How to Grow Pointed Cabbages UK

When to Plant Pointed Cabbages in the UK

When to plant pointed cabbages in the UK: in Southern England, sow early February to early May. Find your area in the table below.

Quick Facts

At a Glance

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: moist but well-drained (RHS)

Growth Stages

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Harvest late spring through early autumn depending on sowing time, once heads form their characteristic dense, pointed shape (RHS). Cut the stem along with the root using a sharp knife to help prevent clubroot spreading (Grove.eco); refrigerate for about a week.

Diseases

Pests

Pointed Cabbage, Seedling to Cone

The shape that gives it every name

Cone, sweetheart, Hispi, sugarloaf -- every common name for this cabbage describes the same tapering, conical head, whether the leaves run yellowish-green or, as here, deep purple.

A heavy feeder from the start

Grove.eco: pointed cabbage is a heavy feeder that prefers deep, humus-rich loamy soil enriched with compost -- visible in how quickly a healthy plant like this fills out before the head even begins to point.

More delicate than round cabbage

RHS's reference Hispi type is prized for exactly this: large, delicate leaves and a milder flavour than common round-headed cabbage, needing less cooking as a result.

A short season, harvested twice a year

Grove.eco's two growing cycles -- spring sowing for a June/July harvest, autumn sowing for September-November -- let growers bring in a crop like this crate nearly twice as often as a single-season cabbage.

Cut with the root to protect the soil

Grove.eco recommends cutting the stem along with the root using a sharp knife at harvest -- a small step credited with helping prevent clubroot spreading through the bed.

References

1. Grove.eco - Pointed Cabbage (Spitzkohl) cultivation guide

   A grower reference rather than a university or horticultural authority, used only for sowing depth/spacing/companion-planting detail RHS does not cover, not contradicted by it. Sow 2cm deep; row spacing 60cm, plant spacing 50cm; 40-day pre-growing period before transplanting. Germinates at minimum 8°C, optimum 18-22°C. Spring: start indoors early February, transplant mid-March onward, first harvest late June/early July. Autumn: direct sow early April or start indoors for May planting, harvest mid-September through mid-November. Growing period about 95 days total. Heavy feeder, prefers deep, humus-rich loamy soil in full sun; enrich with compost and organic fertiliser at planting. Good companions: peas, beans, lettuce, celeriac, carrots, herbs. Avoid other heavy feeders, alliums and other brassicas nearby. Best predecessors: legumes (nitrogen-fixing); avoid brassicas before/after. Harvest by cutting the stem along with the root using a sharp knife, to help prevent clubroot; store refrigerated about a week.

2. Royal Horticultural Society - Brassica oleracea (Capitata Group) 'Hispi'

   Hispi is an F1 hybrid summer cabbage with a dense, pointed head and smooth dark green leaves, harvested late spring to early autumn depending on sowing time -- RHS's reference plant for this pointed-cabbage type. Hardiness H2 (tolerant of low temperatures, 1-5°C minimum, not surviving freezing). Full sun; south or west-facing aspect; tolerates exposed or sheltered conditions. Soil: chalk, clay or loam; moist but well-drained; alkaline or neutral pH. Height and spread 0.1-0.5m. Time to maturity 1 year. Grow in firm, fertile soil in an open, sunny location; avoid replanting brassicas in the same soil year-on-year to prevent disease buildup. Propagate by seed. No pruning required. PESTS: cabbage root fly, cabbage caterpillars, cabbage whitefly, mealy cabbage aphids, slugs, snails. DISEASES: primarily vulnerable to club root, particularly in acidic soil.

2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.