Space summer cabbage 30cm apart and other varieties 45cm apart.
Each cabbage plant will produce one head of cabbage.
The pot below contains ten young cabbage plants. Each one will grow into a mature cabbage when planted out.
Prepare the soil so that it is fine and crumbly. Level it off and firm it down. Walk over it several times because cabbage grow best in very firm soil.
The cabbage plants are ready to plant out into the garden when they have five true leaves.
Water the pot of cabbage well the night before planting out.
Take the plants out of the pot by placing a hand over the plants and tipping the pot upside down. The soil ball will fall out of the pot into your hand. Turn the ball the right way up and gently tease the roots apart to separate out one plant.
Make a hole in the ground that is as deep as the roots are long. Place the plant in the hole so that the base of the stem of the bottom leaves is almost at soil level. Gently push the soil around the roots to fill in the hole.
Hold the leaves to keep the plant vertical whilst firming the soil down. It is important to firm the soil down well around the stem of the cabbage so that it is completely solid.
Plant the remaining plants in a row - spacing summer cabbage 30cm apart and other varieties 45cm apart.
Water
When all the plants are in, water them well. Keep the soil damp for a week or so, until the plants look well established. After that it is only necessary to water in very dry periods when the leaves start to wilt.
Weed
Pull weeds out as they appear.
Protect the cabbages from birds and insects by covering them with special garden netting or fleece which has a mesh to keep butterflies out. Pick off slugs and snails if they are in the area.
Harvest the cabbages when they feel firm. Hold the head of the cabbage with one hand and with a sharp knife in the other, cut the head off leaving the outer leaves behind on the stalk. Cut away from you to avoid injury. Harvest every other cabbage to start with, leaving the middle one with more space to grow in to.
Types of Cabbage
There is a cabbage for every season. Plant the right variety at the right time for a succession of cabbage throughout the year.
|
Type |
When to plant |
Ready to harvest |
|
Spring Cabbage |
September |
March-May |
|
Summer Cabbage |
May – June |
July - October |
|
Winter Cabbage |
June |
December - February |
Summer cabbage grow really quickly and will be ready to cut about 10 weeks after planting. Winter cabbage are very hardy – able to withstand frost and snow. Savoy is a type of winter cabbage which has crinkly leaves. They are mild and sweet.
Pointed cabbages mature quickly and will be ready to harvest from June if planted in April.
Ballhead cabbages are round and hard with tightly packed leaves. They take slightly longer to grow but give more meals per cabbage than pointed ones.
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