Beginner Cabbage Growers forum: Welcome to the CABBAGES forum!
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| Here is the CABBAGES forum, specifically designed for beginners who want to grow cabbages! |
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That is one awesome cabbage there! Hopefully mine will look that great this year  |
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| I have one cabbage that I planted in the fall and it's not produced a thing! I'm hoping that it'll rev up and get going when the temps get a tad bit warmer.
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| Steph, Steph, Steph!!! Cabbages are a "cole" crop, members of the brassicae family. And, they are COLD weather veggies.  I stagger planted (every 2-3 weekends) my seedlings back in September and they're just about to start yielding. I have 4 large ones out of the 13 making heads now, and the others will following soon. And, although we've had this crazy weather, I HAVE been praying for it to stay cool enough that my cabbages don't start to bolt from too much heat. However, if you're totally adventurous, there is a story attached to that cabbage I'm holding....  I was a total beginner when I got three cabbage seedlings from a neighbor in May 2008. And, so, I planted them. And they tried to wither and die. But they didn't. Cause I wouldn't let them... I watered and fed and babied them as best I could, and couldn't figure out why they kept looking pukey, puny, and pitiful. But I wouldn't let them die... And this went on from May 2008, through the scorching heat of summer, at the end of which I decided to rip everything that was dead or dying to clean out the garden for the next season. And those three little cabbage seedlings looked so pitiful, I just had to have mercy on them. So, I figured they needed a new lease on life, and I'd give it to them.  I repotted them all in fresh, new, wonderful potting soil and fertilized them and just knew they'd make it! I put the one I'm holding in a 5-gallon eBucket (see my link below in the Container Gardening and eBucket forum...), and the other TWO in a large, 24" planter. How was I supposed to know how big cabbages grow and that they needed space? Well, come Fall and the weather started changing and, lo and behold, those cabbages started perking up!  (I just knew it was the new dirt and fertilizer..) And then, it started getting cold in the Winter, and I tell you, they were singing the "Halleluia Chorus" by Christmastime!!  But, I had also noticed that when the weather was a bit temperate and not so cold, the cabbage buggies got all over ONE of the two cabbages in the planter. And cabbage loopers are focused little creatures, it seems, cause once they latched on to the one cabbage, they never even looked at the cabbage sitting right next to it! Turned that cabbage into a lace doily over the course of the growing season, too. And, since I know when to leave well enough alone, I left that 2nd cabbage right where it was, and it was fine.Well, 'round comes January and temps dropping into the 50s and 40s and I'm racing out to cover my nice-size cabbages, 'cause I don't want them to freeze.  And I noticed that on those rare warm days in the 60s they looked kinda peekish...and then I learned about cole crops. Voila!Well, come February, I let them play beach volleyball down to the mid-30s. Didn't even bother covering 'em anymore. In fact, when it was gonna dip into the 20s, I actually went out an hosed them off (I learned fast...) to keep them from freezing (you can google that). And the very last thing I learned about growing cabbages was that if it rained off and on for too many days, too close together, they could swell and split. I learned that the day before I passed my beautiful cabbage, and it was split! So, on March 20, 2009, almost 9 months to the day I planted the seedlings, I picked the cabbage I'm holding and cooked it. And, there was not ONE worm hole in it. And, I used NO pesticides on it! My 94-year-old Aunt Beatrix still remarks that it was the sweetest cabbage she had ever eaten! Soooooooooooooooooooooooo. If you're up to the challenge of keeping them alive through the heat and into the end of fall, you could have a fine eating cabbage on your plate at some point... This is my story, and I'm sticking to my truth! Hugs! Linda This is a Purple Cabbage, the largest one growing right now. It's bigger than the pic, and has started making a head. I'm hoping to harvest it by the end of next month. LMK if you decided to try. I'll help you! 
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| He's growing like crazy and has survived the snows, freezing temps, and drowning rains! He's finally putting out several new leaves. |
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| Great, Steph! That means he's a champion fighter! What variety is he? |
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| "January King" is the variety. Sowed him way back on 8/23/09!!! He struggled a bit to get established and his brother died in the process. He's a fighter, though! |
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| Here he is today. Certainly has enjoyed languishing in the mild temps we had the latter part of the week. I had to add a bit more dirt around the base as he was getting blown around by the big winds. You can see one of the many worms in my garden in this pic, too! Look to the left.
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| Steph, He's growing fast! And, I SEE the worm!!! That means you've got some great organics going in that 'thar soil! |
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| Do we ever! My DH was working in one of the beds yesterday and he saw worms as big around as my pinkie! They'd make really good fish bait! LOL |
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| Hi guys. I finally made it around here. So much to see; so much to read on Cubits! Question: when do you recommend planting the "cole" crops like cabbage and stuff? |
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| Hey Don! Welcome aboard! This is my second season growing cabbages and I've learned they LOVE, LOVE, LOVE cold weather. They play beach volleyball when it's around 42° out! I've observed (in my own back yard, mind yah...  ) they do quite well between the sun-shiney mid-40s down to the mid-30s. They can take a couple nights in the high 20s with some cover and do just fine. But not long stretches of sustained temps in the 20s! Since it's raining out, they'll be insulated from our expected dips to 32°. I'll just throw a sheet cover on the hoop house over my eBuckets tonight & tomorrow night. I plan on starting my seeds in mid-July for plantout of next season's crop of cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, and KOHLRABI around mid-September. I think I'm the only one in Houston praying for cold weather right now...Just enough to bring my current crop to full maturity. I need about 3 more weeks of temps in the mid-40s. That oughta do it! Here's a pic! Linda
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| OK, Linda, Reluctantly, I'll help you pray for cold weather; but just until they are ready. |
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| Oh, thank you, Don! I took these this morning, so you could see what we're praying for!
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| Here's one more
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| What varieties did you plant again, Linda? |
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| The tags said Early Dutch, Early Dutch Flat, Purple Cabbage, Early Jersey Wakefield. I'll check again when I get home. I didn't even cover them last night and it rained, then our temps dropped to 34° during the night. They looked VERY happy this morning! Here's a better pic (I hope) of that purple cabbage. It's my favorite variety growing so far. Never have tasted any of these varieties before, so very anxious to keep 'em going!
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| MUCH better pic! |
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| Steph, Post an update of that cabbage, buddy! |
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| I took a pic of him this morning! I'll have to post it when I get home from work tonight or tomorrow. Remind me!! |
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