CABBAGE

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.

FAVORITE CABBAGE RECIPES

CHINESE CABBAGE

I’ve grown some Chinese cabbage, which can be nice in a Chinese chicken salad, or just as extra filler in other salads. I have to be careful not to grow more than 1 or 2 of these per season, because I don’t like it all that much, and they grow huge heads! The Chinese cabbage also tends to attract aphids. I do like to have a bit of it though, and in 2020 I found seeds for a red Chinese cabbage, Red Dragon F1. It looked so unique & pretty in the photo, I couldn’t resist. I thought it would make some salads extra colorful. 

Red Dragon Chinese Cabbage
Red Dragon Chinese Cabbage

The Red Dragon Chinese Cabbage grew “ok” in the greenhouse. It developed tip-burn, which is apparently a common, known issue with this variety, and comes with special instruction to spray with calcium spray regularly. I did that, and the greenhouse Red Dragon just didn’t do well. 

Outdoors I planted some of the Red Dragon in the spring, and it did very well. It must really like our cool climate. I anxiously watched it grow, and after it finally formed a head worth cultivating, I brought it in to eat. IT TASTED TERRIBLE! I ended up giving it to the ducks, who didn’t seem to care for it much, either. 

CABBAGE VARIETIES GROWN

Katarina F1 (45 Days) | I harvested these outdoors in 73-95 days, and about 80 days in the greenhouse. Compact, my favorite.
Golden Acre (62 Days) | Harvested in 100 days.
Copenhagen Market (65-80 Days) | Harvested in 95 days.
Early Jersey Wakefield OP (63 Days) | New in 2023, pointy cabbage, did well.
Ruby Ball F1 (78 Days) | Beautiful, big heads in 2022.
Red Acre OP (75 Days) | New in 2023, not as nice or large as the Ruby Ball, but I’m hoping to save its seeds at some point.

CHINESE CABBAGE
One Kilo Slow Bolt Napa Cabbage (50-55 Days) | Likes our climate & grows well.
Red Dragon F1 (60 Days) | Finicky, prone to tip-burn and tastes awful.