How to Grow Cabbages
Instructions & Advice for Growing Cabbage
in Your Vegetable Garden
| Nutrition | Watering Instructions | Harvesting |
| Climate | Fertilizing Instructions | Storage |
| Soil | Challenges | Tips |
| Planting |
*** Easy to Grow! ***
Cabbage is one of the oldest recorded vegetables, dating back to at least 2000 years B.C. It is a very hearty annual garden vegetable (you can often grow it year round!). The leaves and head are either green or purple, depending upon the variety. The stem is very short, except when the plants go to seed.
When gardening, weed only the surface soil, so that you don’t damage the cabbage plant’s roots.
Gardening Advice Tip: For gardening success, create a situation that allows the cabbage plants to grow quickly. Plant in an area that has lots of sunshine, and be sure to provide plenty of water and fertilizer.
Cabbage does not grow as well when planted with (or very near) strawberries, pole beans, tomatoes, or dill. For more information, review the companion planting guide when planning your garden. For more information, see: companion gardening.
Nutrition Information: (back to top)
Source of: Chromium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, K, Folate,
Potassium, Manganese, vitamin A, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron and Magnesium
Climate & Growing Conditions:(back to top)
Cabbage is adaptable to a wide range of garden climates, but will grow best as a cool weather crop. Cabbage will tolerates frost, but not extremely hot temperatures (whcih make the heads split).
How to Prepare the Garden Soil:(back to top)
Cabbage gardening is most successful in sunny well-drained garden soils that have compost and manure added. Soil pH should be 5.5 or higher. (Information on how to test your garden soil pH level.)
The more fertile your soil, the faster the cabbage will grow, and the better the quality of the vegetable. Prepare the garden soil before planting with a fertilizer rich in nitrogen and potash.
Plan to grow your cabbages rapidly and keep them well watered. However, frequent watering can cause nutrients to leach from the garden soil. Keeping the garden beds well mulched and applying doses of a nitrogen fertilizer ever other week will replenish nutrients and food to the garden soil, providing optimal growing conditions for your crop.
How to Plant:(back to top)
Plant in summer and spring, in cool zones. Plant year round in other climates.
Sow seeds indoors iat ¼” deep and 3” apart in seed beds, then transplant into garden beds when seedlings are 5-6 weeks old, with 4-5 true leaves showing. Plant seedlings deeply, up to the first leaves, 2' apart in rows 3' apart (or follow the spacing indicated by your variety's size). Harden off the seedlings a couple of days just before transplanting. For more information on starting seeds indoors, click here.
How to Water: (back to top)
For best growing conditions, water frequently, keeping the topsoil moist at all times. If you have a dry weather period, water garden soil (regularly) thoroughly once a week. If you miss a watering and rain comes after a dry spell, you’ll likely see your cabbage heads splitting.
How to Fertilize: (back to top)
This vegetable prefers slightly acidic soils. Prepare your cabbage garden beds ahead of time by applying dolomite and a complete fertilizer. Water the garden bed immediately after preparing.
During the gardening season, when the cabbages start to form firm hearts, apply a light dressing of urea.
Gardening Challenges: (back to top)
A variety of caterpillars find cabbage leaves very tasty (cabbage moth, white butterfly, center grub, corn ear worm). Downy mildew and magnesium deficiency are common diseases.
Gardening Advice Tip: Practice good vegetable gardening by rotating your crops within your garden space with each new season. This will prevent many plant diseases.
How to Harvest:(back to top)
Cabbages have a long growing season and take approx. 14 to 16 weeks to mature. Harvest when the head is firm. Cut the head from the stem, leaving the outer leaves attached to the stem.
Storage: How to freeze Cabbage(back to top)
Remove outer leaves and wash the cabbage head. Cut into thin wedges, or shred. Blanch cabbage pieces for 1 ½ minutes (shredded) or 2 minutes (wedges). Cool for 2 minutes in iced water. Drain and pack into freezer bags, remove air, seal and label. Freeze cabbage for up to 6 months.
Storage: Cold (back to top)
Leave late varieties in the garden as long as the weather will allow, but avoid heavy freezes.
Handle the cabbage heads carefully to avoid bruising, and remove any damaged leaves.
If you’re in an area that does not experience frozen ground in winter, you can dig a trench to store your cabbages. Place the cabbages plants in the trench, so that the roots are at the bottom of the trench, and the stem is at an angle of 45 degrees. Then place straw or soil over them – just enough to keep the frost off the plants. Make sure the trench allows drainage, so that it doesn’t hold water and rot your plants.
Cabbage also stores well in temperatures above freezing, if hung by their stems from the ceiling/rafters (such as in your garage or a shed).
Or you can store them in a cool cellar.
Storage: How to Dehydrate / Dry Cabbage ( Red or Green ) (back to top)
Wash, trim outer leaves. Remove core and shred. Steam blanch for 2 mintues. Dry at 100 degrees (F) for 18 hours or until crisp. To rehydrate, soak in cold water with a little lemon juice for 30 minutes and drain. You can add dried cabbage directly to soups or stews without rehydrating. Note: Red cabbage loses some of its color when rehydrated.
Gardening Advice Tips (back to top)
Have a helpful gardening tip (or even a funny story) to share about your cabbage growing experience? Share it with us at: gardeningtips@howtogardenadvice.com
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