Here are the most potent Cabbage Growing Tips No One Will Tell You! Read them to grow the most amazing vegetable for the season!
What could be the secrets to harvest the best cabbage out there? If you want to know what it is, then read these Cabbage Growing Tips No One Will Tell You!
Check out our article for growing Cabbage in pots here
Cabbage Growing Tips No One Will Tell You
1. Start Seeds Indoors
If you want to grow great cabbages, start seeds indoors and then transplant them in the garden. 6-8 weeks before the last frost of spring would be perfect.
Also, it will be safe to move them outdoors, 2-3 weeks after the last frost date has gone.
2. Try Different Varieties
- Try growing Oriental cabbage—the best varieties are Bok Choy, Napa, and Tatsoi.
- Savoy cabbage offers long crinkled leaves with a mild sweet taste, and delicate texture.
- Emerald Cross, Jersey Wakefield, Mammoth Red, Red Acre, and Stone head are also some great options.
3. Provide Sufficient Room
While growing cabbages in pots, make sure that you are spacing them at least 1-2 feet away from each other. If you are growing the vegetable in the garden, then plant one cabbage per square. Space plants to 12-18 inches apart.
Some varieties grow big, so they need plenty of space to flourish—1-2 feet between each plant is ideal. If you grow them too close, the heads will not become large as they can be.
4. Don’t Keep Cabbages on Diet
Cabbages can be heavy feeders as can exhaust the soil rapidly. Nourish young plants with seaweed solution and fish emulsion for two weeks after planting. Feed monthly during the season using a 10-5-5 according to the dosage on the label.
5. Water Them Often
For best cabbages, keep the soil moist. Mulching also helps in keeping the moisture levels in check between watering and keeps the area cool near the base of the plant.
Drip irrigation can also keep the soil constantly moist.
6. Grow Close Relatives Separately
Do not grow cabbages near plants like broccoli or cauliflower, as they can compete with each other for nutrients. These plants can also lure the same destructive insects or diseases.
7. Use Nitrogen-Rich Soil
Cabbages grow best in nitrogen-rich soil. If the growing medium does not have sufficient nitrogen, add manure, compost, or a nitrogen-rich fertilizer before planting cabbages.
Also, the soil must have a pH of 6.5-6.8—this range will decrease the risk of clubroot disease.
8. Harvest Properly
The taste of cabbages improves with climate. Harvest them before the temperature heats up. When grown from seeds, the vegetable gets ready in around 80-180 days and in approx 65-105 days if planted from transplants, according to the variety.
Harvest the cabbages when the heads feel firm to touch—if it feels loose, give them some time.
