Optimum Temperature for Growing Cabbage (2024)

FAQs

What is the best temperature for growing cabbage? ›

Cabbage is a cool weather vegetable, growing best with average temperatures between 60 and 65 degrees F and no higher than 75 degrees F. Prolonged periods (10 days or more) of cold temperatures between 35 and 50 degrees F can lead to premature flowering.

Cabbages are in the brassica family, and this is a cool-season bunch. Very few of them thrive when it's hot outside. If temperatures rise over 80 degrees F consistently, cabbage plants will either stop growing or they'll bolt (produce flowers and then go to seed).

Like most vegetables, cabbage needs at least 6 hours of full sun each day; more is better. It also needs fertile, well-drained, moist soil with plenty of rich organic matter. The soil pH should be between 6.5 and 6.8 for optimum growth and to discourage clubroot disease.

Cabbage will grow at temperatures as low as 45 degrees and can tolerate high temperatures up to 80 degrees, but if it gets any warmer, cabbage will bolt.

Choose a planting site that gets full sun (6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day) in order to get the best results. Cabbage is a heavy feeder; it quickly depletes the soil of nutrients and needs a steady supply of water and nutrients throughout its growth.

Cabbages can take cool temperatures down to about 26 º F. They are often planted later in the year for a fall harvest, but if you start them early enough, you can still get a crop before it gets too hot.

Cabbage takes between 60 and 100 days to mature. A July planting will begin to form a head as summer turns to fall, and be ready to harvest before a hard freeze.

Cold weather won't get the best of this delicious leafy green, making it a great fall vegetable to plant. Cabbage is known to thrive in frost and is ready to pick come winter.

Once your cabbage is planted: Let the sunshine in: Cabbages need full sun – at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. Water wisely: It's best to water in the morning and at the base of the plant (soil level) keeping the foliage dry.

Spring-sown brassicas never produce anything worth eating—it's just too hot. The time for me to plant is August through early September, for cabbage that's ready to eat from November through early February.

Which type of cabbage is the best? ›

Napa Cabbage

This is the most tender of the cabbage varieties. Napa cabbage caramelizes really well, picking up nice color quickly, since the leaves are thinner and ribs less hearty. It's also our favorite to slice, dress with oil, acid, and seasoning, and serve it.

Watering is the single most important thing you can do to get the cabbage to grow quickly. Fertilizer helps as well. When the plants start producing new leaves, sidedress them with 20-20-20. Don't forget to water the fertilizer in.

Winter cabbages are very hardy but during exceptionally cold weather they may need some form of cold protection such as a row cover tunnel or cloche. In very cold regions, growing cabbages in a greenhouse or cold frame is a great way to guarantee a winter-safe crop.

Cabbage can't take heat and will bolt (go to seed) in temperatures higher than 80 degrees. Cabbage can be planted in the spring in mild climates. In northern climates, you can grow cabbage all summer long, re-seeding so you can harvest heads all season.

Mulch with a dark-colored plastic cover or compost in the spring to help warm the soil. As the weather warms, remove black plastic to prevent excess heat, or cover it with straw. Improve soil drainage by planting in raised or mounded beds. Wet, heavy soil warms slower than well-drained soil.

Colder temperatures (26-31 degrees F.) may burn foliage but will not kill broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, lettuce, mustard, onion, radish, and turnip. The real cold weather champs are beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, collards, kale, parsley, and spinach.

Water plants in prolonged dry spells – a thorough soak every 10 days should be enough. When the heads begin to form, generous watering will greatly improve size. Feed summer and winter cabbages with a high-nitrogen fertiliser before they get too big.

How to grow: Mid-March though May is a good time to start early and mid-season cabbage seed indoors. Transplant cabbage starts, both early and mid-season starts, into the ground in May and June. Sow seed for late varieties in May, and transplant them out in June through July.

Cabbage will grow well partial shade especially when the season warms up. Enjoy cabbage raw or cooked in soups, salads, stir-fry, and ferment as sauerkraut and kimchi. How to Grow: Start from seeds indoors or plant transplants. Sunlight Requirements: Full sun to partial shade.

Does cabbage prefer full sun? ›

Let the sunshine in: Cabbages need full sun – at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. Water wisely: It's best to water in the morning and at the base of the plant (soil level) keeping the foliage dry.

Cabbage takes between 60 and 100 days to mature. A July planting will begin to form a head as summer turns to fall, and be ready to harvest before a hard freeze.

Cold weather won't get the best of this delicious leafy green, making it a great fall vegetable to plant. Cabbage is known to thrive in frost and is ready to pick come winter.

We can plant our cabbage seeds indoors in seedbeds or pots 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost. In most cases, the proper temperature to grow cabbage is 55-75 °F degrees (12-23 °C). We must regularly water our plants until they develop 3 to 4 leaves. Plants are ready to be transplanted 18-38 days after sowing.

For example, brassica companion plants like thyme, dill, oregano, lavender, onions, garlic, and marigolds are said to deter cabbage moths.