Cabbage

Cabbage

Brassica oleracea var. capitata

Start cabbage indoors 9 weeks before your last spring frost, then plant out 4 weeks before your last spring frost. Space plants 18 in (46 cm) apart.

Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

When to plant

Timed from your frost dates, so it holds wherever you garden. Give yours and every step below becomes a date.

See the dates for your garden

Enter your average last spring frost and first fall frost. Every timing on this site turns into a calendar date. Not sure of yours? Your local extension service or a search for “last frost date” and your town will tell you; the app finds them from your location.

Last spring frost
First fall frost

Saved in this browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Optimal Indoor Start

From seedRecommended
  1. Start indoors9 weeks before your last spring frost
  2. Begin hardening off5 weeks before your last spring frost
  3. Plant out4 weeks before your last spring frost
  4. First harvestabout 70 days after planting out

Optimal Transplant

From seed
  1. Plant out4 weeks before your last spring frost
  2. First harvestabout 70 days after planting out

Optimal Fall Indoor Start

From seed
  1. Start indoors18 weeks before your first fall frost
  2. Begin hardening off14 weeks before your first fall frost
  3. Plant out13 weeks before your first fall frost
  4. First harvestabout 70 days after planting out

Optimal Fall Direct Sow

From seed
  1. Sow outdoors15 weeks before your first fall frost
  2. First harvestabout 84 days after sowing

Optimal Fall Transplant

From seed
  1. Plant out13 weeks before your first fall frost
  2. First harvestabout 70 days after planting out

Growing cabbage

Spacing in the row
18 in (46 cm)
Between rows
30 in (76 cm)
Planting depth
0.25-0.5 inches
Sun
Full Sun
Soil
Well-drained, fertile, loamy soil (pH balanced as per context).
Germination
4-10 days at 45-85°F
Harvest season
Late Spring, Early Summer, Fall
Mature height
12-24 inches
Life cycle
Biennial

Sow seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep.

Watering. Maintain consistent soil moisture, critical during head formation. Avoid drought stress.

Neighbours

The companion chart →

Grows well beside

Keep apart from

Feeding

Seedlings
Apply diluted balanced liquid fertilizer after true leaves develop.
Growing
Utilize a high-nitrogen fertilizer during initial growth, transitioning to a balanced formula for head development.
How often
Every 2-4 weeks during active growth.
Note
Ensure adequate boron availability to prevent hollow stems.

Your cabbage, planned to the day.

Canopy turns these timings into dates from your own frost data, places every plant at its spacing on your garden map, and tracks it all the way to harvest.

Add cabbage to your planting calendar →

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