Growing Cabbage

Brassica sp. : Brassicaceae / the mustard or cabbage family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
      S S S            
        T T T T        

(Best months for growing Cabbage in Australia - tropical regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • Easy to grow. Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 5°C and 18°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 50 - 75 cm apart
  • Harvest in 11-15 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile, thyme)
  • Avoid growing close to: Climbing (pole) beans, tomato, peppers (chili, capsicum), eggplant (aubergine), strawberry, mustard, parsnip

Your comments and tips

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31 Oct 18, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Use the Vegetables and Herbs tab to find the vegetables, then set your zone at the top of the page - e.g (South Africa- Dry summer sub-tropical climate) . The months for planting are shown in the little coloured boxes at the top. e.g. P for plant or sow seed
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23 Aug 18, Adam (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Hi! Can you please provide us with contacts of those who can help blacks emerging farmers. Planting cabbages is not an issue but market it is. If companies like tiger brand can come on board to help us we can be like those who are in cash crops farming knowing where to supply. Thank you (Gardenate is NOT a farming advisory service, so this is a one-off posting)
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29 Jul 18, Kagiso (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
My farming area is in the lowveld southern Limpopo area and wanted to plant cabbages in this August September months. I will solely depend on borehole irrigation. My region is hot in summer and my soil is red loam and I used chemical fertilizer to enrich. Is this the right time?
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27 Mar 18, Gabela Abongile (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
To whom it may concern. I would like ask what vegetable crops are suitable fro planting between April and June in semi-arid areas? Furthermore, how are those crops handled in terms of fertilizer, irrigation, herbicides?
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20 Oct 17, Linda (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Dear Sir/Men how can I make the soil to be good for cabbage I'm interested.I'm in Eastern Cape who can advice me in my province there's life on ploughing (growing?) vegetables. When I retired I want plough (grow?) a lot of cabbages.
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24 Apr 17, Hans Kaderli (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Is it possible to plant cabbage on cabbage if you have a good pest and desease programme in place. This is for large scale 6ha..
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25 Apr 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
It is not a good idea to replant cabbages in the same soil that you have just harvested cabbages from. The risk from soil-borne diseases and nutrient deficiencies would be the main problem. You would also be creating a continuous feast for insect pests. You would be better to have at least another crop in between, say pumpkins for autumn harvest, then replant cabbages after manuring the soil. This would reduce the insect pest problem as you would be growing them in the cooler months when there are not as many insects about. Zucchinis/courgettes would be another high yielding crop you could grow.
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24 Mar 17, joel masola (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
can i grow cabbage in the same farm apart together with Tomatoes and spinach
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24 Mar 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
There is no reason why not. All the best with your vegetable growing!
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30 Sep 16, Riesl (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I'm in Limpopo valley close to Loskopdam. Can i plant drumhead from October to January.
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Showing 11 - 20 of 37 comments
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Are you direct sowing (into the garden), or are you sowing indoors in trays? I'll give you the germination temperatures. Germination temperatures vary from plant to plant (even among say tomatoes - the various varieties have different germination temperatures). These are OPTIMAL germination temperatures-- so higher or lower can work, but germination will not be as consistent or Good in non-optimal temps. The germination temperature must be sustained (over several days or more) -- this is the plant's indicator (sustained warm temperature), that spring/summer is here -- and it is time to wake up and get growing. If the germination temperatures are not met, the seeds will remain dormant (most of them), waiting for their ideal growing conditions to occur. Remember - varieties make a difference so I'm giving you GENERAL temperatures. PEPPERS: Soil temperature needs to be at least 75-85 degrees F (24-27 c) for good germination. Peppers won’t germinate in cold soil– with the higher end temps germination may be in 5 days, or may take up to 20 days in the lower temps. Don’t overwater seeds or they may rot. peppers don't like to be overly wet. Your max germination temp is 95F (35c) for peppers. TOMATO : optimum germination temps are : 65-85F (24-30c) days to germinate varies a lot by variety ... so maybe 1- 2 weeks ? Max temp is 95f (35c). Tomato seeds have been know to germinate at temp as low as 40f (4c) -- but expect germination to take a month or more and your germination rate (% of seeds that germinate) will probably be very low. GREENS: way to varied to give an answer -- example: KALE has an optimum germination temp of 65F (18c) and range of 45°F - 85°F (7-30c), while SWISS CHARD's optimum germination is 80°F (27c) with a range of 40°F - 95°F (4-32c). Days to germination vary based on variety and temp. I generally recommend starting peppers and tomatoes indoors -- and with greens it depends on the green -- kale and chard are both tough, and both have a very wide temp range for germination so outdoors is fine. You also have to consider insects... larger plants have a better chance (in general) of survival if you experience pest problems. OF course a lot depends on how long your growing season is-- in a really long and hot growing season, starting tomato seeds outdoors is no problem, in a shorter cooler growing season the optimum germination temps may never be met (sustained) so starting indoors is pretty much a given.

- Celeste Archer

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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