Cabbages Are Calling

I’m not sure I’ve ever grown cabbage, but I know I’ve written about this vegetable a few times. It hasn’t been a vegetable that’s really interested me (until now) and I think the closest I’ve come is growing its relative Brussels sprouts, which I don’t eat either but my better half loves. This may all change this year though because of a webinar I attended in late January. No, no Brussels sprouts, but cabbage. I’ve already ordered some seed.

I’d signed up for one of Johnny’s Selected Seeds’ great webinars, this one on cabbages. The presentation was by Steve Bellavia, Johnny’s cabbage expert, and one morsel in particular piqued my interest and will end up with cabbage in my trial gardens this summer. Curious about what that morsel was? Ahh, read on, then order your seed. Toward the end of this week’s column I’ll give you the link to the webinar, and you should really take a look. What follows is a brief synopsis.

Locally, the East End is great for cabbage culture. Our soils, sometimes amended, are great for this cole crop that can be used for cooking, stuffing, shredding for slaws, used for sauerkraut and, best of all for me, used in salads, and that led to my new interest in this crop.

First, my usual disclaimer. There are many, many kinds and types of cabbages with only about 10 percent being available in garden centers as seeds or starts. If you want to experience the wide range of colors and types you’ll need to start many of the varieties right at home. It’s easy and inexpensive, and cabbage is a low-intensity vegetable if you know what to expect and offer the proper care. This means buying disease-resistant seed types, planting the right types for your desired uses, proper feeding and then proper storage. According to Bellavia, some of the cabbages can be stored through the winter and into early spring.

Cabbages are roughly divided into the reds, greens, savoy, pointed, flat-headed and round-headed types, but there are also varieties that are only grown for their ornamental uses. All are grown from seed or purchased in cell packs at garden centers, but not all varieties will be available unless you start your own. And within the family there are over 20 to pick from. One thing, an important point, is that the ultimate size of your cabbage is directly related to your spacing between plants. Those planted on larger centers (center of one plant to the center of the next) will result in larger cabbages.

The green types are usually the ones you’ll find at the grocery store. The greens range in maturity (planted starts to harvest) from 63 days to 90 days, but make sure the ones you choose are appropriate for our area. Head sizes (weight) can range from 1 pound up to 4 pounds. The savoy type gets its name from the fancy and frilled foliage. It takes longer to mature, at 80 to 105 days, and is generally used in cooking.

The red types are usually considered to be a midseason crop ranging from 72 to 85 days to harvest. Usually around 3 pounds, some varieties of reds can get up to 5 pounds. Some of the reds can be quite tasty so review the descriptions.

An interesting cabbage is referred to as flat or a wrapper, and Johnny’s offering is Tendersweet, which is 71 days. Said to be on the sweet side, this variety can be used fresh or in cooking. It can be used as a wrapper or in slaws or stir fries.

Pointed head cabbages are new to me. As opposed to the round types, this cabbage grows in the shape of an inverted ice cream cone and can be either green or red. Coming in at 1.5 to 2 pounds, their shape lends them to tighter spacing but again those with the best spacing will be the best formed. Depending on the variety, they can be used in salads, slaws or cooked, but there is a note that in England they are often harvested early and young and sold as “spring greens.” But rarely will you find a bag of cut and sliced cabbage at the supermarket that will tell you what type it is on the bag. These prepackaged and shredded cabbages are usually not the tastiest but more of a “utility” cabbage.

The storage cabbages mature late in the season and will be near 100 days from transplants until maturity. Keep in mind though that when planted late these can be harvested well into the fall as a late harvested crop for fresh use and storage. The green types are mostly used for slaws, cooking and sauerkraut. This is most likely to be the cabbage that you’ll want to store over winter if you have a root cellar or cold spot where you can keep them.

On the red side of the storage group are types like Ruby Perfection (85 days) and Buscaro (90 days). Ruby Perfection is not a choice for long storage but for short to medium term it’s OK. The heads are in the area of 3.5 pounds, and it’s noted to have good thrip (insect) resistance. On the other hand, Buscaro is 95 days with a short core (more usable cabbage) that’s noted for its flavor in salads and slaws.

The one thing that Bellavia mentioned that really caught my attention was his suggestion that the variety Tiara, a green head type, works really well in salads. The foliage is noted as being very mild and tasty. As an aside, a close relative, Chinese cabbage variety Tokyo Bekana, was noted by another Johnny’s expert as also being a great green for salad inclusion, and this is a leafy type of cabbage and not a header.

Now some important things to keep in mind when growing cabbage. First, you don’t have to grow rows and rows of cabbage, but it’s a good idea to time and space your plantings so they mature through the season either based on their days to harvest or when you seed and then plant them. Cabbages are also heavy feeders and won’t do well in very sandy soil that has little organic content and can’t retain nutrients. Side dressing during the season either in rows or around the plants is critical. For small property owners or if you only have a sunny balcony you can also grow cabbages in large pots.

Use an organic fertilizer high in nitrogen before the heads begin to form. When head formation is obvious cut your nitrogen, and this will reduce head splitting and will promote tighter heads. Make sure your soil is amended with plenty of organic matter like well-rotted manure and/or aged compost. Cabbage does not like a dry soil so make sure the plants get about an inch of water a week from rain or irrigation, and try to avoid overhead irrigation.

There are some insect problems with cabbages, and these include the cabbage butterfly, our most common butterfly, and flea beetles. Row covers that float over the plants are great to use as they preclude the insects, but look at the webinar to find out which covers are best. The cabbage butterfly doesn’t directly feed on the cabbages but does lay eggs on them, which develop into the cabbage worm, and the cabbage looper can also be an issue. Row covers will pretty much eliminate both, but either is easily and organically managed using the right spray of Bt.

Here’s the link to the webinar on Johnny’s, and it’s a great place to start: tinyurl.com/5cwwukfw.

As noted in the webinar, this is only a starting point, and there’s much more information available with links on the home page of the webinar or on Johnny’s main site. Order your seeds now and make sure you keep growing.