Index

• Sowing Instructions
• How to Prick Out
• How to Transplant
• Crop Maintenance
• How to Harvest
• Storage
• Pests & Diseases

Sowing Instructions

• Autumn & summer cabbages are sown in mid spring
• Sow undercover in February in plug trays
• Can be sown directly outdoors from March to July
• Fill plug tray with compost, soak compost
• Place two seeds per plug
• Germination take roughly 2 weeks
• Keep in a warm location (min 10°C)
• Thin or prick out to one seed per plug once seedlings emerge

How to Prick Out

• Pricking out is a process of thining out & transplanting young seedlings
• This can be done as soon as seedlings are large enough to handle
• Water before pricking out
• Using a dibber or pen to lift the young seedlings from the soil
• Hold the seedlings leaves - never hold by the stem
• Once seedling is free of the soil, replant it in it's own new plug
• Ensure the seedling's root is planted deep into the plug tray
• Firm in seedlings well

How to Transplant

• Transplant seedlings once they are roughly 7cm in height
• Prepare soil prior to transplanting & soak well
• Space plants 40cm apart
• When planting, be sure to plant deep enough
• Avoid soil that can become waterlogged or has dried out completely
• Cabbages prefer fertile, heavy clay soils
• Dig over soil in the previous season, adding well rotted organic matter
• Dig to a depth of 1 1/2 ft, removing any stones and perennial weed roots
• Rake and level soil

Crop Maintenance

• Earth up if top heavy
• Feed with nitrogen based feed during season
• Weed well until established
• Keep young plants well watered until established
• Cover crops to protect against pigeons

Harvesting

• Cabbage should mature within a few months
• Water well the week before harvest
• Harvest Summer cabbages from June to October
• You can remove outer leaves as you need them
• Or harvest the entire cabbage by cutting the head at ground level
• Leave roots in the soil as they can sometimes re-grow

Storage

• Will keep in the fridge for short term storage
• For longer term, store in a cool dark area for 3 to 4 months

Pests & Diseases

• Important to protect against birds, especially pigeons
• Bird protection in the form of netting is best
• Slugs are a major problem - barriers such as eggshells, coarse sand, ash & copper can control problem
• Caterpillars also a problem, set up netting early to keep butterflies off your crops
• The fungal disease clubroot is a serious ailment of cabbage
• Effects on cabbage: Yellow wilting leaves and stunts growth
• Other pests and diseases include black rot, cabbage root fly and frost
• Important to rotate crops every year