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

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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
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15 Mar 09, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Tamera, Brassicas are things like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower. Green vegetables which are good for us.
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28 Jul 08, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Nikki, plant your cabbages out when they have developed past the first two leaves and are looking a bit sturdy: about 8-10cm tall. Good luck with your gardening.
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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.

- Linda

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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