Cultivating Cabbages in Your Home Vegetable Patch

Cabbage, a cultivated variety of the species Brassica oleracea, has been a staple in gardens and kitchens for over 4,000 years. Known for its nutritional benefits, cabbage is high in dietary fiber, iron, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, manganese, and other important nutrients.

Cabbage thrives in fertile, well-drained, moist soils with plenty of organic matter. The ideal pH for optimal growth is between 6.0 and 6.8. To ensure healthy growth, it's essential to maintain a balanced soil composition and avoid late-season fertilization to minimize head splitting.

Weed suppression is crucial in cabbage cultivation, and mulches can be used effectively for this purpose. Hand-pulling or shallow cultivation can be employed for additional weed control, but care should be taken not to damage shallow roots.

Controlling weeds during the growing season and using row covers will help minimize damage from insect pests such as the cabbage looper, cabbage worm, cabbage root maggot, aphids, slugs, and flea beetles. If these pests become problematic, contact your local OSU Extension office for identification and control recommendations.

Pruning roots with a shovel on one side of the plant, or twisting the plant after the heads have firmed, can help prevent the uptake of excess water. When irrigating, avoid overwetting foliage and water early in the day to promote leaf drying.

Cabbage should be grown in the spring or fall to avoid hot summer temperatures. Prolonged periods of cold temperatures between 35 and 50 degrees F can lead to premature flowering. To prevent head splitting, harvest cabbage heads as soon as they are firm and adequately sized.

Cabbage can be stored in a refrigerator for several weeks or up to 5 months if temperatures are near 32 degrees F and high humidity of nearly 100 percent is maintained. Remove all loose leaves prior to storing to maintain sufficient air circulation.

Crop rotation throughout the garden can minimize many disease problems, and if clubroot becomes a problem, add lime to the soil to raise the soil pH to 7.2.

Other cole crops, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, kale, and kohlrabi, also belong to the Brassicaceae family and can be grown using similar methods.

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