Brassica oleracea var. capitata

Cabbage

A practical guide to growing cabbage in the home garden.

Growing profiles

Choose how this crop will be grown. Dimensions, spacing and timing belong to the selected profile—not to the species as a single universal value.

Early cabbage

Compact, faster-maturing heading cabbage.

Typical mature height
30–60 cm (12–24 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Mature canopy
35–65 cm (14–26 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Plant spacing
38–50 cm (15–20 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Row spacing
60–75 cm (24–30 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Planting arrangement
single row · open ground Editorial synthesisbasis
Support
Usually unnecessary
Optional container
At least 19 L (5 US gal) · 1 plant Editorial synthesisbasis
Best germination range
5–30 °C (41–86 °F) Editorial synthesisbasis

Climate-relative calendar

Frost and transplant rules become local dates when climate data is available. Cultivar maturity and crop condition are never replaced by a fabricated date.

Sow Cabbage indoors56 days before last spring frost to 42 days before last spring frost Direct sourceEditorial synthesisbasisRequired: Soil temperature between 5 °C (41 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F). Editorial synthesisbasis
Harden off Cabbage42 days before last spring frost to 35 days before last spring frost Editorial synthesisbasis
Transplant Cabbage outdoors28 days before last spring frost to last spring frost Editorial synthesisbasisRequired: Soil temperature at least 0 °C (32 °F) for 3 consecutive days. Editorial synthesisbasisCheck before proceeding: Forecast frost risk no more than 25%. Editorial synthesisbasis
Begin harvesting Cabbage55 days after transplanting to 75 days after transplanting Planning estimatebasis
Finish harvesting Cabbage14 days after first harvest to 30 days after first harvest
Remove Cabbage cropthe expected end of harvest to 7 days after the expected end of harvest

Midseason cabbage

Intermediate heading cabbage between early compact and large storage types.

Typical mature height
40–75 cm (16–30 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Mature canopy
45–75 cm (18–30 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Plant spacing
45–65 cm (18–26 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Row spacing
60–90 cm (24–35 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Planting arrangement
single row · open ground Editorial synthesisbasis
Support
Usually unnecessary
Optional container
At least 25 L (6.6 US gal) · 1 plant Editorial synthesisbasis
Best germination range
5–30 °C (41–86 °F) Editorial synthesisbasis

Climate-relative calendar

Frost and transplant rules become local dates when climate data is available. Cultivar maturity and crop condition are never replaced by a fabricated date.

Sow Cabbage indoors49 days before last spring frost to 35 days before last spring frost Direct sourceEditorial synthesisbasisRequired: Soil temperature between 5 °C (41 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F). Editorial synthesisbasis
Harden off Cabbage35 days before last spring frost to 28 days before last spring frost Editorial synthesisbasis
Transplant Cabbage outdoors21 days before last spring frost to 7 days after last spring frost Editorial synthesisbasisRequired: Soil temperature at least 0 °C (32 °F) for 3 consecutive days. Editorial synthesisbasisCheck before proceeding: Forecast frost risk no more than 25%. Editorial synthesisbasis
Begin harvesting Cabbage70 days after transplanting to 90 days after transplanting Planning estimatebasis
Finish harvesting Cabbage14 days after first harvest to 30 days after first harvest
Remove Cabbage cropthe expected end of harvest to 7 days after the expected end of harvest

Storage cabbage

Large, longer-season cabbage intended for mature heads and storage.

Typical mature height
50–90 cm (20–35 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Mature canopy
60–90 cm (24–35 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Plant spacing
50–75 cm (20–30 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Row spacing
75–100 cm (30–39 in) Editorial synthesisbasis
Planting arrangement
single row · open ground Editorial synthesisbasis
Support
Usually unnecessary
Optional container
At least 30 L (7.9 US gal) · 1 plant Editorial synthesisbasis
Best germination range
5–30 °C (41–86 °F) Editorial synthesisbasis

Climate-relative calendar

Frost and transplant rules become local dates when climate data is available. Cultivar maturity and crop condition are never replaced by a fabricated date.

Sow Cabbage indoors42 days before last spring frost to 28 days before last spring frost Direct sourceEditorial synthesisbasisRequired: Soil temperature between 5 °C (41 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F). Editorial synthesisbasis
Harden off Cabbage28 days before last spring frost to 21 days before last spring frost Editorial synthesisbasis
Transplant Cabbage outdoors14 days before last spring frost to 14 days after last spring frost Editorial synthesisbasisRequired: Soil temperature at least 0 °C (32 °F) for 3 consecutive days. Editorial synthesisbasisCheck before proceeding: Forecast frost risk no more than 25%. Editorial synthesisbasis
Begin harvesting Cabbage90 days after transplanting to 120 days after transplanting Planning estimatebasis
Finish harvesting Cabbage14 days after first harvest to 30 days after first harvest
Remove Cabbage cropthe expected end of harvest to 7 days after the expected end of harvest

Agronomy release agronomy-2026-07-11-r1 · reviewed 2026-07-11 by Gardeningist agronomic research synthesis. Direct-source links indicate close source support; synthesis and planning estimates are labeled separately.

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