cabbage
Cabbage may be cropped 12 months of the year, if a wide enough range of varieties are grown. Cultivation is not difficult, providing that the soil is fairly rich and well prepared.
Cabbage can be pointed, round headed, savoy or unhearted greens. Red, white or green in colour. A very wide range of varieties are available, some dating from Victorian times, as well as a large choice of modern F1 hybrids. A lot of the old varieties have stood the test of time well, and they can still be recommended.
Soil preparation, manuring and fertilizing are the same as all brassicas. A highish pH of 6.7 to 7.0 is ideal (6.0 to 7.5 is tolerable) Apply lime in Autumn according to analysis. Do not apply lime to freshly manured ground. Cabbage prefer soil manured for the previous season. Fresh manure can cause loose heads.
Being a leaf vegetable, a high Nitrogen fertilizer should be applied as a base dressing (NPK in multiples of 4:1:2 by percentage) if soil testing hasn’t been carried out. Otherwise apply fertilizer as recommended by soil test results. Further top dressing or liquid feeding may also be neccesary of a high Nitrogen feed.
Magnesium deficiency might show up on cabbage as a reddening of the leaves. Unusual in the UK for soils to be deficient in Mg, as enough falls out of the sky in rain, and is also present in tap water in hard water areas. However deficiencies are possible, especially in soft water areas, peaty soils, acidic soils and other countries of different climate.
Where Magnesium is required due to low pH (acid soils), apply ‘Dolomite Lime’ also called ‘Magnesium Limestone’ as well as ‘Garden Lime’ which provides the Calcium. This will correct the deficiency. Mg is often refered to as a trace element, which it isn’t. It is a major element required in about the same amounts as Phosphates.
Sowing of cabbage can be done in trays in the greenhouse during late winter, using a standard multi purpose compost or John Innes seed compost. Prick out into trays or small pots as if growing bedding plants. The greenhouse doesn’t need to be heated, although some bottom heat will speed up germination.
Tags: Growing Tips, growingcabbage
