Planting Cabbage - Fun And Easy
Although there are some things you need to do to get things right, planting cabbage isn't particularly difficult, and it can be very rewarding to watch the plant grow from seed or seedlings into large, round, vegetables ready for harvest.
Cabbage is a biennial plant, forming the familiar ball head during its first year, and then flowering the second year before going to seed. The flowers are tiny and not particularly spectacular to look at, though a field of cabbage blossoms can be pleasant to the eye.
Cabbage, when allowed to grow as a biennial, is grown for its seeds. Most often, however, it is harvested during the first year as a food item.
Types Of Cabbage
If you're thinking about planting cabbage, there are several major types to choose from.
White cabbage, sometimes called green cabbage is the type we most often see in the supermarket; the cabbage with the large, green head. It's called white cabbage, as that's the color of the leaves in the interior.
Red cabbage, also known as purple cabbage, is nearly as well known, and is the cabbage of choice in some northern European countries, where red cabbage is served during winter holidays when warm, and as a side dish when cold.
Savoy cabbage is the third type, having ruffled leaves, and considered to have more of a delicate flavor.
There are other types of cabbage as well, including the familiar Chinese cabbage, Bok Choy.
When To Plant Cabbage
Cabbage is a cool weather crop. It is hardy in USDA Zones 3 and above. In areas having a mild winter, seeds can be sown, or seedlings set out in the fall for an early spring crop. Otherwise, cabbage is planted in early spring, often before the last frost, and harvested during the summer months.
Move Things Around - If you planted cabbage last year for the first time, and had an excellent crop, which isn't too hard to do, you may well be thinking of a repeat performance this year.
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One of the basic things to remember in planting cabbage is not to plant it where you planted it the year before. If you do, the results may not be all that satisfactory, as the plants will often be much more susceptible to disease. It's best to plant them elsewhere in the garden. In fact, you should not plant cabbage where any other members of the Crucifer family have been planted, including:
Cauliflower
Kale
Brussels sprouts
Some gardeners will advise against planting cabbage anywhere that a member of the cabbage family has been planted during the past 2 or 3 years.
Like most vegetables, cabbage is a sun loving plant and will usually not do well if planted in a shady area. Being a cool season plant, it will benefit somewhat from partial shade, especially in the afternoon, in areas where the summer temperatures are quite high.
Water Is Of Primary Importance - Just by looking at a cabbage head, which consists mainly of immature leaves, which in turn consist mostly of water, or picking one up, you can tell that cabbage is a water-loving plant.
While it is not really a high maintenance plant to grow, the soil must be kept moist and cabbage plants do need to be watered regularly.
The rewards from giving the plant sufficient water will soon be evident. The right combination of fertilizer and water can result in some giant-sized heads, if that is what you want, although heads of 9 or 10 inches in diameter will make more sense for most gardeners.
Water issues can be kept simple by placing water-conserving mulch around the plants to a depth of 2 or 3 inches. It's advised that the mulch be kept a couple of inches from the stem of the plant to lessen the chance of disease or pest problems.
Not Too Close - Spacing of cabbage plants is of course rather important.
It may be tempting to set out seedlings a few inches apart in hopes of getting a good crop of cabbage in a small space. The cabbage however, demands room, and placing the plants too close together not only may inhibit growth, but increase the likelihood of disease.
When setting your cabbage seedlings out, place them between 1-1/2 and 2 feet apart, and in rows 2 to 3 feet apart. If you have an over-abundance of seedlings, plant them as well, in between the other plants. Later you can thin out, saving the hardiest looking plants.
Given adequate water and an occasional side dressing of fertilizer or compost, your efforts should yield a crop of one of nature's premium plants in terms of nutritional value. This, in addition to the enjoyment of watching cabbage grow.