Growing Cabbage

Brassica sp. : Brassicaceae / the mustard or cabbage family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
  S S         S S      
      T T         T T  

(Best months for growing Cabbage in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • Easy to grow. Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 41°F and 64°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 20 - 30 inches apart
  • Harvest in 11-15 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile, thyme)
  • Avoid growing close to: Climbing (pole) beans, tomato, peppers (chili, capsicum), eggplant (aubergine), strawberry, mustard, parsnip

Your comments and tips

27 Nov 11, Rex (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I wonder if you can tell me if cabbages can resow themselves ? I have cabbages growing along my fence a long way away from my garden so don't know how they come to be there
11 Nov 11, Barrie (Australia - temperate climate)
Why have my cabbages gone to seed before they were formed properly. Planted seedlings early October
26 Jul 12, steven (Australia - temperate climate)
yes i had a similar problem and it mainly seemed to be when it was extra hot weather and thus water is lower because of evaporations .
11 Nov 11, Dee (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Barrie From what I understand, cabbages usually bolt to seed due to stress - mainly heat / water stress. The same thing happened to mine
02 Sep 11, Evan (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
All very nice growing cabbage for the cabbage moth worms to eat! That is my story as reluctant to use chemicals and time consuming removing grubs by hand. How do I keep the pests at bay without chemicals? Would appreciate assistance. Thanks for access to a great website also, although eco-tips for pests would be good too with each plant link.
01 Oct 12, Linda (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I tried everything - eggshells,solar powered flapping butterflies, pepper, garlic plants, etc. The caterpillars still ate my brassicas. I've discovered two things that work. You can plant Chinese cabbage to grow over winter when there are no white butterflies about. This works wonderfully well. The other thing is to cover them with a netting tunnel. We made a high tunnel over the whole garden bed this spring and I'm growing cabbages, kale, etc in a place the butterflies can't get into. We made the tunnel with electrical conduit pipes stuck into metal pipes. If it's ground crawling grubs, such as slugs, use coffee grounds around the plants.
01 Mar 12, Leo (Australia - temperate climate)
Spray some neem oil or a mix of neem and tea tree oils, diluted in water, once a week. It keeps the caterpillars and other insects at bay. Other "organic" options include Dipel (Bacillus Thuringiensis) or Derris dust. I usually stick to neem but use a bit of Dipel occasionally.
05 Feb 12, Kimmy (Australia - temperate climate)
I bought net covers used to protect food from flies ($2 each at the $2 shop) to cover my young plants. Works a treat! Allos sum and rain in but keep bugs out. Protects from white butterflies, snails & slugs without harming them (which is important to me). Once plants a strong enough against attacks, I remove the cover and pop it over other young transplants. Wouldn't cover veges that need bugs to pollinate of course but works well for all others. Hope that helps.
19 Sep 11, Daniel (Australia - temperate climate)
Make a spray using molasses. There are varying recipes out there on the net. I can't even remember the quantity I used last time as I still have 5 litres of the stuff ready to be used but it works. Some people use 1TSP molasses to 1 litre water. I added washing up liquid to help it stick. I would prefer not to use washing up liquid next time as then you can use it as often as you like without worrying about harming the plant/soil. In fact using a molasses spray will do nothing but good for your plants. Daniel
13 Sep 11, Aase (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I was growing cabbage with succes, all I used was a garlic mixed with water spray, and plated mariegold around the vegtble garden, Cabbage was growing in rich organic soil.
Showing 171 - 180 of 227 comments

In zone 6 sow Bok Choy seeds in April, Kale seeds in July and August, and Cabbage seeds in April, July, or August. For zone 7a, Cabbage seeds are best sown in January, February, March, August, or September, while Kale seeds thrive when sown in February, March, or August. Bok choy seeds should be sown in August or September for optimal growth.

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