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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21 Feb 17, Dorothy Geoffrey (Australia - temperate climate)
CAN I BUY RED CABBAGE SEEDS IN AUSTRALIA? BETTER STILL DOES ANYONE IN AUSTRALIA GROW THEM? Regards Dorothy Geoffrey
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22 Feb 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Red cabbage seed is readily available from online or mail order seed companies. Search 'vegetable seeds' on the internet and you will find quite a number of seed companiees that advertise it. Trust this helps.
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31 Jan 17, Kerry (Australia - temperate climate)
Can a drum cabbage be grown from sprouting core, the core has sent out roots not sure if I can put in garden, unfortunately sandy soil so do I need to add anything, I use liquid fertilizer on all my garden and I will not use any chemicals
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04 Feb 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
A drum cabbage grown from a core will grow but will run up to flower and seed. The leaves can still be used as it grows and you can save the seed which germinaates very readily. yYou could use some of the seed for your next crop and put some on a tray of cotton wool and clip them with the scissors at 2 leaf stage to use as microgreens. Trust this helps
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21 Jan 17, Peter (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hello Does anyone know where I can get pontoise cabbage seeds or seedlings? Thank you
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26 Oct 16, Charles (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Have eight cabbages growing nicely, about two feet tall - but no heads are forming. Have been fertilized, get sun (when it comes - a very wet winter up here at 705m). Advice welcome!
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19 Sep 16, Max Kufer (Australia - temperate climate)
What type of cabbage do I need for making Sauerkraut and what time of the year is it available
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04 Oct 16, Michael (Australia - temperate climate)
I'm not sure if there is a preferred cabbage , but I just use the standard seedlings available from my local plant nursery. They work just fine.
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15 Sep 16, Lee Patterson (Australia - temperate climate)
I have planted five cabbage plants (my first ever) and they growing quite well. The outer leaves are spreading out. Do I have to tie them together or just leave them as is. Thank you.
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24 Sep 16, Bob Dobbs (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
No, do NOT tie the outer leaves together. Older leaves spreading out is their natural growth, and soon the 'drums' will form in the centre of the plant. We are now getting into warm weather which means your cabbages are likely to be attacked by the white Cabbage Butterfly OR grey Cabbage Moth or both. It is not the actual butterfly nor moth that do the damage but the caterpillars that emerge from the eggs that they lay - usually on the underside of the leaf. You will need to spray the plants or, better still, cover them with mosquito netting so that the butterfly/moth cannot sit on the leaves to lay their eggs. My cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli have already been attacked in Brisbane and I am spraying them. All the best. Bob
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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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