Growing Cabbage

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Cabbage

By Catherine Boeckmann
Cabbage plant

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Cabbage is a hardy, leafy vegetable full of vitamins. By planning your growing season and providing diligent care, you may have two successful crops in one year, in both spring and fall. Here is our guide for planting, growing, and harvesting cabbage.

Mark Twain once said, “Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” In fact, cabbage is no longer seen so poorly. We now know that this hardy vegetable is antioxidant- and nutrient-rich, and a great addition to any garden! See 5 reasons to eat cabbage.

That said, note that cabbage can be difficult to grow for the beginner gardener; it only likes cool temperatures and it can be a magnet for some types of garden pests. Rotating the cabbage crop every few years will help avoid a buildup of soilborne diseases.

Many varieties are available to suit both your growing conditions and taste preferences.

Planting

  • Cabbage is a heavy feeder; it quickly depetes the soil of required nutrients.
  • Prepare the soil in advance by mixing in aged manure and/or compost. Soil should be well-draining: roots that stand in water cause heads to split or rot.
  • If starting seeds indoors, sow ¼ inch deep 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost. Consult our Planting Calendar for suggested dates.
  • Before planting the seedlings outdoors, harden off the plants over the course of a week.
  • Transplant small plants outdoors on a cloudy afternoon 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost date.
  • Plant seedlings 12 to 24 inches apart in rows, depending on the size of head desired. The closer you plant, the smaller the cabbages.
  • For a fall harvest, direct sow seeds outdoors (or plant transplants) in mid- to late summer. If your area is particularly hot and dry, hold off on planting until late summer. Make sure that the young plants don’t dry out in the summer sun’s heat!

Cabbage patch

Care

How to Grow Cabbages

  • When seedlings reach about 5 inches tall, thin to leave the desired space between them. If you wish, transplant the thinned seedlings elsewhere.
  • Mulch thickly around the area to retain moisture and regulate soil temperature. The optimum soil temperature for growth is 60 to 65° F. Young plants exposed to temperatures below 45°F for a period of time may bolt or form loose heads.
  • Fertilize 2 weeks after transplanting with a balanced (10-10-10) fertilizer.
  • Three weeks late, add a nitrogen-rich fertilizer; cabbage needs nitrogen in the early stages.
  • Practice crop rotation with cabbages to avoid a buildup of soil-borne diseases.

Pests/Diseases

Some old folklore tells us: Scatter elder leaves over your cabbage to keep the bugs away.

Cabbageworm damage
Cabbageworm damage

Harvest/Storage

How to Harvest Cabbages

  • Harvest when heads reach desired size and are firm. Mature heads will split. This will take around 70 days for most green cabbage varieties. Most early varieties will produce 1- to 3-pound heads.
  • To harvest, cut each cabbage head at its base with a sharp knife. Remove any yellow leaves (retain loose green leaves; they provide protection in storage) and immediately bring the head indoors or place it in shade. Alternatively, pull up the plant (roots and all) and hang it in a moist cellar that reaches near-freezing temperatures.
  • To get two crops, cut the cabbage head out of the plant, leaving the outer leaves and root in the garden. The plant will send up new heads; pinch off those until only four or so smaller heads remain. Harvest when tennis ball-size (perfect for salads!).
  • After harvesting, remove the entire stem and root system from the soil to prevent disease. Only compost healthy plants; destroy any with maggot infestation.

How to Store Cabbages

  • Cabbage can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, wrapped lightly in plastic. Make sure it is dry before storing. In proper root cellar conditions, cabbage will keep for up to 3 months. See our article on root cellars.
  • Follow this old-time technique to get the most out of your cabbage crop:
    1. In the fall, harvest the entire cabbage plant—stems, head, and roots—enjoying the head as usual and storing the roots in a root cellar through winter. 
    2. As soon as the ground has thawed in spring, plant the roots outdoors. 
    3. Soon, fresh sprouts will form, which can be eaten alone or added to soups, salads, or a dish of your choice.
    4. These replanted cabbages won’t produce full heads, but they should go to seed by the end of summer, providing next year’s round of cabbage seeds!
    • Note: This can also be done indoors on a windowsill in mid- to late winter; keep roots damp and sprouts should form.

Recommended Varieties

Cabbages comes in a range of sizes, shapes, and colors.

  • For an early harvest, try ‘Primo’ or ‘Stonehead.’
  • Quick-maturing ‘Golden Acre’ and ‘Quick Start’ yield 3-pound heads.
  • For Savoy types, try ‘Alcosa’, an early variety, or ‘Wirosa’, a late variety that overwinters as-is in southern gardens but needs protection in the North.
  • ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ resists splitting. It’s an heirloom, slightly pointed, and 2- to 3-pound heads.
  • Disease-resistant varieties include ‘Blue Vantage’ and ‘Cheers’.
  • If you are planting for a fall harvest, try red or Chinese cabbage. Good varieties include ‘Integro’ and ‘Ruby Perfection’ (reds) and ‘Li Ren Choy’ (baby bok choy).

Wit & Wisdom

  • Plant near beans and cucumbers, not near broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, or tomatoes. Check out our chart of plant companions for an expanded list of friends and foes. 
  • A 127-pound cabbage won first prize at the Alaska State Fair in 2009.

Cabbage: A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man’s head.
—Abrose Bierce (1842–c.1914)

Recipes

Cooking Notes

If boiling cabbage, drop walnuts (shell on) into the water; they will absorb the odor.

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Reader Comments

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Appreciation

Submitted by Isola Oluwatoba on

Thanks for the eye opening . Looking forward to guides for a humble start.

cabbage nursing,transplanting,harvesting and storaging.

Submitted by Sammy on

Remarkable practical knowledge and a mile read expertise in crop farming.thanks in advance and continue the spirit of farming education.

Planting

Submitted by Osas on

When is the best time to plant cabbage and watermelons in uae (united Arab emirates)

Cabbage

Submitted by Lovella Vickery on

My temperatures are about to go mid 90's. Should I go ahead and cut at a smaller size. Leave the plant to see what happens. Too early for these temps even in oklahoma. Dont want to waste them

Bolting Cabbage

Yes, if hot temps are expected in your area, it would be a good idea to go ahead and cut the cabbage earlier than usual. Once they’ve bolted, it’s already too late, so better to be safe and harvest early!

WARM temps

Submitted by Katherine Vaughan on

Grandson received a plant in May from school...obviously should have been in the Fall. It is a large head or some type like that(?) growing well, just starting to form head. Temps up to mid 90's. keeping it in the shade as much as possible. any other tips to keep it healthy? have thought of bringing it inside but then no sun. Right now gets morning sun mainly and some peek through until about noon. assume it will be another 40-60 days before it is finished growing. no bolting seen :) Thank you!

Cabbage in summertime

Cabbage is indeed a cool-weather crop usually transplanted after summer heat has passed. Your instinct about shade are correct. You’ll want some kind of shade netting to keep both the soil and air cooler as well as keep the cabbage from being scorched. For best results, suspend the shade netting several inches above the cabbage letting it rest on some kind of frame.If you haven’t done so already, put mulch on the soil to keep it cool. Of course, water to keep the soil from drying out. Cabbage gets thirsty. If it doesn’t work out, you’ll know it’s not your fault! Hot weather is tough on some plants, just like people!

cabbage

Submitted by sbusiso on

I love planting

how to start commercial cabbage production

Submitted by Everistus Ifeanyi on

I leave in the temperate region of Africa and want to start cabbage production in a large scale so i need a kind of lecture on how to start so that i can succeed.

Cabbage

Submitted by Anne on

Try contacting your "Local or Gov. Department of Agriculture" you can get their contact info @ the Dept. Agriculture website; you could also research other crops; Carrots might be good; being Carrots Greens are edible as well as the Carrot Root;;)AR;;

Help to grow cabbage in Liberia

Submitted by Alex C. Dossen on

I want to grow cabbage on a large scale but don't have the financial means to do that.

growing cabbages in south west cameroon

Submitted by mayarh martineso on

i need you help

Selling cabbages to supermarkets

Submitted by Thembela on

I would like to know what are the requirements for me to sell vagitables(cabbages) to large interprise supermarkets

cabbage production

Submitted by moses on

I want to grow cabbages for cormecial purpose anyone to help me

Commercial cabbage production

Submitted by Timothy Maphosa on

Greetings.
I want to become a commercial farmer of cabbages, i need to know on how to start farming. Please assist with the procedure and provide with messures to control the diseases.

Cabbage farmer

Submitted by Michael Morris on

How to grow cabbage, best chemical to used to keep away bats ,worm and diseases in jamaica wi.

cabbage

Submitted by Rosemarie on

I am trying a new to me cabbage. It is mini cabbage from Bonnie plants....
Supposed to grow about 6-7' heads. I always used DE to keep the bugs away. Seems to work for me. Must reapply after heavy rains. I will plant two in my garden tower to see if it works.

when to harvest cabbage

Submitted by Gene Richardson on

I have some large cabbage that could be harvested now, but I would like to leave them for New Years. Now it is supposed to get below freezing, Will that ruin the cabbage? We had a few frost that did nor bother it.

Red Cabbage In SA

Submitted by Menzi on

Hi All

Where can I find red cabbage in S.A especially around Durban.

My dad is growing cabbage for

Submitted by Christen on

My dad is growing cabbage for the first time in our garden! Everything is going great, but we are wondering what to do about the leaves falling from the trees that are falling into the center of the cabbages. We are pulling them out when we see them but we are afraid some are getting wrapped up in the cabbage itself. any suggestions?

You might try placing row

The Editors's picture

Submitted by The Editors on

You might try placing row cover or bird netting (both found in garden centers) over your cabbages to catch the leaves. You can prop up the material on stakes (or garden hoops) to either side of the row, if desired, so that the material doesn’t actually touch your crop.

cabbage seedlings

Submitted by TSHOLOFELO RANT... on

Can cabbage seedlings grow again after the leaves were cut by goats ?

No Kid-ding!

The Editors's picture

Submitted by The Editors on

Hi, Tsholofelo: No kidding! (Get it? No kid- … uh, never mind.) Goats love cabbage leaves, which can be bad for them because they will ferment in their gut if they eat enough. If you’re really talking about seedlings being eaten down to the ground, then there’s not much hope. If you’re talking about developing heads of cabbage, they may have a chance if everything isn’t gone. Good luck!

My daughter got a cabbage

Submitted by Mike on

My daughter got a cabbage plant at school as an experiment to see who could grow theirs the largest. After the last frost of the year we planted it in our garden. At first it took off great got about 10 inches tall, then the bunnies got to it and ate it down to the ground. You could actually only see a little round circle of the stalk against the ground. That was in mid July, It is now November and that cabbage plant has 2 10 inch heads on it and is looking wonderful. So in my opinion, Yes they can come back.

Salting cabbage heads

Submitted by lisa o. on

I remember my mother and grandmother salting newly formed heads to make the tighten up. Have you heard of this or how much salt to use?

using salt on growing cabbage

We can think of two reasons your ancestors used salt on growing cabbage: 1. to deter caterpillars and 2. to deter magnesium deficiency. By adding some salt to the watering can and sprinkling on young cabbages, it hinders the growth of caterpillars, a destructive pest to cabbage. And you can add Epsom salt to the base of cabbage plants to prevent magnesium deficiency.

cabbage no head

Submitted by harikumar on

my cabbage doesn't seem to be heading. I planted the cabbage in right season in toronto, and growing well ,but no head is coming out , all leaves are open now only 45 days after planting.

Cabbage Not Heading

The optimum temperature for cabbage growth is 60º to 65ºF (15 to 18ºC). Often, the problem is temperature–too high or too low. Cabbage also needs even moisture supply during head formation. If your plant hasn’t bolted yet, it may eventually form heads. If they do start to flower and bolt, pull them up and try in the fall when the weather is cooler (for most areas). Good luck!

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Growing Cabbage

Botanical Name Brassica oleracea (Capitata group)
Plant Type Vegetable
Sun Exposure Full Sun
Soil Type Loamy, Sandy
Soil pH Neutral
Bloom Time
Flower Color
Hardiness Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
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