Picking Cabbage Today!!

My favorite cabbage is savoy. I think it’s sweeter than regular cabbage and its ruffled leaves give it esthetic qualities as well. Just inspect the leaves closely when you’re cleaning. It’s easy for things to hide in all those creases.

Growing cabbage is not too complicated but you should have a lot of nitrogen in your soil to ensure success. Generally anything you grow where you are eating the actual plant (cole crops, lettuce, and spinach) requires generous amounts of nitrogen. Plants that make flowers to produce vegetables and fruits (tomatoes, peppers, and beans) require less nitrogen.

I usually mix some compost into the bed before planting and spread some organic fertilizer around the base of the plant when I put them in the ground. I also plant a cover crop called hairy vetch in the fall in beds where I plan on putting heavy nitrogen feeders the following year.

Cabbage loppers and slugs are the main pests you need to be concerned about but unless your plants are infested badly you can probably get by without treating. If you are getting a lot of rain slugs become a bigger concern. I use a natural product called Escar-Go (haha isn’t that a great name) which is a blend of an iron phosphate originating from soil, with slug and snail bait additives. Apply in the evening if possible just before slugs come out for maximum effectiveness.

Another trick is planting cabbage early in the season. Cabbage is tolerable of cold weather and can take nights slightly below freezing. My MO is plant early and beat the bugs. I start my own plants inside so I can get large healthy plants in the ground early (I’ll do a separate post sometime on my indoor seed starting operation). I do subsequent plantings to extend the season but the cabbage worms become an increasing problem as the season progresses.

Okay off to make my cabbage soup. Please comment and share your cabbage experiences.