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 41°F and 64°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 20 - 30 inches 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

06 Mar 23, Rob (Australia - temperate climate)
The variety you like eating the most
08 Feb 23, Ian (Australia - temperate climate)
Cabbage and Colliflower can they be grown on tubs in hot house
13 Aug 22, Peter Chapman (Australia - temperate climate)
My cabbage are wilting. I have not watered them for months as I am on the Central Coast of NSW and we have had plenty of rain. The plants are mulched and I am wondering if they are holding too much water. Finger test of plants shows they are fairly damp but certainly not flooded. They are in raised beds abouit 20 cm high. Cheers Pete
16 Aug 22, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Could be a wilt disease, too much water. I definitely would not have mulched them with all the rain you have had. Depends what your soil is like - clayish or sandy.
03 Jul 22, Kenneth Davis (Australia - temperate climate)
Cabbages and Broccoli not forming hearts. Good. soil added potash What is wrong?
05 Jul 22, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
If too much fertiliser especially nitrogen they will produce a lot of leaves, They don't need a big amount of potash. They need nitrogen to grow but too much and then all leaf.
15 Dec 21, Gen (Australia - temperate climate)
Are there ideal growing situations for chinese cabbage? (Ie wombok... is it the same as savoy cabbage?) Thanks in advance :)
19 Dec 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Chinese cabbage is a cool weather crop. Same as cabbage.
26 Sep 20, Lesley (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My red cabbages grow to a certain point then the top starts to split, why is that?, still tastes good and the inside is just like a bought one, am I watering too much, every day in Bundy or is it something else
06 Apr 21, Vincent (United Kingdom - cool/temperate climate)
I´m from a farm that grows a lot of cabbage and we observed this aswell in some parts of the arable. We explained it, that the cabbage defines its biggest state at an early point in its life. It seems to depend on how much water is avaiable in that state. So to prevent it from breaking you need to water it in the early stages more than in the later stages. If it has not enough water when it begins to grow it and to much later on it will break.
Showing 11 - 20 of 152 comments

Hi Mike, Very interesting tips, I will try the worm castings in the shade cloth, sounds good. I also use brown gum leaves as a mulch around the plants, the garden worms love it, I also dig my browns into the soil after crops have finished as well, same as you. The reason I purchased a 2 compartment compost bin was to have varying compost NPK ratios. My compartment No.1 has 50% Browns to 50% Greens which is good for above ground growth and compartment No.2 will have approx. 80% Browns to 20% Greens for my below ground root vegies, I alter percentages all year round to suit the plants I am growing. In the winter I grow brassicas and I use 70% Greens to 30% Browns for more Nitrogen. I also pile my grass clippings on the gardens in the summer when I have excess clippings. BR...….Steve

- Steve from Kanahooka NSW

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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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