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| Potted mini cabbage in spring |
Sunday, March 6, 2022
It is time to start cabbage seeds indoors for spring harvests. There are 3 different types of cabbages-heading, conical, and loose. Cabbages come in shades of red, purple and green. I do love the blue green color and crinkly leaves of savoy cabbage. A new favorite is Chinese Hilton cabbage with its sweet leaves that are great for salads or to use as wraps spring, summer and fall.
Cabbage is a member of the brassica family. They all enjoy cool weather and are biennials. They are grown as an annual. Most produce a head the first year that is harvested and we eat. If the head is not harvested, the plant will flower the second year. Both the leaves and head of the plant is edible.
You can chose varieties that have different days to harvest to get a continuous harvest of cabbage from early to late spring. If growing the heading type of cabbage, you want the cabbage to produce a head before the heat of summer to maximize flavor and minimize pests. Cabbage is easy to start from seed indoors. Cabbage can be grown in pots or in the garden bed.
Start seeds 4-6 weeks prior to last frost indoors or direct sow March for spring harvests. Seeds should be sown 1/4" deep. Seeds germinate in 5-17 days. Soil temperature for germination should by 55-75 degrees F. Make sure to harden off your transplants before planting in the garden. You'll want your seedlings to have put on the first set of true leaves (the second set of leaves that grow) and are stout. 4 weeks before your last frost or when the crocus blooms is a good time to start transplanting for spring harvests.
Cabbages like a rich, organic soil with a pH of 6.5-6.8. Place in a location that gets full sun to slight shade, 18-24" apart. Since cabbage is a 'leaf crop", nitrogen is important. Take a soil test to see what you need to add or use a balanced fertilizer at planting and a liquid fertilizer when the head begins for form. Maintain consistent moisture through the growing season during dry spells.
Be sure to rotate plantings to minimize pests. You do not want to plant any broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage in the same spot for at least 2 years as they share the same pests. Ideal rotation is every 4 years. Crop rotation made easy for small gardens
For more on growing cabbage, including for fall and winter harvests and preserving, see Cabbage is nutritious and easy to grow
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