Growing Cabbage

On this page we will have our focus on growing cabbage. Our crop we will use is the Ruby Perfection.

I decided to grow some cabbage in the Fall garden. I have never grown cabbage so I will observe and post notes as we along.

Cabbage is grown because it heads are packed tight. Cabbage is usually used in Cole slaw. When I was in South Korea I got to eat some Kimchi.

Kimchi is any one of numerous traditional Korean pickled dishes made of vegetables with varied seasonings. Its most common manifestation is the spicy baechu variety. Kimchi is the most common banchan, or side dish.

Kimchi is also a common ingredient and combined with other ingredients to make dishes such as kimchi stew and kimchi fried rice.

CULTURE: Growing cabbage (as well as related brassicas) is a heavy feeder and does best under fertile conditions with adequate soil moisture throughout the growing period.

EARLY CROPS: Use early and mid-season varieties. Sow 3-4 seeds/in. in flats, cold frame, outdoor seed bed or in 1-1 1/2" plug trays 4-6 weeks before transplanting out. If possible keep soil temperature over 75°F (24°C) until germination, then reduce air temperature to about 60°F (16°C). Transplant outdoors 12-18" apart in rows 18-34" apart.

FALL CROP: Use mid-season and storage varieties. Start seedlings as above in May and transplant to the garden in June-July. To ensure mature heads, seed the crop early in areas where heavy freezes occur early in the fall.

DIRECT SEEDING: Sow 3-4 seeds 12" apart, 1/2" deep, rows 24-36" apart, thinning to one plant in each group.

SPLITTING: Early varieties may split or burst at maturity or from rapid new growth if rain or heavy irrigation follows a dry spell. Splitting may be partially avoided by checking the plants' growth with deep cultivation next to plants.

DISEASES: Adhere strictly to a preventive program including: (1) long crop rotations with non-cruciferous crops, (2) clean starting mixes and outdoor seedbeds, and (3) strict sanitation practices. Black rot, black leg, and alternaria can be seed-borne.

NOTE: A disease-free test result does not guarantee a seed lot to be disease-free, only that in the sample tested, the pathogen targeted was not found. However, no method of seed treatment can positively ensure freedom from disease. We are glad to help with specific questions.

INSECT PESTS: (Refer to Index for row covers and insecticides.) Treat flea beetles on young seedlings with rotenone, pyrethrin, or by covering with floating row cover from day of planting. Cabbage worms and loopers: Dipel. Root maggots: cover seedlings with floating row covers. Cutworm prevention: Prepare soil 2 weeks before planting to cultivate-in cover crops and destroy weeds.

HARVEST and STORAGE: Relatively young heads (still green and actively growing) store best. Ideal conditions are 32°F (0°C), high humidity, and good air circulation. Store only disease-free heads.

DAYS TO MATURITY: From cool weather, spring transplanting. Subtract 10-14 days for late spring or early summer, warm weather transplanting. Add about 14 days for direct seeding.

For seeds, OG means "organically grown" and signifies seeds harvested from plants grown organically, without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and according to National Organic Program standards.

For supplies, OG signifies products that are approved for use in growing certified organic crops; supplies are listed by OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) when noted in the product description.

If I understood right, the South Koreans take the cabbage and add seasonings to it in a glass jar. Then they put the cabbage in the ground to ferment or rot. I am not sure what the exact process was but it was good.

Click here for more information about Cabbage.

Follow along with us and check back each week as we focus on growing cabbage.

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