Cabbage was not one of my favorite vegetables prior to having this garden, but it is now becoming one of the things I plant most often. Because it grows so well here I have learned to prepare it and eat it in a variety of delicious ways, either raw, cooked or fermented. Some of our favorites are: corned beef and cabbage, creamed cabbage (with bacon!), grilled cabbage with a little olive oil & caraway, and Golabki (or “Cabbage Roll Casserole”) made with cabbage, hamburger, tomatoes, peppers, spices & cheese. I’ve been enjoying both green & red sauerkraut, adding some more probiotics to my diet.

Cabbage grows well both outdoors and in the greenhouse. I can transplant cabbage outdoors early in the spring, keep it protected from late freezes & frost, and it grows nicely. Cabbage planted a bit later in spring doesn’t mature quite as quickly, but matures in time to pluck it up before too many freezes in the fall. I need to get transplants in the ground outdoors no later than mid-June for fall harvest. The cabbage does mature more slowly than the days to maturity on the seed packet, but so do most things grown here.

I’ve been growing KATARINA F1, a fast-to-mature smaller cabbage (which is good for just the two of us) which grows a bit more compactly (good for the greenhouse and our raised bed space). 

Red Cabbage: Ruby Ball F1 or Red Acre OP (see below) I’ve begun growing 1-2 red cabbages per year and enjoy a sweet red sauerkraut or just some extra color in salads & cole slaw.