General
Cabbage is a cool-season brassica grown for its dense leafy head. It is usually cultivated as an annual, although it is botanically biennial and flowers in its second year if left unharvested. There are early, summer, autumn, and storage types, with green, red, and savoy forms offering different textures and harvest windows. It grows best in cool weather and can tolerate light frost, often improving in flavor after chilly nights.
Light
Full sun.
Soil type
Fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained loam rich in organic matter; avoid very dry, shallow, or highly acidic soils.
Water requirement
Moderate to fairly high; keep soil evenly moist, especially while heads are forming.
Nutrient requirement
Medium to high; benefits from compost-rich soil and steady feeding, especially early in the season.
Precultivation
Sow 0.5–1 cm deep in trays, modules, or small pots. Seeds usually germinate best in cool to mild temperatures, around 15–22°C, and often emerge in about 5–10 days. After germination, keep seedlings bright and a little cooler to prevent soft, stretched growth. Water enough to keep the mix evenly moist but never soggy, and pot on or transplant before roots become cramped.
Planting
Transplant when seedlings are sturdy and have several true leaves. Harden off gradually over about a week before planting into fertile soil in full sun. Plant firmly, deep enough to anchor the stem well, and water in thoroughly. Typical spacing is around 40–60 cm depending on variety and intended head size. Use insect mesh soon after planting where cabbage pests are common.
Pruning
Cabbage does not need pruning. Simply remove yellowing or badly damaged outer leaves if needed for hygiene and airflow. Keep the base clean and do not leave pest-infested leaves rotting around the plants.
Maintenance
Keep moisture even with deep watering during dry spells, and mulch to reduce evaporation and weed pressure. Feed with compost and, if needed, a moderate organic nitrogen source early in growth. Once heads begin to firm up, avoid pushing excess nitrogen. Protect from pigeons, caterpillars, flea beetles, and slugs, and maintain crop rotation to reduce disease pressure.
Harvest
Harvest when heads feel solid and have reached useful size for the variety. Cut at the base with a sharp knife, leaving a few outer leaves to protect the head during handling. Early heads are best used fresh; later and denser types can store much longer in cool, humid conditions. Harvest promptly if mature heads begin to crack.
Common issues
Cabbage white caterpillars and cabbage moth larvae can quickly skeletonize leaves; insect mesh is the most reliable protection. Flea beetles pepper young leaves with holes, especially in dry weather. Slugs may damage young plants. Clubroot is a major soil-borne problem in acidic or repeatedly used brassica beds; rotate crops well and avoid very acid soil. Splitting can happen when mature heads take up water rapidly after drought.
Rotation schedule
Use at least a 3–4 year rotation away from other brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, turnip, radish, and mustard. This helps reduce clubroot, pests, and nutrient imbalance.
Pollination
Usually grown for leaves and harvested before flowering; if allowed to flower in the second season, it is insect-pollinated and cross-pollinated.
Companion plants
Onion, garlic, leek, beetroot, celery, dill, chamomile, lettuce, nasturtium.
Incompatible plants
Other brassicas repeatedly in the same bed, strawberries nearby in tight mixed plantings, and any crowded neighbors that reduce airflow.
