Cabbage

©1998 Homemaking Cottage

Cabbage is a cool weather crop that can be raised for spring or fall harvest.  It is a good source of vitamin C and keeps well in the winter.  The varieties of cabbage are: green cabbage, mild-flavored crinkly leafed Savoy, and colorful red cabbage.

Cabbage needs a rich, nearly neutral soil that contains lots of organic matter.

To grow cabbage during the spring, start seeds indoors about six to eight weeks before the last expected frost.  Transplant to the garden after danger of frost is past.  Cabbage seedlings that are exposed to frost or cold grow slowly and tend to be fibrous and tough.  Plant 2-3 plants per person for the average family.  Plants should be spaced 12-18 inches apart in rows 2-3 feet apart.  For fall crops, start seeds indoors in May and set out after midsummer, or sow directly into the ground from June-August.

Cabbage thrives with an insulating mulch of hay or straw to keep the soil cool.  Harvest the cabbage when the heads are tight and full.  Days to harvest 50-90.  Fall cabbage develops larger heads and many think that they have a better flavor.

Several soil-borne diseases attack cabbage and its close relatives such as broccoli, cauliflower, and turnips.  To avoid infection, do not plant any member of the cabbage family in soil where any of them has been grown in the last two years.

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