Growing Cabbage

Brassica sp. : Brassicaceae / the mustard or cabbage family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
    S     S S S        
      T     T T T      
      P     P P P      

(Best months for growing Cabbage in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 41°F and 64°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 20 - 30 inches apart
  • Harvest in 11-15 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile, thyme)
  • Avoid growing close to: Climbing (pole) beans, tomato, peppers (chili, capsicum), eggplant (aubergine), strawberry, mustard, parsnip

Your comments and tips

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24 Jan 09, Harsha (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Is chinese brocalee fallen to cabage familly? when to saw ?
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20 Dec 08, slatter (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
igrew the cabbages but they took long to form the head could it be too much Nitrogen that allows leafy growth?.
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29 Oct 08, Nat (Australia - temperate climate)
I planted my cabbages a few months back and now the heads have come large enough to harvest. However when i cut them open i find that actual cabbage leaves are few and it actually looks like that flowers have began developing within the head. I cut a younger head and it wasn't that dense. Have i done something wrong or am i just cutting at the wrong time?
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19 Oct 08, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Planted mini cabbages in Blackheath about 8 weeks ago, they are comining along beautifully but about 20% of them appear to be going to seed, as above. They were grown from punnets, not seed, and are all the same variety. Do I break off the seed or leave them to develop? Rainfall, watering and fertilising are good. When are they ready to harvest?
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17 Oct 08, Carl (Australia - temperate climate)
I also planted mini cabbages a few months ago and had the same problems. They were getting tall stems with like clusters of seeds appearing off the stems. I also had never tried them before. I thought maybe the seeds were mixed up at Bunnings (they seemed like they were broccolli). I have since take them out and will try to grow a different cabbage.
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13 Oct 08, Trevor Stewart (Australia - temperate climate)
I planted a dozen cabbages at the end of May, they have come along fine, now being october they do not seem to want to hearten up. would this be a lack of water [ rainfall ] or is there another reason.
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29 Sep 08, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Sue, it sounds like you might have brussel sprouts, not cabbages... Perhaps the wrong seed was in the packet?
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28 Sep 08, Sue (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I planted mini cabbages a few months ago. They have grown very strange. They are getting tall stems with like clusters of seeds appearing off the stems. Is this normal? I have never tried them before.
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04 Sep 08, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Sandra, derris (rotenone) is an organic treatment for cabbage white butterfly, but it has some possible toxicity in humans (see http://www.organicnz.org/page/derris-dust) and is lethal to worms. An alternative is placing netting over the cabbages, so the pests can't get in to lay their eggs. Maybe you could pick off the current pests and net to prevent any more?
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04 Sep 08, Sandra (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
There are holes in my mini cabbages, I'm gussing they are made by caterpillars. What is an organic or home made spray that I can make to deter these caterpillars?
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Showing 141 - 150 of 152 comments
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Just a friendly tip, I found Cabbage & Cauliflower are not compatible as companion plants, they hate each other. Last year I grew them in the same raised bed, what a disaster. I have now put them in separate raise beds with the beds 600mm apart and I now have a prolific crop of both. When I am raising the seedlings in the seed trays I also separate them by 300mm with very good results. Before I installed the raised beds I had small separate gardens all over my backyard and the plants were separated in different beds and I had prolific results back then. Hope this tip can help others

- Steve from Kanahooka NSW.

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