Permapotes

Cabbage

Cabbage: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Smooth-leaved heading cabbage is valued for its compact head and its many uses in the kitchen. You can choose it for crunchy salads, soups or slow-cooked dishes. Depending on the variety, the head may be round, flattened or pointed, with foliage ranging from pale green to reddish purple. This diversity distinguishes cabbages that do not all share exactly the same texture or appearance.

It belongs to the species Brassica oleracea, in the Brassicaceae family, alongside broccoli and cauliflower. The head consists of closely packed leaves surrounding a short central stem: it is neither a fruit nor a root. More spreading outer leaves surround this dense centre. Their central veins are usually prominent, while the inner leaves often have a paler colour. The familiar vegetable is therefore a leafy part of the plant.

Smooth-leaved cabbage differs from Savoy cabbage, which has distinctly crinkled leaves. White or green forms and red forms belong to the smooth-leaved heading cabbages. The name white cabbage refers especially to heads with a very pale interior; their outer leaves are not necessarily white. Pointed cabbages provide another head shape rather than representing a different species, and their appearance should not be confused with Savoy’s textured foliage.

The life cycle is generally biennial, although cabbage is grown as an annual vegetable. The first phase mainly involves the development of leaves and the head. A plant continuing into its reproductive phase develops a flowering stem with yellow flowers, followed by elongated seed-bearing pods. This explains why a cabbage head is not a lasting structure comparable to the underground crown of a perennial vegetable.

Varieties differ in head size, density, earliness and suitability for storage. Some have tender leaves and relatively light heads; others form larger, more tightly packed heads. The terms spring, summer or winter cabbage describe different variety profiles, without giving every cabbage the same tolerance of cold. The space a plant occupies also depends on the spread of its outer leaves, not just the size of its compact head.

In the kitchen, its fresh vegetable flavour and crunchy texture suit salads and sandwich fillings. Cooked cabbage accompanies vegetables, potatoes and meat in soups and braised dishes. Some white cabbages are also used for sauerkraut. The density of the head and the flexibility of its leaves provide useful differences when comparing varieties for different dishes.

Cabbage
Cabbage
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Medium
  • Mature height : 40 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
  • Sowing Depth : 1 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 50 cm
  • Row Spacing : 60 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Moderate
  • Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Mixed
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Insect-pollinated
  • Propagation : Sowing