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

27 Sep 20, (Australia - temperate climate)
I'm from Bundy and it is too much water. I water 3 times a week.
19 Aug 20, philip hope (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I am growing curly leaf cabbage, and which are growing well, and I think almost ready for harvest. Do we treat and cook these the same as the other types and harvest when the heart is pretty high and hard?
20 Aug 20, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Google how to use it - similar to normal cabbage. More for salady stuff I feel. It is a looser leaf head, so if big enough and hard start eating. The weather is going to turn warm and hot over the next 4-6 weeks.
08 Aug 20, Robyn (Australia - temperate climate)
My cabbages and cauliflowers are not forming hearts this year. They are very healthy looking, lots of leaves, and planted about 10 - 12 weeks ago. What have i done wrong?? Is it lack of sunshine, lack of nutients, or pollination..have bith green and red varieties of cabbage.
10 Aug 20, Anonymous (Australia - temperate climate)
I am sub-tropical and I'm just finishing picking my broccoli and cabbage. I had a couple of weird red cabbage and ice berg lettuce that were all big leaf and no heart. Same plants right next to each other, one good, one just leaf. If massive leaves then I think too much N fertiliser or just a rogue seed or something. I bought these as seedlings. Talking to an agronomist last week and he said these winter crops need cool/cold weather to form a heart. He said if the weather was hot for week or so when they were to head up then this might have stopped them. I have only grown red cabbage the last 3 years and have a big variation in the size and quality of the heart.
03 Jul 20, Ann McKenzie (Australia - temperate climate)
My radishes and cabbage have small holes in the leaves. No caterpillars, eggs or butterflies as it is quite cold now. I’ve also checked the leaves. What do you think is causing this? Thanks, Ann
06 Jul 20, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Could be grasshoppers. If they are not causing too much damage I wouldn't worry about it. I'm not into what all the different things bus/insects do and how to treat the problems. Rain is a big factor in bug/insect populations - it's breeding time.
01 Nov 20, Allen Lee (Australia - temperate climate)
Small snails are attacking plants even my passionfruit now into cabbages found some in my lemonade tree too!!
20 Apr 20, Kaye moore (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
What do u spray cabbages with to keep grubs out
06 Dec 20, Glenn (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Nothing - simply place a small piece of mosquito netting over the cabbage with a couple of sticks to keep it off the cabbage to stop the white cabbage moths landing to lay eggs. Bingo: another step to organic cabbages.
Showing 21 - 30 of 152 comments

Hello, I live in Nerriga near Braidwood, New South Wales and have had a failure with my cabbage and cauliflower crops. I grew them in a large igloo covered with cloth (with holes) and our temperature here goes to -7 Centigrade. My cabbages and cauliflowers grew lovely for a while then no hearts in the cabbages and no cauli in the cauliflowers. Only leaves. I gave them sea sol often and watered regularly. Not sure how much water they wanted. They did freeze a few times but went back to normal as the day progressed. Can you help for next time? Thankyou. Kind Regards, Rhonda Richards

- rhonda

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