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GROWING CABBAGE

Find the secrets to growing cabbage successfully in your garden. It is a very versatile, nutritious crop and easy to grow, so why not give it a try?

Stonehead Hybrid Cabbage
Growing cabbage in your garden is well worth your efforts. They are very popular vegetable, it’s reputed to reduce the risk of some forms of cancer including colorectal cancer, it’s also high in beta-carotene, vitamin C and fiber, so it’s a dead cert favorite to have on your dinner plate. There are an abundance of varieties, and they’re a sturdy and extremely hardy member of the brassica family. They thrive in cold damp winters and are capable of withstanding temperatures which would destroy many other crops.

Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage
Growing cabbage is easy if you follow a few simple guidelines. They do best in well-drained moist soil that has been enriched with well rotted manure and those grown for their leaves appreciate added nitrogen. Growing cabbage in a sunny position will give you a better crop. Also, make sure you follow the rules of crop rotation, to avoid clubroot or black rot disease, never put any member of the brassica family, (Brussel sprouts, cauliflower or swede etc;) in the same plot the following 3 to 4 years.

Your soil pH should be in the range 6.5 and 7.5 (eliminate the guess work and buy yourself a Four-Way Soil Analyzer). Remember, when growing cabbage that it is a cool season vegetable; it will tolerate frost but not freezing conditions. Several days or nights of colder temperatures will cause the plants to turn to seed, also they do not grow well in areas which have extremely hot summers because they will again bolt (go to seed without forming a head). If the head has already formed, it will split in hot weather as it takes up too much water.

Early crops are planted in early spring and harvested before the peak heat of summer. If using transplants, plant them out when they are four to six weeks old, two to three weeks before the average date of the last frost.

poly tunnel
For a mid to late summer crop, sow the seed thinly in late winter in seed beds, protected by a Poly Tunnel, or indoors. Then plant into permanent position during mid to late spring 12-15inches apart each way. Protection from severe weather may still be necessary during this time.If sowing seeds directly into the ground do this in late spring, as seedlings can tolerate a light frost. When growing cabbage there are many varieties available that mature at different times so plan a succession of sowings from mid spring until early summer for a long period of harvesting.

Late crops are planted mid-summer and harvested in the fall.

The ideal soil temperature for growing cabbage is 21-26°C (70-80°F) for optimal germination in 4-7 days.

When growing cabbage plants from seed, make sure the ones you buy are resistant to yellow wilt. If you buy transplants make sure there are no black spots or wilted leaves. When considering growing cabbage in your garden remember that they take up quite a lot of room and will take 60 to l05 days from transplants to maturity.

To harvest, cut off the head when firm leaving the outer leaves on the stem.

Growing cabbage in your own garden allows you to pick a variety to suit your taste and imagination with different types such as green leaved, red leaved, savoy, chinese or why not even try some kale. Click here to visit Gurney’s, Seed and Nursery Company for your seed and plant requirements.

Check out the other vegetables which you can grow in your garden.