Vegetable / Cool season
Cabbage
Slow, solid heads that can split after one storm
Plant out byApr 6zone 6
- Family
- Cabbage (Brassicaceae)
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ h)
- Difficulty
- Some care
- Days to harvest
- 60-90 days
- Spacing
- 18 in apart, rows 30 in
- Pot size
- 5 gal pot (fine in pots)
- Frost
- Hardy
- Start
- Start indoors
- Water
When to plant
Showing .
Averages for a typical garden in the region. Your local frost dates may differ by 2-3 weeks, check a local source.Too late this year (try fall)
In zone 6, start seeds indoors Feb 23 to Mar 9; plant out Mar 30 to Apr 6; sow again for fall Jul 28 to Aug 11. Average last frost Apr 20, first fall frost Oct 20.
Units
A firm cabbage head can crack wide open after one heavy rain. It happens when the soil sits dry for a while and then gets soaked, and the head takes up water faster than the leaves can stretch. Steady watering prevents most of it. Once a head feels solid when you squeeze it, pick it. If you can't get to it, twist the plant a quarter turn or slice the roots on one side with a shovel to slow it down.
Cabbage is a long-season plant that likes cool air. In spring, start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost and set the plants out 2 to 3 weeks before that date. Young seedlings dislike frost and long cold spells, which can push them to bolt or form loose heads. Fall is kinder. Transplant 10 to 12 weeks before your first fall frost, and grown heads ride out frosts well into the 20s. Many growers say a touch of frost makes the leaves taste sweeter.
Plan on 15 to 18 inches between plants, which eats a 4×8 bed fast. Rows 2 to 3 feet apart leave room to reach in and check for worms. Each one sits there for two months or more, and that is the real cost of growing it. You also share the bed with cabbage worms, aphids and slugs, so a row cover earns its keep. On a balcony, one compact variety in a 5-gallon pot is plenty to try.
Things to consider
- Clubroot and black rot hang on in the soil for years. Move cabbage and its cousins, like broccoli and kale, to a new spot each season, and pull up old stalks after harvest.
- Spring heads that mature in midsummer heat come out lower in quality. Plant on time in spring, or pick an early variety, so heads finish before the hottest weeks of summer arrive.
- Fall plants go in during summer heat and need water every day until they settle in and start to grow. Skip late feeding once heads start to firm, since extra nitrogen late in the season encourages splitting.
Good neighbours
Keep apart
Pests to watch for
Cabbage wormsCabbage loopersAphidsSlugs
Questions about growing cabbage
How do I know a cabbage is ready?
Press the head with your palm, and it should feel hard like a ball, not spongy or hollow. Many green varieties reach 1 to 3 pounds in about 70 days from transplant. Mature fall heads can wait in the garden a few weeks, which spreads out the harvest over the fall.
Should I sow fall cabbage straight in the ground?
Most guides say no, since midsummer soil is too warm for good sprouting and tiny seedlings dry out in the sun. Start seeds indoors under a light 14 to 16 weeks before your first fall frost. Move them outside about a month later, once they have a few true leaves.
What is chewing holes in my cabbage leaves?
Green cabbage worms and loopers are the usual chewers, and slugs work the night shift. A row cover from day one blocks the moths and white butterflies that lay the eggs. Bt spray handles caterpillars that get through, and a few nasturtiums nearby can act as a decoy that pulls some pests away.
Save this crop
Pin it to a garden board so it is there when planting time comes round.
Similar crops
Sources
General guidance for home gardens. Frost dates are averages for a zone or region; check a local source (in the US your county extension office) for local timing.