Plant library · Vegetables
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
Cabbage is a cool-season annual vegetable grown for compact heads, typically ready about 85 days after planting. At roughly 1½ feet tall, it makes a substantial low-to-mid-height presence in a food bed rather than an edging crop. Use it where steady attention is easy: the heads need fertile soil, regular moisture, and enough room to develop without crowding.
Give cabbage an open, full-sun position in a dedicated vegetable bed, with a path or open bed edge close enough for watering, weeding, and harvest. Group it with onions, garlic, dill, chamomile, rosemary, or lettuce when those plants are part of the plan. Keep strawberries, tomatoes, and fennel in separate planting areas. Arrange the crop in short blocks or rows so each head remains reachable without stepping into the bed.
Set plants 18 inches apart, center to center. Each plant can spread about 2 feet wide at maturity, so outer leaves may meet or overlap within a closely planted block; leave a clear working edge along at least one side rather than relying on gaps between plants for access. In a narrow bed, a single row is easier to tend. In a wider bed, keep rows shallow enough to reach the middle from a path.
Choose a site with at least six hours of direct sun; longer daily sun supports dependable growth where conditions allow. Build the bed around well-drained but moisture-retentive, fertile soil, and keep moisture even through head development. Cabbage has shallow roots, so place it where irrigation can be applied regularly and shallow cultivation can be done carefully around the plants.[1][2]
This crop occupies space from late spring into fall, so reserve the bed for a longer cool-season run rather than treating it as a quick filler. Heads can split once they reach mature size, especially when water supply changes abruptly or heavy rain follows dry conditions. Check firm heads promptly as they approach harvest, and keep the planting accessible for timely cutting.[1][2]
Avoid placing cabbage immediately after other cabbage-family crops when a bed rotation is possible. Moving this crop to a different part of the garden from year to year helps reduce accumulated insect and disease pressure. Mark the crop’s location in the plan so a future planting can be shifted to another bed without losing track of the rotation.[1][2]
Editorial content updated 2026-07-20.