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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Cabbages
Growing
- 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.
- Water 2 inches per square foot per week.
- The optimum soil temperature for growth is 60 to 65掳F. Young plants exposed to temperatures below 45掳F for a period of time may bolt or form loose heads. Cover plants if cold weather is expected.
- Fertilize two weeks after transplanting with a balanced (10-10-10) fertilizer.
- Three weeks later, 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.
Protect seedlings against pigeons with wire mesh, and use netting during the summer months to stop butterflies from laying their eggs on the leaves. It鈥檚 also worth growing nasturtiums nearby as a sacrificial crop for cabbageworms, which will be more likely to eat the nasturtiums instead of your cabbages. Mint can be used to help deter flea beetles.
Keep cabbages watered, and weed between plants with a hoe or by hand. During exceptionally cold weather, winter cabbages may need to be protected with row covers or cloches. In very cold regions, growing cabbages in a greenhouse or cold frame will keep them safe.
鈥淎s cabbage heads mature, they become prone to splitting in response to heavy rainfall, especially following dry weather. To minimize head splitting, avoid late-season fertilization, provide adequate water throughout the growing season, and harvest heads as soon as they are firm. In addition, pruning roots with a shovel on one side of the plant, or twisting the plant after the heads have firmed, will break roots and prevent the uptake of excess water,鈥 explains John Schoenhals, Extension Educator at the .
Pests/Diseases
Some old folklore tells us: Scatter elder leaves over your cabbage to keep the bugs away.
| Pest/Disease | Type | Symptoms | Control/Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aphids | Insect | Misshapen/yellow leaves; sticky 鈥渉oneydew鈥 (excrement); sooty, black mold | Grow companion plants; knock off with water spray; apply insecticidal soap; put banana or orange peels around plants; wipe leaves with a 1 to 2 percent solution of dish soap (no additives) and water every 2 to 3 days for 2 weeks; add native plants to invite beneficial insects |
| Black rot | Fungus | Yellow, V-shape areas on leaf edges that brown and progress toward leaf center; leaves eventually collapse; stem cross sections reveal blackened veins | Destroy infected plants; choose resistant varieties; provide good drainage; remove plant debris; rotate crops |
| Cabbage loopers | Insect | Large, ragged holes in leaves from larval feeding; defoliation; stunted or bored heads; excrement | Handpick; add native plants to invite beneficial insects; spray larvae with insecticidal soap or Bt; use row covers; remove plant debris |
| Cabbage root maggots | Insect | Wilted/stunted plants; off-color leaves; larvae feeding on roots | Use collars around seedling stems; monitor adults with yellow sticky traps; use row covers; destroy crop residue; till soil in fall; rotate crops |
| Cabbageworms | Insect | Leaves have large, ragged holes or are skeletonized; heads bored; dark green excrement; yellowish eggs laid singly on leaf undersides | Handpick; use row covers; add native plants to invite beneficial insects; grow companion plants (especially thyme); spray Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) |
| Clubroot | Fungus | Wilted/stunted plants; yellow leaves; roots appear swollen/distorted | Destroy infected plants; solarize soil; maintain soil pH of around 7.2; disinfect tools; rotate crops |
| Downy mildew | Fungus | Yellow, angular spots on upper leaf surfaces that turn brown; white/purple/gray cottony growth on leaf undersides only; distorted leaves; defoliation | Remove plant debris; choose resistant varieties; ensure good air circulation; avoid overhead watering |
| Flea beetles | Insect | Numerous tiny holes in leaves | Use row covers; mulch heavily; add native plants to invite beneficial insects |
| Slugs/snails | Mollusk | Irregular holes in leaves; slimy secretion on plants/soil; seedlings 鈥渄isappear鈥 | Handpick; avoid thick bark mulch; use copper plant collars; avoid overhead watering; lay boards on soil in evening, and in morning dispose of 鈥渉iding鈥 pests in hot, soapy water; drown in deep container filled with 1/2 inch of beer, or sugar water and yeast, and sunk so that top edge is slightly above ground; apply 1-inch-wide strip of food-grade diatomaceous earth as barrier |
| Stinkbugs | Insect | Yellow/white blotches on leaves; eggs, often keg-shape, in clusters on leaf undersides | Destroy crop residue; handpick (bugs emit odor, wear gloves); destroy eggs; spray nymphs with insecticidal soap; use row covers; weed; till soil in fall |
| Thrips | Insect | Leaves, especially in folds near base, have white patches or silver streaks; brown leaf tips; blistering/bronzing on cabbage leaves; curling or scarring | Remove plant debris; choose resistant varieties; add native plants to invite beneficial insects; use row covers; use straw mulch; monitor adults with yellow or white sticky traps; use sprinklers or other overhead watering |
| White mold | Fungus | Pale gray, 鈥渨ater-soaked鈥 areas on stems, leaves, and other plant parts that enlarge and develop white, cottony growth, later with black particles; bleached areas; crowns rot; plants wilt/collapse | Destroy infected plants; ensure good air circulation; water in morning; weed; destroy crop residue; rotating crops on 5-year or longer cycle may help |
Cooking Notes
If boiling cabbage, drop walnuts (shell on) into the water; they will absorb the cabbage’s unpleasant odor.
Catherine Boeckmann
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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?
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.
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.
The optimum temperature for cabbage growth is 60潞 to 65潞F (15 to 18潞C). 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!
we put up an electric fence, but it still doesn't work! The deer raided my garden last night and ate the leaves off all my cauliflower and cabbage. Will these plants grow back, or do I need to plant again?
Grandson received a cabbage plant middle of May in school, large head or something. Apparently, from what I am reading should have been done in the Fall(?) Anyway> Temps are now in 80- mid90's, still doing well...and finally beginning to form a head...keeping it in the shade as much as possible so only geting early morning sun. any tips to get it to maturity? assuming another 60 days?
How do you encourage the heads to develop.
Cabbage does best in temperatures between about 60 and 65 F. Cold or hot temperatures can affect head development, so timing is important as to when you plant — plan for cabbage to mature before summer, or with fall plantings, before the first fall freeze. Plant in rich soil, using a balanced fertilizer. Some sources say nitrogen helps in early head development, although too much can create loose heads. Keep up with watering, so evenly moist during development (but not soggy); mulch helps to keep the soil cool and retain moisture. Avoid compacting the soil. Give plants room to grow; smaller spacing will result in smaller heads. Check soil pH and maintain at about 6.5 to 7.0.
I bought cabbage seedlings and planted them. After 2 to three weeks they changed their colour into purple also the growth is slowly
My early cabbage did that as well Celumusa, I heard that they needed more fertilizing, so now I fertilize at least once a week and they turned back green and are growing beautifully. I just use Miracle grow to fertilize and bonemeal in the soil.
