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Quick guide
· Plant where you have not grown cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, rutabaga or brussels sprouts for the last 4 years.
· If you plant in the spring for summer harvest, you should start cabbage indoors. For a fall crop, plant seed directly in the garden in early July.
· Cabbage will tolerate below-freezing temperatures late in plant growth.
Grow Cabbage
· Cabbage is a member of the mustard family and, like most related crops, grows best in cool weather.
· The crop has round, flattened or pointed heads made of leaves that wrap around each other tightly. In the center of the head is a short, thick stem or core.
· Cabbage has many uses in the kitchen. Raw, it brings crunch and zest to salads and slaw. You can braise, stir-fry, stuff, add to soups, mix into the filling for egg rolls, and ferment cabbage to make sauerkraut and kimchi.
Soil
· Have your soil tested.
· Apply phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) according to soil test recommendations.
· Unless your soil test report specifically recommends additional phosphorus, use a low- or no-phosphorus fertilizer.
· Grow cabbage in well-drained yet moisture-retentive, fertile soil with a pH of 6 to 7.
· Improve your soil by adding well-rotted manure or compost in spring or fall. Do not use fresh manure as it may contain harmful bacteria, and may increase weed problems.
· The plant needs to absorb water and nutrients steadily during its growth.
· Do not use any fertilizer containing a weed killer, as it may kill your vegetable plants.
· When the plants are about 4 inches tall, apply fertilizer alongside the row of plants.
· Spread the fertilizer in a 6-inch-wide band, and scratch it into the surface of the soil.
· If you use manure or compost, you may not need additional fertilizer applications, depending on how much organic matter you apply.
Planting
· Start seeds indoors in early April, or 4 to 6 weeks before transplanting. Leave 24 to 30 inches between hand-cultivated rows, and 18 inches between plants. Per 20 feet of row, you should order one seed packet, or 12 plants.
· Plant the seeding at a depth of 1/4 of an inch.
· Apply fertilizer to developing seedlings beginning when the first true leaf appears. Use a half-strength starter solution once a week. After two true leaves are present, apply fertilizer twice a week.
· When the plants have five true leaves after about 3 weeks, reduce watering.
· Place plants outside where they will receive a couple of hours of sunlight and have wind protection.
· Slowly expose them to more sunlight over the next week or two, bringing them indoors if night temperatures drop below 40°F.
· Dig small holes with a trowel, or dig a furrow with a shovel.
· Place the seedlings 15 to 18 inches apart, and fill the soil around them so that the plant is at the same level it was in its pot.
· Water the plants in, or use a transplant starter solution high in phosphorus, and low in nitrogen and potassium.
Watering
· Cabbage needs good soil moisture. The best quality heads are firm, crisp, juicy, sweet, and sometimes peppery, but without bitterness.
· If the plants do not receive consistent rainfall or irrigation, they will have poor texture and excessive bitterness. Outer leaves may brown and dry up, or the plant may fail to form a head.
· One inch of rainfall per week is enough water.
· If your soil is sandy, it is better to water more often than once a week.
· An inch of water will wet a sandy soil to a depth of 10 inches, a heavy clay soil to 6 inches.
· Use a trowel to see how far down the soil is wet. If it is only an inch or two, keep the water running.
Weeds
· Frequent, shallow cultivation will kill weeds before they become a problem.
· Cultivate just deeply enough to cut the weeds off below the surface of the soil. Be careful not to damage the plants when cultivating.
· Mulching with herbicide-free grass clippings, weed-free straw or other organic material to a depth of 3 to 4 inches can help prevent weed growth, decreasing the need for frequent cultivation.
Harvest
· Harvest cabbage when the heads reach a usable size. To harvest, cut the head off above the outer leaves.
· Once the heads reach their mature size, there is a risk that they will split before harvest. Some varieties are good for “field holding” and are less likely to split. Heavy rain can cause split heads.
· You can minimize splitting of cabbages that you are not ready to pick by twisting the head a quarter turn or shearing one side of the roots with a spade. This action reduces water flow into the head.
· Cabbage will tolerate below-freezing temperatures late in plant development. If overnight temperature lows are below 25°F, you can protect the heads with a row cover.
Storage
· Cabbages can last for months, but only in cold, moist conditions: 32°F to 40°F and 95% humidity. This is colder and much moister than a refrigerator, and difficult to achieve for most home gardeners.
· If you want to store cabbage, you will need a root cellar.
· A time-honored way of preserving the cabbage harvest is fermentation. The European version is sauerkraut. The traditional Asian fermented cabbage is kimchi.
Source:
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-cabbage#harvest-and-storage-188513
