Shade plants during times of high heat.
Harvesting and Storing	Harvest cabbage when the heads are large but still firm by cutting the base with a sharp knife. Unless garden space is at a premium, leave the outer leaves; many varieties will produce smaller heads (similar in size to Brussels sprouts). Store in a refrigerator or a root cellar between 33° and 45°.
Common Problem	Cabbage worms prey on cabbage plants of all sizes. Cover transplants with floating row covers immediately upon transplant. Otherwise, handpick worms or spray the organic insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis at the first sign of damage.