Cabbage

Select Your Climate

Cabbage is a versatile vegetable in the kitchen. Plants grow large, so try sugarloaf or Chinese cabbage (wombok) if you need to save space.

Likes: Well-drained compost enriched soil; full sun to part shade.

Dislikes: Poor soil; overcrowding.

When to plant/sow in zone:

How to plant: Sow seed 5mm deep in punnets of premium seed raising mix. Plant out seedlings when 7–10 cm tall. Check seed packets for recommending spacing.

When to harvest: 3–4 months, when the head feels firm and dense. Use sharp knife to cut just under the base.

Pests and diseases: Cabbage white butterfly, cabbage aphids, slugs and snails.

Suppliers: The Diggers Club, Garden Express

Cabbages come into their own when preserved or fermented.

Preserving & fermented

Fermenting cabbage

Cabbages are wonderful raw or cooked, but they really come into their own when fermented and preserved, Jian Liu writes.

Recipes

Chilli Pork and Cabbage Rolls

Warm up on the inside with this delicious and simple recipe by Meredith Kirton from Grow Harvest Cook.

Pests & diseases

How to control cabbage caterpillars organically – for good!

Cabbage caterpillars getting you down? Try netting your crop, says PHIL DUDMAN

Vegetables

Cabbage on my mind

The subtle chill of an early autumn morning has PHIL DUDMAN in a planting frenzy of all things Brassicaceae.