Red cabbage is common in its processed form as red cabbage or red cabbage as a classic side dish to many traditional dishes. Under certain conditions and with simple tricks, you can easily grow it in your own garden.
How can I grow red cabbage in the garden?
To grow red cabbage successfully, choose a sunny location, prepare the soil with manure and sow in the cold frame in April or May. Protect the young plants from pests with a net and harvest the red cabbage between August and November, depending on the planting date.
Selection of location and soil preparation for growing red cabbage
Early planning pays off twice when growing red cabbage, as it not only has a positive influence on growth, but can also reduce certain susceptibility to diseases and pests. It is advisable to fertilize the soil with stable manure the previous autumn and work it into the subsoil. This provides ideal soil for planting the seedlings in early spring.
Whether in a raised bed or on the ground, red cabbage should be grown in a sunny location in order to thrive optimally. Since red cabbage can grow very large under the right conditions, a generous distance of at least 40 centimeters between the plants or seeding sites is recommended.
Sowing and protecting young plants
Red cabbage should be sown in the cold frame in the third week of April if possible, as experience has shown that this early sowing date ensures less susceptibility to pests. However, it is also possible to sow red cabbage in the growing bed at the end of May in order to harvest winter cabbage. If sown in August or September, the young plants are overwintered under a protective layer of spruce needles and then moved to their final location in March.
In order to protect the young red cabbage plants from excessive sunlight and pests, we recommend covering them with a fine net (€9.00 at Amazon) in the early growth stage. This protects against the dreaded cabbage fly, but also provides shade for the cabbage plants.
Harvesting and storage
Depending on the planting date, red cabbage can be harvested at different times of the year. Red cabbage heads from the planting date in March reach an impressive size in August. At the end of October to the beginning of November the cabbages from the sowing date in May follow. If the red cabbage cannot be used fresh, it should remain outdoors until the first night frosts, as it keeps better here than indoors.
The harvested red cabbage can be planted together with the roots in beds or cellars. Without roots, it can also be stored in a cool shed for a while with a shortened shelf life. For an extended shelf life, it is possible to preserve it in jars, which means that the red cabbage can also be used as ready-to-cook red cabbage.
Tips & Tricks
- Place young red cabbage plants with the entire root collar deep into the soil
- seasoned stable manure provides a perfect substrate
- A sunny location and an early planting date protect against pests
- Cabbage should not be grown repeatedly in the same place
- Pre-cultures are possible with celery, carrot, parsley, spinach or beans