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Cabbage are typically started indoors and transplanted into the garden once seedlings have about 4–6 true leaves — timed roughly 2–3 weeks before your last expected local frost.
The short answer
Site
6+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–7.5
Biggest risk
Club root
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea Capitata Group)
12 sources cited · Verified
Quick Facts
Factor
Value
Soil pH
6 - 7.5
Sunlight
6-10 hours direct sun
Germination temp
12.8°C
Optimal growing temp
15-24°C
Minimum survivable temp
-10°C
Soil texture
RHS: "fertile, free-draining soil".
Drainage
RHS: free-draining; avoid "waterlogged" ground.
Lifecycle
biennial (requires two growing seasons, but treated as an annual)
RHS: affects "Vegetable brassicas such as Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers, turnips, swedes and radishes".
Downy mildew (general)
RHS names brassicas among the plants affected by downy mildews; the RHS cabbage guide also lists downy mildew among cabbage diseases.
Damping-off (seedling collapse)
medium
Rhizoctonia solani
Damping-off (seedling collapse at soil line); Wilting with chlorotic, dropping leaves
Seed that rots before emergence, or seedlings collapsing at the soil line. A transplant-raising problem more than a bed problem: use fresh commercial mix, containers cleaned with a 10% bleach solution, and…
Alternaria leaf blight
medium
Alternaria dauci
Brown circular spots with concentric target rings, and small dark stem lesions on seedlings. Active between 60 and 90°F in moist conditions and overwinters on crop residue, so clearing the bed at season end plus a…
Black rot of brassicas
high
Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris
Yellow V-shaped lesions cutting in from the leaf margin, with the point of the V aimed at a vein; the veins blacken and the rot can reach the stem. Seed- and transplant-borne, so it usually arrives on bought plants…
Pests
Snails
Gastropoda (snails, various spp.)
RHS cabbage guide lists snails among cabbage pests.
Slugs
Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)
RHS cabbage guide lists slugs among cabbage pests.
RHS: affects "All edible brassicas, including cabbage, broccoli and sprouts".
Imported cabbageworm
medium
Pieris rapae
About an inch long and recognisable by its fuzzy appearance; Clemson rates it at about two-thirds the damage of a looper. It pupates in a chrysalis on the host plant, so it can be removed with the plant.
Harlequin bug
medium
Murgantia histrionica
A shield bug with a striking reddish-orange and black pattern; the eggs look like tiny black-and-white striped barrels laid in rows, which makes them easy to find and destroy. Piercing-sucking feeding leaves distinct…
Mealy cabbage aphid
medium
Brevicoryne brassicae
Piercing, sucking feeding causing yellowing, stunted growth and wrinkled or curled leaves, with sooty mould growing on the honeydew. Clemson notes they are commoner in autumn as the weather cools -- the opposite of…
Cabbage looper
high
Trichoplusia ni
Up to 1.5 inches, moving in the distinctive looping gait, and it makes far bigger holes than diamondback moth -- Clemson puts one looper at roughly the damage of five diamondback larvae, so finding one matters more.…
Cabbage webworm
medium
Hellula rogatalis
Small, tan and brown striped with a dark head. It webs itself into the new growth for protection and attacks the buds and growing point, which causes lateral budding and can ruin a plant that would otherwise have made…
Cross-striped cabbageworm
medium
Evergestis rimosalis
Alternating black and white stripes across the back with a yellow stripe along the side, reaching about three-quarters of an inch. It hatches in masses and can rapidly skeletonise a plant, then drops to pupate just…
Diamondback moth caterpillar
high
Plutella xylostella
Clemson calls it "the most serious insect pest of brassica crops in South Carolina" despite being small, up to half an inch. The tell is a window-pane effect: the caterpillar eats the underside and leaves the upper…
Nutrient Issues
Boron (B)
deficiency
Correction
RHS symptom in cabbage: "Hollow stems and browning heads in cabbage, cauliflower and calabrese". Boron is "less available in alkaline soils (above pH 7)". Correction: test soil pH and avoid liming already-alkaline soil; short term, fritted trace elements containing boron before sowing or planting.
Water: RHS: young plants need regular watering; established plants need water "during dry spells, when you should give the ground a thorough soaking every 10 days", and extra watering increases head size. Univ. of Maryland: "Water about every three days until seedlings are established. Plants need ample soil moisture throughout the season."
Humidity: Prefers steady soil moisture and does best in the cool, moist conditions of the UK growing season; there is no narrow humidity requirement. Give plants good spacing and airflow, since dense, humid canopies favour fungal leaf diseases; even watering matters more than air humidity, as fluctuating moisture makes maturing heads split.
Soil pH range
67.5
Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.
Growth Stages
Stage
BBCH
Notes
Germination & seedling
0
Cabbage is grown from seed, usually sown in modules or a seedbed rather than sown direct. Univ. of Maryland: seed germinates well at warm temperatures and transplants are set out when they have about 4–6 true leaves. RHS: sow in spring (or late summer for spring cabbage), thinly, and grow on before transplanting. Harden off module-raised plants before planting out.
Vegetative growth (transplanting & leafing)
3
Transplant firmly into fertile, well-firmed soil — loose planting gives poor hearts. Spacing depends on type: RHS spaces plants roughly 30–45 cm apart (closer for small/spring types, wider for large winter heads); Univ. of Maryland gives about 12–24 in between plants in rows 24–36 in apart. Water in well, keep weed-free, feed with nitrogen for leafy growth, and net or cover against pigeons and cabbage white caterpillars.
Head formation (cupping & heading)
4
The inner leaves begin to cup and then wrap into a dense head. Steady, even moisture is critical at this stage: RHS and Univ. of Maryland both note that irregular watering — dry spells followed by heavy watering or rain — makes maturing heads split. Keep plants consistently moist and mulch to hold soil moisture.
Maturity & harvest
8
Harvest when heads are firm and full-sized for the variety, cutting through the stem at the base with a sharp knife. RHS: cut when the head is a good size and firm to the touch; harvest before heads split or, in winter types, stand in the ground until needed. Cutting a shallow cross in the remaining stump can encourage a flush of smaller secondary greens.
When to pick: Both sources use head firmness rather than a date. RHS: harvest when there is "a firm head that's the size you want". Univ. of Maryland: "When heads become firm; size will vary with variety, fertility, and spacing".
Storage
RHS: keeps "at least a week" in the fridge, and winter varieties "can be stored for several months in a cool, dry, frost-free place". Univ. of Maryland: refrigerator storage lasts about 2 weeks, but stored at 32°F with 95% humidity cabbage keeps up to 5 months.
Both crops are documented hosts of Club root. These pathogens persist in soil for many years -- RHS gives up to 20 years for club root resting spores, at least 15 years for allium white rot sclerotia, and advises a five-year gap before replanting onions or shallots after downy mildew -- so the two…
Both crops are documented hosts of Club root. These pathogens persist in soil for many years -- RHS gives up to 20 years for club root resting spores, at least 15 years for allium white rot sclerotia, and advises a five-year gap before replanting onions or shallots after downy mildew -- so the two…
Both crops are documented hosts of Club root. These pathogens persist in soil for many years -- RHS gives up to 20 years for club root resting spores, at least 15 years for allium white rot sclerotia, and advises a five-year gap before replanting onions or shallots after downy mildew -- so the two…
Both crops are documented hosts of Club root. These pathogens persist in soil for many years -- RHS gives up to 20 years for club root resting spores, at least 15 years for allium white rot sclerotia, and advises a five-year gap before replanting onions or shallots after downy mildew -- so the two…
Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…
Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…
Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…
Recommended Varieties
Wheelers Imperial — a classic spring cabbage producing compact, pointed heads; reliable and widely available.
Hispi F1 — a pointed summer cabbage with sweet, tender leaves; fast-maturing and one of the most popular UK varieties.
January King — a frost-hardy drumhead with red-tinged outer leaves and flavour that improves after frost; harvest December-February.
Red Jewel F1 — deep red, round heads with good colour retention and disease resistance; harvest August-October.
A shallow X-cut in the stump after cutting a spring or summer head often encourages a second flush of small secondary heads.
These source is specific to this region. The full list of 12 sources behind this guide (Clemson Cooperative Extension, FAO EcoCrop, Royal Horticultural Society and others) is in the references of our UK guide to cabbage; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What soil pH does cabbage need?
A pH of about 6–7.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
What problems affect cabbage?
Our data links 5 diseases and 12 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.
Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing.
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Sketch your exact plot shape, pick your crops, and get a spacing-accurate bed layout with companion pairings and a rotation plan. Spacing, companion pairings and rotation are the same in every climate and both hemispheres — pair the layout it gives you with when to plant to set your own timing from soil temperature.
