Cabbage is often mistakenly thought to be one of the more intimidating, difficult vegetable crops to try as a home garden- er because of its preference for colder, more northern gardens. Despite the slander, cabbage is a Brassica no more challenging to grow than kale, broccoli, or collards. Whether as a garden crop or flowering ornamental variety, cabbage is available anywhere from rich burgundy to a familiar pale green and easy enough to grow for anyone willing to try.

Sowing and growing:
Cabbage is a cool weather crop able to be planted multiple times throughout the season for successive year-round harvests. Cabbage performs best when started in- doors 6-8 weeks prior to final spring frost or 6-8 weeks before first autumn frost. Plant 2-3 seeds 1/4” deep per cell or peat pot in organically rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-7.0. Seeds germinate in 5-12 days, transplanting strongest starts every 18-24” in the garden once true leaves establish. Cabbage requires regu- lar moisture during vegetative growth to keep heads from splitting before harvest. Plants are heavy feeders and thrive from rich garden composting and routine fertilizing.

Harvesting:
Depending on the specific cultivar and when sown in the season, most varieties of cabbage are ready to harvest at about 100 days from sowing or when heads are firm with a diameter of about 5-7”. Some varieties may overwinter, requiring more than 120 days for harvesting. Using a knife, cut heads at the base and remove yellow leaves from the cut head, keeping healthy loose green leaves attached to help protect cabbage heads during storage.