How to Grow Cabbage (Ruby Perfection)

This page provides written and visual information on How to Grow Cabbage. The model we will be using is the Ruby Perfection F1, pictured at the right, which is a purple cabbage.

The Ruby Perfection F1 is a fancy Fall storage red. It is the No. 1 mid-late red cabbage. The heads are medium-sized, dense, and a uniform high-round shape with good wrapper leaves.

Good field holding ability. Matures just in time for late summer crops or fall harvest for medium-term storage. Resistance to thrips.

When learning How to Grow Cabbage, we must be aware that thrips might attack our plants. Thrips, pictured at the right, are tiny (1-2 mm) insects with thin, feathery wings. Most thrips feed on plants but some species are predatory on other small arthopods. Thrips feeding injury often appears as sunken, silvery patches on leaf surfaces.

Plant-feeding thrips develop from eggs through several immature stages to a pupal stage then emerge as adults. Eggs are laid in leaf tissue, larvae feed on leaves and the pupal stage often occurs off the plant in soil.

There are multiple generations of thrips each year so populations can build rapidly to damaging levels. The generation time from egg to egg can be as little as two weeks.

Plant Cycle is Annual.

Days to Maturity: 85

CULTURE: 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: When learning How to Grow Cabbage, 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 until germination, then reduce air temperature to about 60°F. Transplant outdoors 12-18" apart in rows 18-34" apart.

09-09-09

The video below for How to Grow Cabbage shows how to plant the cabbage seeds in Raised Vegetable Garden Beds, I also used a row cover with this raised bed.

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.

INSECT PESTS: Treat flea beetles on young seedlings with rotenone, pyrethrin, or by covering with floating row cover from day of planting.

To manage cabbage worms and loopers: Dipel.

To prevent 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 store best. Ideal conditions are 32°F, high humidity, and good air circulation. Store only disease-free heads. 9-21-09

I planted my seeds but I did make a mistake when learning How to Grow Cabbage. I only planted one see for each plant. These did not come up so I had to replant. This time I planted three to four to make sure something came up.

I did not want to waste seed or spend time thinning but I guess there is no way around having to thin. Even if I had started them in starter pots, I still would have needed to plant more than one.

No seed has a 100% germination rate.

By the way, this is my first time to grow cabbage.

In the picture below are the cabbage seeds emerging. When they are about two inches high, I will have to thin them out.

Flea beetles, in the picture at the right, are small beetles that jump when disturbed. They damage plants by chewing small "shot-holes" in the foliage. They are important to know about when learning How to Grow Cabbage.

Flea beetles can be found on a wide variety of plants. However, most flea beetles attack only a few, closely related plant species.

Flea beetle injury is most important when seedlings are becoming established or in the production of leafy vegetables. Injuries are usually minor and easily outgrown on established plants.

Flea beetles are common pests of many vegetable crops. They occasionally damage flowers, shrubs and even trees. Adult beetles, which produce most plant injuries, are typically small, often shiny, and have large rear legs that allow them to jump like a flea when disturbed.

The adults chew many small holes or pits in the leaves, which make them look as if they have been damaged by fine buckshot. Young plants and seedlings are particularly susceptible.

Growth may be seriously retarded and plants even killed. Leaf feeding also damages plant appearance. This can be important among certain ornamentals and for leafy vegetable Crops.

Update:

02-08-2010

Below is a picture of my Ruby Perfection F1 cabbage. They should be ready for harvesting in a few weeks. This is a purple cabbage and the leaves are a nice purple color.

In How to Grow Cabbage it is important to know about Black Rot of cabbage is caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. The bacterium enters the plant principally through the hydathodes, stomates, and injuries on the leaves.

In time, the bacterium spreads in the vascular system of the leaf and stem. The seed stalk and seed eventually become infected. Plants growing from infected seed will have the disease.

The bacteria, pictured at the left, spread and cause most damage in wet, warm weather. It does not usually spread in dry weather and is inactive at temperatures below 50 degrees F. The bacteria can survive in the soil for a year and may be spread in surface water or through irrigation.

The bacteria cause a similar disease in most members of the crucifer family, such as mustard, collards, wild mustard, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kohlrabbi, rutabaga, kale, rape, and Chinese cabbage. The disease is apparently restricted to this family of plants.

2-28-2010

Below is a picture of my cabbage. It did not do as well as I had hoped it would. We had a lot of cloudy weather this year instead of the days of bright sunshine we usually have in the Winter.

I directed sowed this. I probably should have started inside sometime in July.

I have a lot to learn on How to Grow Cabbage.

Thank you for your visit.

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