{"id":2305,"date":"2019-06-06T09:17:12","date_gmt":"2019-06-06T09:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardener.guide\/?p=2305"},"modified":"2020-01-22T08:35:19","modified_gmt":"2020-01-22T08:35:19","slug":"14-cabbage-care-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardener.guide\/14-cabbage-care-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Cabbage Care Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Are you starting a garden? Have you thought about the types of fruits and vegetables that you would like to grow? If you are thinking about growing cabbage, there is good news. Cabbage is a plant that is rather easy to grow. The great thing about growing cabbage is that it can provide you with many great heads of this wonderful vegetable throughout the growing season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cabbage comes in several varieties. The leaves may be flat or wrinkled. Cabbage may be green in color, but it can also be reddish or purplish in colors. This depends on the variety that you choose to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing cabbage will take a bit of time and you will have to put in some effort if you want to yield a good crop. However, it is worth the work as this tasty vegetable can be used in many great dishes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 8 tips for caring for your cabbage plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Weather<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to cabbage you want to remember that these plants will grow best in cooler weather. You can grow cabbage in any area, but the regions that have a long and cooler growing season with temperatures that range from 45 degrees to 75 degrees F will have the best outcomes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cabbage plants do well in cooler weather and can even tolerate frost. For brief amounts of time cabbage can withstand temperatures that are as low as 20 degrees F. When temperatures reach over 80 degrees F cabbage is much more likely to bold and then go to seed. For this reason, it is important to make sure that you keep your cabbage plants cool throughout the growing season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing them with shade during the hotter days can help to keep them from bolting and will ensure that you actually get heads to form so that you have cabbage to enjoy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Getting Cabbage Seeds Ready<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the great things about growing cabbage is that you can start the seeds quite early. You will want to start growing your cabbage seeds about a month before the last frost of the spring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do not want to start your seeds indoors you should plant your cabbage seeds during the spring as soon as you can turn the soil. The weather can still be cool as the cabbage seeds can withstand cooler weather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can place your seedlings in the garden as soon as they are about three inches tall. The plants can be transplanted into the ground up to a month before the last spring frost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you live in a cool summer region you should plant your cabbage later in the spring in order to harvest it in the fall. If you live in an area that has a milder winter you can start your seeds in the late summer for a spring harvest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Make Sure your Cabbage Gets Plenty of Water<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As with all types of vegetable plants, cabbage plants require plenty of water. If you truly want the best cabbage plants throughout the season it is important to make sure that they are getting watered regularly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you are watering your cabbage plants it is important to make sure that you are watering the plants evenly. If you do not water the plants evenly you will end up with heads that are either cracked or become stunted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the plants reach their maturity you will want to cut back on the amount that you water them as too much water can cause the heads to split. It is recommended that you water your plants in the morning before they are hit with the hot sun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The morning water will help keep them moist throughout the day. You should make watering your plants a part of the daily care, unless you are getting plenty of rain in your area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Proper Spacing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you are planting your cabbage seeds or seedlings spacing is very important. You should sow your cabbage seeds about a half-inch deep in the ground and they should be spaced about an inch apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the plants begin to grow you are going to want to thin the plants out. You should thin the plants so that they end up about 18 inches up to two feet apart. If you are growing the plants from seeds you should transplant the seeds when they are about a month old and have four or five true leaves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure that you set the crooked or leggy stemmed plants more deeply, all the way up to their first leaves. Seedlings should be planted about a foot and a half to two feet apart in rows that are two or three feet apart. This provides your cabbage plants with enough room to fully grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Fertilization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fertilizing the soil that you plant your garden in is extremely important. As with all plants, in order to grow properly and fully proper nutrition is required. Plants such as cabbage require soil that will provide them with the nutrition that they need in order to prosper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cabbage plants require a lot of nitrogen in order to reach their full potential. For this reason, it is important to make sure that you test your soil before you transplant your cabbage plants into your garden bed. Make sure that no important nutrients are missing from the soil that you are going to plant the cabbage plants in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you have planted your cabbage in the ground you will want to make sure that it remains properly nationalized. You should test the soil regularly and add fertilizer as needed in order to maintain the proper balance for your plants to grow in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Utilize Companion Plants<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are some vegetables and other plants that grow very well together and others that do not. Plants that grow well together are called companion plants. These plants do well together because they will feed off of each other and help the other plants grow to their full potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some plants do not grow well together because they require the same types of nutrients and end up fighting over what is provided in the soil that they are grown in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are planning to grow cabbage in your garden there are several types of plants that you can consider growing with or near these plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the best companion plants for cabbage include: potatoes, onions, herbs, celery, and beets. You should never grow cabbage near tomatoes, strawberries, or pole beans as these plants will hinder the growth of your cabbage, not to mention that the cabbage will hinder their growth as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. How to Prevent Splitting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are several things that can damage your cabbage when it is growing. One common problem is the head of the cabbage splitting. This splitting is caused by the cabbage heads growing too fast. It can also be caused by the heads taking in too much water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, if you stay on top of things you can easily prevent the heads from splitting. In order to do this, you will want to twist the heads of the cabbage a quarter of a turn. This will help to separate some of the roots from the head. This disrupts the supply of water to the head and will slow down the growth, thus helping to prevent the head of the cabbage from splitting. You should do this about a week before the plant is ready to harvest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your cabbage heads are small during harvest time you should try adding a bit of nitrogen to the soil during the next planting season and planting your cabbage heads earlier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Dealing with Pests<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are many pests that may attack your cabbage plants. Some of the more common pests that attack cabbage plants include cabbage loopers, cutworms, and cabbage worms. If you notice that your cabbage plants have become infected with one of these types of pests, the best thing that you can do is to handpick them off of each of the plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since this can be quite a time consuming, another option is to spray the plants with Bacillus thuringiensis. This can help to keep the pests away. In addition to pests, cabbage may also be infected with several types of diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the common diseases that infect cabbage include clubroot fungus, yellow virus, and black rot. Black rot can remain in the soil of your garden for up to three years, so it is important to deal with it as soon as you notice it. All plants that have become infected need to be removed immediately.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n