When is purple cabbage ready to harvest? (2023)

When should you harvest red cabbage?

They generally take about four to six months to reach maturity, depending on the type. Harvest them once they have reached the size you want, and formed a firm head.

Some varieties can stay in the gardens for weeks after they are firm and solid, others must be harvested right away. Cabbages prefer cooler growing temperatures, between 55°-75°F/13°-24°C. Early or spring cabbages mature in 50 to 60 days.

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.

Purple cabbage is an incredibly versatile vegetable. You can eat it raw or cooked, and it's well suited to accompany a variety of dishes. For instance, it can be steamed and used to make dumpling fillings, or braised with red wine, vinegar, apples, carrots, and beets for a flavorful side dish.

If you wait too long to harvest, your cabbage will likely split, becoming too tough to eat in some areas. In this case, cut away the whole plant, outer leaves, and all. Cut off the inedible parts of the plant, and enjoy the rest as usual.

"Most types of cabbage, if you do cut off the bottoms to regrow again, will sprout out some fresh leaves," says Jabbour. Similar to lettuce, you can plant the cabbage once roots appear.

There's good reason: Worms or other insects could be inside the cabbage, so to be safe, remove the thick outer leaves, cut the cabbage into wedges, and rinse them in a colander under running water.

Cabbage is best stored whole and unrinsed until you're ready to use it. Cutting into it will cause it to lose vitamin C, which will lead to faster spoilage. To store a head of cabbage, place it in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. A head of cabbage will last up two months when stored this way.

Do not wash cabbage until you are ready to use it. Refrain from washing before storing. Cabbage can store well in a hydrator drawer. You can put the cabbage in a plastic bag to help retain moisture but it isn't totally necessary.

Do you store cabbage in the fridge or on the counter?

Whether it's red or green, Savoy or napa, fresh cabbage should be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag like these zip-top ones from Hefty (buy it: Target, $7). For red, green and Savoy cabbage heads, this storage method will keep the cabbage fresh for up to 10 days.

Cabbage Won't Form a Head If It's Not Getting Enough Water

A common reason why cabbage isn't forming a head is that it's not being properly watered. Water is so important for all lettuces really, but especially for cabbage, which is 92 percent water in its makeup.

Yes, you can eat leaves of cabbage that did not form the head yet. The cabbage is covered with loosely wrapped leaves in the early growth stage. As the head matures, the leaves become more compact. So, you can harvest and use these leaves at any time.

Any variety of head lettuce, cabbage, and bok choi can be regrown in a sunny area in your home without much difficulty. All you need is a shallow dish and the leftover bottom portion where the leaves were attached. Place the lettuce or cabbage bottom in the dish and add water to about halfway up the greens.

Red cabbage is a nutrient-rich, cruciferous, or Brassica vegetable that's related to cauliflower and kale. It's sometimes called purple cabbage since its leaves are a dark purple-reddish color. Red cabbage typically is a little smaller and denser than green cabbage, and has a more peppery taste.

Cabbage should never be planted near tomatoes, beans, peppers or strawberries. In fact, this holds true for all plants in the brassica family, such as broccoli, kale, and cauliflower.

The color of the cabbage indicator will change to red or pink if the solution is an acid and it will change to green or yellow if it is a base. It will remain purple or blue if the test solution is neutral.

In comparison to green cabbage, red cabbage contains 10x more vitamins, cancer-fighting flavonoids, and a winning amount of antioxidants which improve eye, teeth, bone, & immune health.

Wrapped tightly in plastic, a head of cabbage will keep for about two weeks in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Once cut, use cabbage within 2-3 days. Cover and refrigerate cooked cabbage within two hours of cooking and use within 3-5 days.

Certain crops such as broccoli, cabbage, claytonia, kale, and spinach can easily survive through the winter without any protection. Other crops like arugula, leeks and lettuce often die when unprotected during periods of extreme winter cold.

Can cabbage grow twice?

You can plant cabbage twice a year and harvest in spring and fall. If you live in mild, moderate climates, you can harvest cabbage all winter long.

If your cabbage sends up a flower stalk instead of forming a head, it's called bolting. Bolting usually occurs in cabbage when temperatures get too hot.

To be sure it's ready for harvest, squeeze the head and make sure it's firm throughout. If the head presses in easily and feels loose, it still needs more time to mature. Harvest the cabbage when it is firm throughout, but before it starts splitting, which can be caused by rainfall.

The plant will send up as many as 6 new heads – harvest when about tennis ball-size. Begin harvesting leaf cabbage about a month after planting by harvesting the outer leaves using the cut-and-come-again method.

There will not be just one new head, but several, usually three or four, but sometimes as many as six smaller heads will grow up around the rim of the original plant's stub. In total, the new sub-heads will provide as much food as the original cabbage head, but with a delicious difference.

To suffocate these tiny bugs, make a homemade spray by mixing 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 1/2 cups of water, and 2 teaspoons of dish soap, then spray on the cabbage plant.

Storing cabbage in the ground. An unconventional way of storing cabbages is to pull them up by their roots, dig a hole, place them upside down with the roots sticking out, cover them back up with the soil and leave them that way until you're ready to “harvest”.

You can freeze raw cabbage whole, sliced, cut into quarters, or shredded. Place the cabbage in a baking dish or on a sheet pan and place it in the freezer for 6-8 hours. Transfer individual portions of the frozen cabbage to airtight bags or wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

Once it's washed and cut up, cabbage can be frozen, but for longer-term storage, it's best to blanch it first. Blanched cabbage can be frozen for up to nine months, while unblanched cabbage will only keep for one to two months.

Cabbage has a far lower water content than traditional greens like spinach and romaine, which helps to extend its shelf life. Wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator, the brassica vegetable can last for about two months.

How can you tell if cabbage is good?

You will know that cabbage is bad if you notice a change in its texture from firm to slimy. The leaves will have shrunk or look shriveled. A cabbage that has been cut will start to discolor along the cut edge, from green to greyish black. The most apparent sign that cabbage is bad is its foul smell.

CABBAGE - FRESH, COOKED

Properly stored, cooked cabbage will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. To further extend the shelf life of cooked cabbage, freeze it; freeze in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or freezer wrap.

The Answer: Cabbage plants require between 1.5 and 2 inches of water on a weekly basis. You should water them 2 to 3 times each week, thoroughly moistening the soil each time you do. Make sure the soil is rich but well-draining as cabbage doesn't like wet soggy soil.

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.

The answer to, “When will cabbage make a head?” is, it depends. The common green cabbages form heads more quickly than the huge Savoy cabbage. You can expect to see heads in approximately 71 days with green cabbage. Red cabbage takes slightly longer and Nappa cabbage will form small heads in only 57 days.

Culinary differences between cabbage and lettuce

The tougher texture of cabbage allows it to hold up well in cooking applications such as boiling, which is why cabbage is often served cooked. Though iceberg and other lettuces can be cooked, they are most often served raw.

When the plant starts to grow, the cotyledons come first. After that, the characteristic cabbage leaves start to grow. The more leaves grow, the heavier the top of the plant gets. It might even start to fold and it might not be strong enough to straighten out and carry the plant.

Add annual fertilizer to the garden and feed the Cabbage with a balanced fertilizer or compost tea throughout the growing season. As the cabbage plants begin to set, reduce the excess amount of nitrogen to prevent cracking. Commercial organic liquid fertilizers and urea solutions effects cabbage growth and production.

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.

You will find them in shades of deep purple, pink, red and white. They are not heat-tolerant, but they can tolerate the cold, and can survive winter temperatures as low as 5 degrees F. The colors of ornamental kale and cabbage are made brighter when they experience light and moderate frosts.

Do you prune cabbage plants?

Most of the time, you don't necessarily have to prune cabbage leaves. It's one of those garden tasks that is optional – unless there's a pest or disease situation that needs to be addressed.

You'll know it's harvest time when the cabbage head on your plant is firm and hearty throughout. Use your finger to press in on the head. If there is even a little give, keep it in the ground for a little while longer. Once it's completely firm and the leaves curled together tightly, it's ready to enjoy.

The heads should be full and firm, with not too much give when you squeeze it. If the heads look full but feel a little soft when you squeeze them, let them mature for a few more days before harvesting. Looks can often be deceiving and cabbage heads may feel firm on the outside on the inside are still loose and flimsy.

The color of the cabbage indicator will change to red or pink if the solution is an acid and it will change to green or yellow if it is a base. It will remain purple or blue if the test solution is neutral.

You may be able to able to harvest immature cabbage to eat it fresh about two weeks before the expected maturity date. If you want to harvest the cabbage when it is mature, however, it needs about 70 to 85 days of growth.

Choose red cabbages that are densely packed and heavy in weight with firm outer leaves. Avoid cabbages that are light, soft and have too many outer leaves removed.

The plant will send up as many as 6 new heads – harvest when about tennis ball-size. Begin harvesting leaf cabbage about a month after planting by harvesting the outer leaves using the cut-and-come-again method.

Cabbage is best stored whole and unrinsed until you're ready to use it. Cutting into it will cause it to lose vitamin C, which will lead to faster spoilage. To store a head of cabbage, place it in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. A head of cabbage will last up two months when stored this way.