Strategies for Cultivating Cabbages: A Handy Guide
Ready to dig into some cabbage know-how? This versatile vegetable comes in various colors, shapes, and textures, making it a crop that's suitable for almost every season. You can toss shredded cabbage in salads, stir-fry it, or add it to soups to give your dishes a tasty crunch.
Planting Your Cabbage Patch
Cabbages thrive in firm, alkaline to neutral soil, in a well-prepared bed. Keep in mind the seed spacing requirements on the seed packet, as different varieties should be spaced at different intervals. Firm the seeds in well to prevent the pesky cabbage root fly from laying eggs near the stem. For extra protection, use a root collar. Feed your cabbages a nitrogen-rich liquid food every fortnight for optimal growth, and you'll be ready to harvest in about 20 weeks.
Growing Cabbages from Seed
Different cabbages can be sown at different times of the year for the best results. Sow seeds indoors, 2 cm deep, in pots or trays, and place them on a sunny windowsill. After about five weeks, transplant the young cabbages outdoors.
Planting Out Cabbages
Cabbages thrive in sunlight and moist, alkaline soil that's been fortified with plenty of well-rotted organic matter, such as garden compost. If you suspect your soil may be acidic, do a pH test and add lime to the soil if necessary. Doing so not only ensures healthier plants but also prevents fungal diseases like club root.
Spacing requirements vary, based on the type of cabbage you're growing:- Spring cabbages need 25 cm apart and 30 cm between rows.- Summer cabbages require 38 cm apart and 30 cm between rows.- Autumn cabbages demand 45 cm apart and 45 cm between rows.- Winter cabbages should be 45 cm apart with 60 cm between rows.
Tips for Successful Cabbage Growing
Average Yield:10kg per 3m row
- Keep the cabbage plant well-watered but avoid waterlogging.
- Feed your cabbages fortnightly with a nitrogen-rich liquid feed.
- Watch out for pests, like pigeons and the caterpillars of small and large white butterflies. Cover your plants with a fine mesh netting to deter caterpillars, and hang old CDs to deter birds.
- If you encounter club root, a fungal disease that affects the roots of cabbages and other brassicas, it can be difficult to completely remove from the soil. However, there are ways to prevent it. For instance, grow cabbages in firm soil, and avoid extremely acidic soil.
Harvesting and Cooking Your Cabbages
After about 20 weeks, use a sharp knife to cut the cabbage, leaving a 10 cm stalk. You may even be able to harvest a second smaller crop by scoring a shallow cross in the stump to encourage smaller cabbages to form.
Throw away floppy leaves, slice out the hard central stalks from the leaves, wash well, and either use raw in salads and coleslaw, pickled in sauerkraut, braised, or lightly steamed as a side dish. Save the vitamin-packed water for making nutritious soups or gravy.
Spacing:25 apart30 between rows
Cabbages are best eaten as soon as they are picked, but winter and red cabbages can be stored in a cold place.
Varieties of Cabbage to Try
Try these popular cabbage varieties for your garden:
- 'Earliest Of All': compact, pale green heads ready for picking from July.
- 'Langedijk': tender heads with a white heart for use over autumn and winter.
- 'Primero': blackish-purple summer cabbage.
- 'Savoy King': autumn/winter cabbage, hardy.
Depth:2
Now that you've got the lowdown on growing cabbages, grab your gardening gloves, and get ready to enjoy those tasty, homegrown treats!
- Your cabbage patch can extend beyond the dinner table, as cabbages may be grown not just for their culinary uses, but also as a home-and-garden addition through the practice of gardening.
- To ensure a thriving lifestyle for your cabbages, plant them in a home that offers plenty of sunshine and moist, alkaline soil, enriched with organic matter, while keeping in mind the unique spacing requirements of different cabbage varieties.
