How to Grow Savoy Cabbages Canada
On this page
Savoy cabbages (Brassica oleracea var. sabauda) — biennial grown as an annual.
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Savoy Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. sabauda)
2 sources cited · Verified
At a Glance
Quick Facts
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil texture | clay, loam or sand, high organic matter (NC State Extension) |
| Drainage | good drainage |
| Lifecycle | biennial grown as an annual |
| Edible parts | leaves, head |
Soil & Growing Conditions
Water: moist, consistently (NC State Extension)
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing | 0 | Start seeds indoors; transplant in late summer for fall/winter harvest, or in early spring for a second crop (NC State Extension). |
| Transplanting | 3 | Space 12 inches to 3 feet apart depending on cultivar; full sun, moist well-drained soil high in organic matter (NC State Extension). |
| Head formation | 4 | Blistered, crinkled leaves develop into a looser, less densely packed head than smooth-leaved cabbage (NC State Extension). |
| Harvest | 8 | Ready when heads feel heavy for their size and colour is bright green (NC State Extension). |
Harvest & Storage
When to pick: Ready when heads feel heavy for their size and the colour is bright green (NC State Extension).
Diseases
Pests
Savoy Cabbage, Transplant to Frosted Head
Plan your Savoy Cabbages planting
When to sow and plant Savoy Cabbages depends on your own frost dates. Check the Canada vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Savoy Cabbage in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (Clemson Cooperative Extension, NC State Extension) is in the references of our UK guide to savoy cabbages; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What problems affect savoy cabbages?
Our data links 2 diseases and 2 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
Short-season growing is arithmetic before it is technique: days to maturity against frost-free days decides what will finish at all. The Canada Garden Planner does that subtraction for your region before you sow.
Get the Canada Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for Canadian growing conditions
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 Canadian hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with provincial agriculture and university extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. 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.
Vegetable Growing Guides Canada
Last verified 2026-09-02
Related guides
More from the same group (brassicas & mustards):
Growing advice for your part of Canada
Timing and conditions change a lot inside one country. These guides cover frost dates and growing seasons region by region.
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.