If you require to pull fresh vegetable from your winter garden , conceive plant late - season cabbage . Most varieties of thisBrassicacan survive a lightheaded frost , but some cultivar permit temperature as low as 20ºF.
Some varieties of green and ruby-red types are particularly moth-eaten hardy . However , napa simoleons cultivarstend to be less tolerant of below - immobilize temperatures .
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go forward reading to learn about how to farm winter cabbage in your garden .
What You’ll Learn
What Is Winter Cabbage?
When growing cabbage for a wintertime harvest , you ’ll need to take a late - time of year cultivar , also known as “ storage variety ” or “ overwintering ” cabbage .
These names bring up to the tardy season case that have better cold tolerance than others , and can provide you with a fresh harvest from November right through to February or March .
Often favor for usance in make fermentation like sauerkraut – an splendid entrepot choice with probiotic benefits – these variety often maturate the largest straits at maturity , and they incline to keep in cold computer storage for longer periods than other cultivars as well .
You might be surprised to larn that the main limiting factor for develop lettuce in wintertime is n’t cold , but short . In the previous fall and winter months , the decrement in day slow plant growth .
Therefore , it ’s important to get plants in the dry land too soon enough so that they have time to mature before the day draw in .
When and How to Plant
An significant term to have it away if you ’re implant for a fall and winter harvest is what constitutive farmer and pedagog Elliot Coleman refers to in “ The Winter Harvest Handbook : Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep - Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses ” as the Persephone Period .
This is the time when day distance falls below ten 60 minutes .
The Winter Harvest Handbook useable on Amazon
This period will help you figure out when you should sow cum in the nightfall .
To determine when you should plant late - season cabbage seeds , weigh back 12 - 14 weeks before the Persephone Period start in your field . Transplant seedlings 9 - 12 weeks before this date .
Planting on these dates let plants time to mature before the days become scant , and there ’s not enough light to prolong ontogenesis .
To sow come , rake the land andamend it with compostif necessary . Sow at 1/2 inch mystifying and 11 - 18 column inch aside .
When transplant seedling , blank plants 12 - 18 inch apart .
Winter wampum requires less water than cabbages grown in the leap . Otherwise , grow requirements are the same as for other types of cabbage – see our full growing guide for more info .
Another option is to plant your repositing variety cabbage in a container . Choose one that is at least 1 foot in diameter and 1 understructure deep . Also , check that the container has drainage holes , as this veg does n’t like waterlogged conditions .
If you choose toplant in a container , stick to the same schedule of planting date cite above .
Cultivars to Select
When take your varieties of thiscruciferous veggieto plant latterly in the year for a wintertime harvest , check seed packet carefully . Do your inquiry before you establish , and quality varieties that are labeled “ winter , ” “ moth-eaten season , ” “ overwintering ” or “ storage ” to secure winner .
Here are a few of our favorites that we think you ’ll enjoy :
Brunswick
‘ Brunswick ’ is an heirloom cultivar that can be grown year round . It produces large tight “ barrel ” heads and matures in 85 - 90 days .
‘ Brunswick ’
dusty dauntless , drought tolerant , and easy to hive away , seeds are usable in a change of bundle sizesfrom Eden Brothers .
Late Flat Dutch
As the name hint , the ‘ later Flat Dutch ’ variety matures in 105 days and tolerates cold temperatures well .
‘ recent Flat Dutch ’
‘ later prostrate Dutch ’ has sweet-smelling and flavorful leaves , and you may buy seed to direct sow or organ transplant in various packet sizesfrom Eden Brothers .
Tundra F1
This loanblend is a interbreeding between a white cabbage and a hardy savoy . ‘ Tundra F1 ’ produce blotto heads with blue gullible leave-taking . It is quick to mature , ice hardy , and even won an Award of Garden Merit for “ dependability and dear operation ” from the Royal Horticultural Society .
Protovoy AGM
Another award - winning hybrid is ‘ Protovoy ’ , a winter savoy cultivar with small , compact head and blue gullible out leaves .
Provide Protection from Cold
Most cabbage can live light frosts , but when temperature dip below 20ºFthis can damage them . If you exist in an area where the temperature gets this cold , plan to protect your plants .
float course coverscan protect plants from rime and increase temperature a petty under the natural covering .
For frost protection , pick out a heavyweight cover . check that the sides are burden down and the ends gathered to provide maximum shelter against the elements .
Cold frames and low tunnelsare other alternative to protect cabbage from utmost cold .
And if your plant are growing in container , you’re able to simply contribute them inside and identify them by a sunny window when very low temperature are prognosticate .
Harvest Tips
Cabbage is quick to harvestwhen the heads are full and firm .
According toGrethen Voyle at Michigan State University Extension , lettuce can be glean even if they seem icing damage . plainly disrobe back damage leaf until you reach the sound ones inside .
As an add together bonus , light frosts can actually increase the sweetness of these hardy vegetables .
Storage Tips
One of my best-loved things about cabbage is that it ’s easy to hive away , and last a recollective time . Once you ’ve harvested your head word , they will keep for up to three months in a root cellar .
If you do n’t have a root basement , they will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 month . I ’ve found the best storage method is to rate head in a pliant bag on a ledge .
If you plan to store your crop longer than a week , impart the extra stunned leaves intact and wait to wash until you ’re quick to prep and eat on . Avoiding spare exposure to wet will help oneself to keep them fresher for longer .
If you force your cabbage out of storage and discover some shitty leaves , simply peel back the bad unity until you regain a goodish - looking question underneath .
A Crisp Winter Treat
Now that you know how to grow winter cabbage , you may go planning your heating dishes .
This recipefrom our sister situation , Foodalpairs cabbage , potatoes , and white beans for a round-eyed yet filling repast .
Tolearn more about moolah , train out these clause next :
pic by Lorna Kring © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . Originally print November 29th , 2019 . Last update August 25th , 2023 . Product photos via Chelsea Green Publishing and Eden Brothers . Uncredited photograph : Shutterstock . Additional composition and redaction by Clare Groom and Allison Sidhu .
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Briana Yablonski
