Organic in the Garden – How to Grow Cabbage

Cabbage is an easy vegetable to grow but it can rob a poor soil of nutrients. Good organic mulching, composting and fertilising practices will help prevent this. Cabbage is a member of the Brassicaceae family. ‘Brassica’, is the same as other species of the same family. The botanical name for cabbage is Brassica oleracea.

Cabbage likes a well-draining soil with frequent watering. It grows best in cooler weather. It is typically planted in Autumn/Fall. Cabbages should be planted with good crop rotation practices. It is often planted immediately after peas or beans due to the nitrogen fixing properties of legumes (peas).

Before planting the soil should be well dug with a thick layer of compost and a few inches of well rotted cow manure.

Sowing the seeds
Seeds can be sown undercover or directly in the ground. Growing organically under cover gives you the chance to prepare the garden bed while the plans begin to shoot. It is also an ideal way of setting an early crop as seeds can be sown before typical sowing times if the climate they are started in can duplicate the desired growing conditions.

Planting out
If you have sown the seeds directly in the soil, you should thin out to around 45 – 60 cm between plants. If sown indoors, plants will be ready to plant out when they have developed 3 or 4 true leaves.

Plants should be watered well but not fertilised for the first week or so.

Organic Mulching
There is varied opinion regarding the need for mulching vegetable plants. There is some debate around mulch being a breeding ground for insects, which could attack the cabbage plants. I personally find mulching a good idea especially on Brassica’s because it adds extra nutrients as it breaks down. A mixture of rotten grass hay and lawn clippings is ideal organic mulch for vegetables. Grass clippings should not be added too thick if they are fresh or the heat will kill the plant. Like wise mulch should not come in contact with the stalk or leaves of the cabbage to prevent it from rotting.

Fertilising
Cabbages can be fertilised with a liquid chicken manure. Chicken manure should always be well rotten before using. Always add animal manure to the ground not over the vegetable, especially leafy vegetables as it can trap bacteria as the plant develops.

Pests
The caterpillar of the white cabbage moth is the biggest concern with cabbage. Garlic, Pyrethrum and Chilli are good deterrents for this moth. Grow some nearby and make a tea with crushed garlic and spray over periodically.

Harvesting
Cabbage is ready to harvest when the heart is of a size sufficient for your needs. If left to age too long it will develop seed and be too woody to eat. A cabbage should typically be around 15 to 20cm across to be of a good picking size.

June 13, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Growing Organic Vegetables

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.