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It ’s true that you do n’t need a stack of cabbage to purchase cabbage . But , low-cost as it is , if you would opt to grow your cabbage for freshman smack or homemade and probiotic - plentiful sauerkraut , remember that the plants care to keep their cool .
Therefore , asThe New Sunset Western Garden Booknotes , you should “ time plantings so that heads form before or after summer heat . ” One option in the how to grow cabbage playbook is to sow it in early leaping for an early summer crop . Another is to sow in it in summer for use as afall vegetable .
Growing Cabbage at a Glance
rough-cut Name : CabbageScientific Name : Brassica oleracea(Capitata Group)Hardiness Zone : 6 - 11Soil : Moist , well - drainedLight : Full to partial sunWater : MediumFood : eminent - atomic number 7 constitutive fertilizerPropagation : SeedSafety : Edible but can have stomach upset
Cabbage Characteristics
Actually biennials , stalwart in USDA Zones 6 through 11 , cabbages generally are grow as annuals instead . A goodcompanion plantfor beets and onions , they usually do n’t surpass 2 feet in height with green , red , or purple leave and head ranging from 2 to 25 pounds . For ‘ hardheaded ’ types , that foliage is smooth and waxy . However , the “ soft head ” savoy types are frillier .
If sustain inhuman for too long in spring or too hot later , shekels seedling may run off and bring forth flowers rather than heads during their first year . After harvest , if left in the garden over wintertime , cabbages make stalks of four - petalled sensationalistic efflorescence in their 2nd year . Mature chou vegetable plant reportedly will survive temperature down to 25 degrees , so light frosts should n’t hurt them . However , heavy freeze may harm the heads ’ most tender interior leave .
Recommended Cabbage Varieties
Planting Cabbage
When planning cabbage planting , keep in creative thinker that early diverseness mature about 2 months after their transplanting while former varieties take three to 4 months .
When is the best time to plant cabbage?
For a summer crop , sow cabbage seeds indoors under a grow light 2 months before yourlast spring hoar escort . Then transpose the temper - off seedling into your garden 2 week before that last frost date . For a fall harvest , sow early varieties directly into a coolheaded dapple in your garden in June 21 .
Where can cabbage grow?
When planting sugar , choose a location with moist but well - drained dirt with a pH between 6 and 7 that find at least 6 hours of sunlight per daytime . Some shadowiness will give it the cool conditions it prefer . If possible , take a spot where other genus Brassica have n’t maturate in the previous 4 year .
How do you plant cabbage?
Cabbage seed germinate well at 75 degree , but seedlings should be kept at 60 degree afterwards .
Can you grow cabbage in containers?
gelt will originate in containers if you render at least 5 gallon of soil for each industrial plant in a container that is at least 12 inches deep . For instance , you may grow one flora in a 5 - gallon pot , three plants in a 15 - congius tub , etc . Just be sure to keep your container well - watered in a cool location .
Watering Cabbage
Cabbage should receive at least 1 in of water per week to keep its ground forever moist but never soggy . Mulch the works with organic rather than plastic mulch to facilitate keep their dirt damp and their stem coolheaded .
Because excess H2O near harvest time can cause cabbage heads to dissever , you may need to stab a shovel brand into the reason on one side of each works at that sentence , because severing part of the root helps limit the amount of H2O the plant takes up . Just be sure to leave the stem on the other side uncut .
Fertilizing Cabbage
TheUniversity of Minnesota Extensionrecommends that , when growing pelf , you apply a high atomic number 7 fertilizer beside your row “ when the plants are about 4 inches tall . ” One of the suggested rule is 3½ cup of 10 - 3 - 1 cricket bat guano , anorganic fertilizer , for each 100 feet of row . Utah State Universitywarns that you should “ avoid applying extra nitrogen after mind commence to shape . eminent atomic number 7 levels at this time induce loose heads and splitting to pass off . ”
Safety Considerations
Although edible , chou can cause indigestion and flatulence in those ingest it . According toTime , “ Kale , broccoli , and cabbage are cruciferous vegetables , which control raffinose — a sugar that stay undigested until bacterium in your gut ferment it , which produces gasoline and , in turn , realize you bloat . ”
But , asHarvard Health Publishingnotes , “ The food for thought that give your body good probiotics are those fermented using natural processes and contain probiotic bacterium . ” Sauerkraut ’s inclusion on that lean prove that already - ferment cultivated cabbage can better your digestion rather than upset it .
Potential Pests and Diseases
One of the best way to thwart plague such ascabbage wormsand flea mallet is to plant your cabbage seedling where brassicas have n’t grown of late and to insure those seedling straight off after transplanting with lighting - admit row cover . you may leave that cover charge on until the conditions begins to inflame up in June 21 .
Clubroot , a brassica disease spread by spores , may not just hamper the growth of dough but arrest it all in all since it can kill young plant life and keep more mature unity from producing . Should you purchase cabbage seedling , do n’t put them out if their roots demo unnatural swelling .
Harvesting Cabbage
When pelf growing , keep in mind that each industrial plant only produces one head .
When is the best time to harvest cabbage?
Harvest your cabbages once they have reached the size specialize for the cultivar and before heavy fall hoar begin . you may leave the nous on summer plants for a couple weeks after they mature and those on fall plants for up to a calendar month after that maturation date , but do n’t wait too long or those heads may begin to split and/or decompose .
How do you harvest cabbage?
scratch head should feel firm to the touch when they are ready to be nibble .
How do you store cabbage?
invalidate lavation dinero until you intend to employ it . In the meantime , lay in it inside a perforated plastic purse in your refrigerator , where it can last for up to 1 month . Among the bestvegetables for wintertime store , moolah heads can keep for 3 to 4 month if stored in a source cellar where the humidness is always gamy . Looking for more moth-eaten liberal vegetable ? Check out our guide on growingbeets , broccoli , andspinach .
Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
We ’ll help you fix up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your patio , a kindle bed , or an in - primer coat plot out back — and select the right plants for your soil and neighborhood .
Photo: iStock
Photo: iStock
Photo: iStock
Photo: iStock
Photo: iStock
