Cabbage has a long history as a food crop . The Celts of central and western Europe are believed to have introduce it as a food craw in the Mediterranean as early as 600 B.C. ( they were famous raiders ) and later throughout Europe , England , Ireland , Wales , and Scotland . fit in to theTexas A&M Agrilife Extension , “ Celtic knowledge of it was so ancient as to have tempt the Latin name , Brassica ( from the Gaelic password bresic , meaning “ cabbage ” ) . “
all right , this is n’t a chronicle track , but I thought that was interesting … .
Cabbage is a pop vegetable for fermenting and foresightful - term depot in such dishes as sauerkraut , curtido , sour cabbage , suan cai , and Tianjin . Besides picking and fermenting , it can be steam , brood , sauteed , braised , added to soups and stew , or eaten raw . It ’s one of the most versatile vegetable and is a great root of dietary vulcanized fiber along with vitamin C and K.
Cabbage is a cole crop ( a character of plant that mature well in cool weather ) and is fairly easy to turn . There are many shapes , colour , and leaf textures among the many varieties . gloss roam from the well - known jet to purple and whitened . Shapes graze from oblate , round , and pointed . Leaf types are generally divided between crinkled - leaf , loose - head savoys , and fluent - folio immobile - head word cabbages .
When to plant cabbage
Cabbage detests summer heat over 80 academic degree F and develop best in the coolheaded weather of early spring and fall . If you ’re engraft cabbage in the spring , commence seeds indoors4 - 6 weeks before your last frost and transpose the cabbage seedlings outside in your garden after the threat of frost has passed . Cabbage has a reputation for being able to survive frost , which is reliable of matured plants . But pelf seedling are just as susceptible to frost damage as other tender annuals . you may plant them out 4 workweek before your last icing , but if very cold conditions below 25 degree F or Robert Frost is expect , cover the seedlings with milk jugsor row covers . When transplanting , make certain you temper off the seedlings first – keep them in a protect spot and out of direct sun on your porch or patio for at least 3 days before implant . This gives them the chance to adjust to breezes and night / day temperature swings to avoid transplant jounce . chequer your first and last rime date here .
plant life shekels where it will receive plenty of direct sun – at least 6 hours per sidereal day . Seedlings should be planted 15 - 18″ apart , and the stem found as deep as it was in the container . Fertilize 6″ from each seedling with an constituent , high - N fertilizer at planting fourth dimension ( that mean the firstnumber on the fertilizer labelis the large number of the 3 ) . Six calendar week after planting , fecundate again with the same fertilizer , but do not fertilize after this point .
bread come will definitely germinate in the cold-blooded land of early spring – but do n’t sow cabbage after the threat of frost has passed , as they ’ll get a previous start and summer passion may damage the plant , slow down its growth , or make the plant thunderbolt ( lead off producing seeds ) .
However , hoarfrost wo n’t damage a maturing cabbage plant life , which is why it ’s perfect for thefall vegetable garden . For a fall harvest , sow cabbage seeds forthwith in your garden 8 week before your first frost . Seeds should be sown at a depth of 1/4″ and 3 ejaculate set every 15 - 18″. lean shekels seedlings after they grow their 2d set of leaves or later , leaving one plant life every 18″. Cabbage will benefit from a 2″ constituent mulch around the plants to crush widow’s weeds .
Depending on the sort , cabbage takes 60 - 100 days to mature , so take the information on the seed mail boat and time your planting appropriately . permit for extra days in the fall .
Soil prep for cabbage
Cabbage prefers rich grunge that enfeeble well and is high in organic topic , so work a significant amount of compost into your grunge before planting . A neutralsoil pHof 7 is fine , but bread will do well in a soil pH of 6.5 – 6.8 .
Cabbage needs plenty of water
lettuce root are very shallow , and they quickly dry out out . , which induce tension for the plant and reduced head size . The destination of lachrymation cabbage is to keep even soil moisture to render a steady supply of water . In the absence seizure of rainfall , add 1 - 2″ of water per workweek . logical watering is key , as uneven wet can result in ripe heads that split unfastened . A 2″organic mulcharound the plant can help retain soil moisture .
When to harvest cabbage
harvesting gelt when the heads reach full size and are firm . To harvest , but cut back the principal from the base at the soil occupation . Keep the wrap give entire for shelter .
Cabbage head should be harvest when they attain a usable size and are steady and compact . Cut the nous from the stem leaving 2 - 3 peignoir leaves for protection . If cabbages are leave in the garden too long after age , they are subject to head splitting . you may slow this and keep the cabbage in your garden a little longer by wrick the heads a small or slit the roots .
Storing cabbage
Cold memory for cabbage is a small tricky , as it want a temperature of 32 - 40 degrees and 95 % humidness . This perfectly describes a root root cellar . As 99 % of us do n’t have access to this ancient convenience , we ’re stuck with modern infrigidation . However , refrigerators are very low in humidity and average around 40 - 42 degrees . Therefore , you canstore pinch freshfor about 30 twenty-four hours in the fridge , freeze it for usage in soup and swither later , can cabbage , or work it . For the best flavor , eat before long after picking . forefend salt away cabbage with apple , pear tree , or other ethene - producing yield as bitter flavors will grow .
Sources : University of Minnesota Extension , Michigan State University Extension , Urban Farmer , Utah State University Extension .
We garden in Pennsylvania , United States , zona 6B. Much of the info we share is based on gardening in our temperate area . But many of the prime , vegetables , and yield we write about can be grown in soil other than ours ( stiff ) and significantly dissimilar weather conditions and elevations . You might need to prefer specific variety for your region , modify your garden , add soil amendment , or adjust the stain pH to match our consequence . Please check your local university extension web site for specifics for your domain .
