Do you know how to plant cabbages?

Headed cabbage ( Brassica oleracea var. capitata ) is a food of choice for northern populations, as the species appreciates cool and humid conditions. It was also one of the vegetables that responded best to the rainy conditions of summer 2023. Harvested at the end of October, headed cabbage can be easily stored in cold storage until May. Perfect for preparing winter salads rich in vitamins, especially C, headed cabbage can also be transformed into sauerkraut and thus stored for up to two years. However, its cultivation requires some knowledge of pests that can interfere with its growth.

Cabbage pests

The cabbage maggot can be thwarted by delaying sowing or transplanting until early June, after its egg-laying cycle is complete.

The gray worm can also be a problem during this period. It is therefore recommended to install a tin can with the bottom removed to protect the young plants until June 20.

The cabbage white butterfly , a white moth with black spots, lays its eggs throughout the season on the underside of leaves. The caterpillars that emerge from it eagerly consume the foliage, leaving trails of green excrement in their wake. Treatment with the bacterial insecticide BTK can neutralize the larvae.

Cabbage period

The cauliflower midge , when present, attacks the terminal buds of plants, thus affecting their development. To prevent damage by this fly, we must therefore: protect plants from pests using insect netting until the apple forms, at which point the tissue can be removed.

Cauliflower midge

Our headed cabbage cultivars

Until now, Semences du Portage only offered three cultivars of headed cabbage: Express summer red cabbage , the cultivar Amarant And Golden Acre summer green cabbage . To make storage cabbages, we recommend transplanting them in early July. By transplanting them in early June, these summer cabbages should be eaten before they split, either in August or September.

Semences du Portage has just added to its catalog (spring 2024) the Danish Ballhead cultivar, a green cabbage for conservation of very good quality.

Indoor or outdoor sowing?

Although headed cabbage can be propagated by direct sowing from the beginning of June, We recommend sowing indoors so that young plants can be transplanted rather than direct sowing.

It takes five weeks to produce beautiful cabbage plants from indoor sowing. For transplanting in early June, sow them in late April and transplant them around May 15. Headed cabbage is rather greedy: it therefore requires a good supply of mature compost to maximize yields. Companion planting with calendula and annual thyme reduces the presence of pests.