Fothergill's Growing Guide: Cabbages

Average time to harvest

20-24 weeks

Sowing depth

1.5cm

Soil type

Well cultivated, fertile soil

If you choose the right varieties, cabbages can be harvested throughout most of the year. This is one of the reasons we’d recommend growing your own: you’re essentially free to do so whenever you’d like, without the worry of a narrow window for sowing or planting.

This hardy vegetable is easy to grow, and with the pressure off, you can slow down and enjoy the whole growing journey from start to finish. But before you reap the rewards of your hard work, let Fothergill’s walk you through how to get there.

Did you know?

Its botanical name is Brassica oleracea Capitata.

Cabbage is a versatile crop with a wide range of varieties that can be grown and eaten throughout the year. It can be steamed, stir-fried, boiled, stuffed and eaten raw. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and antioxidants.

Thought to have originated from China more than 6,000 years ago, it’s a biennial plant that’s also grown as an annual.

Red cabbage is often used as an all-natural dye for food and fabric.

Cabbages come in many different shapes and sizes. Colours can range from white to green and red to purple. There are spring and summer-sown varieties, and varieties grown purely as an ornamental.

Cabbages can be grouped into several categories:

Spring cabbages, also grown as ‘spring greens’, tend to have loose conical heads and are usually sown in summer for spring crops.

Summer cabbages are usually round ‘ball head’ varieties. When sown in late to early spring, under glass, they provide late summer and autumn crops. The earlier the sowing, the earlier the crops.

Winter cabbages also tend to be ‘ball head’ varieties. Sown in spring, they can be harvested from late autumn, through the winter, into spring.

Savoy cabbages have distinctive wrinkly leaves and tend to be grown as winter cabbages with a long harvest season.

Red cabbages often grow like summer cabbages and provide great colour and distinctive flavour. If you have a small garden, look out for the more compact varieties which will make the most of your limited space.

Growing at a glance

Cabbages prefer to grow in a sunny, sheltered spot with plenty of organic matter incorporated into the soil. Ensure you have firmed the soil before planting.

As they range in size, check seed packet details for plant spacing.

Always rotate brassica crops. If possible, grow them in a different location each year, to reduce the chance of soil borne diseases building up.

Water cabbages regularly, but don’t overwater, especially when the heads start to form, as this can cause them to split.

Cabbages will benefit from a nitrogen feed as they begin to mature.

Cabbages are ready to harvest 20-24 weeks from when they were sown.

Sowing seed

Cabbages can be sown using a standard or modular seed tray filled with a seed compost mix. Tamp the compost down to create a firm surface, then sow thinly. For modular trays create a 0.5cm hole in the centre. Place two seeds in the hole and cover over with compost. Cover seeds lightly with compost, water gently and place tray in a greenhouse, cold frame or windowsill to germinate.

Germination should occur within 14-21 days, or slightly faster if you’re using a heat mat, heated greenhouse or heated propagator. Once they’ve germinated, give them plenty of light so they don’t become leggy.

Direct sowing into the final growing area, or into a separate seed bed, can be done from late March, April when the soil is warmer and more workable.

Prepare the open growing area by adding plenty of organic matter and working it into the soil. Firm the soil down with the back of a rake, or use your heels to walk over the growing area, and then create a fine, level tilth. Water the area before sowing to avoid dispersing the seed.

For seed beds, create drills 1.5cm deep and 15cm apart. Rows should be 45-60cm apart if you’re sowing directly, depending on the variety you’re growing. Sow seed thinly, then cover over sown area with fine soil. Germination should take between 14-21 days. If sowing early in the growing season, a cloche or horticultural fleece may be needed to protect the sown area.

Pricking out

Once seedlings are firmly established thin to 5cm apart or to one seedling per module. Transplant carefully removed seedlings to other trays. To avoid
disturbing the roots, either pinch-out the weaker seedling or cut it away. Keep soil moist.

For plants directly sown into the final growing area, thin seedlings to 30-45cm apart.

Hints and tips

If growing space is a problem, try growing smaller variety cabbages in large containers.
To help deter pests, plant nasturtiums nearby. Butterflies and caterpillars will be drawn to these instead of your cabbage crop.
To improve the flavour of winter cabbage, don’t harvest until after a frost.

Growing on

When indoor seedlings are 10-15cm high, they are ready to be planted out into their final growing positions. Before planting out, let them harden off outside for a week beforehand by bringing your plants outside for a few hours every day so they can acclimatise to outside conditions.

The growing area should be prepared with plenty of organic matter worked into the soil, adding a general-purpose fertiliser, if necessary. Firm the growing area down with the back of a rake. Ideally, the area should be in a warm, sunny, sheltered position. As they get quite tall, plant deeply (up to the first set of leaves) and firm around the roots. This will help them establish a good root system and prevent wind rock. Plants should be spaced 45-60cm apart in rows 45-60cm apart. Water in well. This also applies to plants that were grown and transplanted from a seed bed.

Plant maintenance

Remove any yellowing or discoloured leaves as these could potentially harbour pests and diseases.

As plants mature, mound up around the base of the plants to help support them.

Water regularly, keeping the soil moist, and keep the area weed free. Provide a high nitrogen feed as plants begin to mature.

When plants are ready to harvest cut them away from the main stem. Remove the rest of the plant from growing space sooner rather than later, to prevent possible pests and diseases affecting the area.

Jargon busting

Organic Matter

Broken down plant matter, leaf mould, manure and compost.

Seed Tray

Used to sow seeds. Once seedlings appear, often pricked out and moved on.

Germination

When a seed begins to grow and its first shoot appears.

Propagator

A covered, typically heated container filled with compost, used for raising seeds.

Pricking Out

Removing seedlings from growing trays and planting them into individual pots to grow on.

Thinning

Removing seedlings that are growing too close together to allow the remaining crop on successfully.

Pinching Out

A form of pruning, using forefinger and thumb, to remove a soft stem, encouraging plants to become bushier.

Tilth

Surface soil which is fine and crumbly.

Common problems

Cabbage root fly larvae feed on brassica roots. When planting into its final growing position, place a brassica collar around its stem, just above the soil. This will help prevent cabbage root fly from laying eggs at the base of the plant, and its hatched larvae from eating and destroying the roots.

Birds (especially pigeons) and caterpillars will happily eat the leaves of the plants, so place fine netting over the crop at the time of planting. This will also deter the white cabbage butterfly from landing on the plants to lay its eggs during the summer months; an infestation of caterpillars can quickly devastate a crop.

Club root is a fungal infection that damages the roots, leaving them swollen, distorted and stunted. The foliage can also discolour. If plants are infected, remove from site and destroy. Wash hands, tools and boots to help prevent the spread of infection. Avoid planting brassicas in areas where club root has occurred. Buy seed varieties that have some degree of club root resistance.