Cabbage

Brassica oleracea (capitata group) (Brassicaceae or cabbage family)

Production, Green and Red

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Soil preparation

• Cabbage should not follow other members of the Brassica family. Maintain a minimum rotation of 3 years.
• Total nutrient uptake is 165 lbs. of N, 10 lbs. of P and 208 lbs. of K.
• Storage cabbage does well when planted after a spring seeding of oats, forage peas and bell beans at a rate of 45 lbs. of oats, 100 lbs. of peas and 100 lbs. of bell beans per acre. This cover crop can supply all of its N needs. Mow before the oats start flowering to avoid oats reseeding. Alternatively, remove oats from the seeding mix for easier incorporation. 
• You can also plant cabbage through a rolled and crimped cover crop of Austrian winter peas. Plant this cover crop in early September at a rate of 200 lbs. to ensure good weed control. In this case, take a soil test in the preceding year and fertilize as needed to provide enough nutrients for both the Austrian winter peas and the vegetable crop. Inoculate seed and reduce N application to enhance N uptake by N-fixing bacteria. To properly kill peas, use a no-till planter (without seed in the box) and slice the cover crop with the coulters of the drill. 
• Apply compost and other amendments based on the results of a soil test.
• Spread lime as needed to increase both the pH and Ca levels. Dolomite lime will also increase Mg levels. Spread gypsum when calcium levels are low but pH is correct.
• A fertilizer company can add OMRI-listed potassium sulfate to compost if it doesn’t have enough K to meet the crop’s needs. If this isn’t possible, spread the correct amount of fertilizer and incorporate it before planting. Alternatively, you can side-dress it during cultivation. Divide the recommended rate of the soil test in half if side-dressing. 
• Test for boron and apply only as recommended by the soil test. A fertilizer company can add boron to compost to optimize boron distribution. If this isn't an option, distribute soluble boron through a water solution with a sprayer directly on the soil. If applied directly on the crop don't exceed more than 1 lb. of boron per acre to avoid leaf burn. 

Common recommended fertilizer rates¹

Nitrogen	Phosphorus	Potassium	pH
120	0-160	0-200	6.2-6.5
1Rates are for New York and are from Cornell University’s Nutrient Guidelines for Commercial Vegetable Production (2019). Check the Cornell website for updated guidelines, or consult with local experts for recommended rates outside New York.

Varieties

• New York variety trial
• Green main: Storage #4, Rivera, many of the Bejo varieties
• Red main: Integro
• Savoy: Alcosa

Greenhouse guidelines

• EZ Seeder seeder plate #16

Cell pack tray	Germination temp	Growth temp	Hardening off	Notes
72, 98 or 128	77°–90°	>60°	Reduce water	Put plug trays on a wire mesh bench to encourage air pruning. Take plants outside 1 week before planting in field.

Number of successions

• You can seed early cabbage 4–5 weeks before the field is ready for planting. For continuous harvest, continue seeding until June or July. In New York, storage varieties are seeded in the third or fourth week in May and transplanted in early July. Planting varieties that have different days to maturity will spread out the harvest. 

Signs to watch for and what to do

• Harden plants off outside; plants that are lush don’t perform well in the field.

Transplant readiness indicators

• Transplants are ready when they pull easily from the cell. Generally, plants shouldn’t be older than 5 weeks.

Transplanting in 5- or 6-foot raised beds

Rows	In-row spacing	Planting depth (inches)	Notes
2	18 inches	As deep as possible	Use an 18-inch sprocket.
2	14 inches	As deep as possible	Use a 14-inch sprocket.

Transplanting tips

• Adjust mechanical transplanters so there is good contact between the plug or root ball and the soil.

Cultivation procedures

• Ensure plants are properly rooted before cultivation. Use sweeps or side knives (with torsion weeders, if possible) followed by a finger weeder 7–10 days after transplanting, or as soon as possible without damaging the plants. Alternatively, use a tine weeder; but this works better when you use bare root transplants because tine weeders tend to uproot plugs.
• Hand hoe between plants as necessary.
• Use a finger weeder in combination with side knives for a second pass when new weeds emerge. Move finger weeders away from the crop if they cause damage. Alternatively, use spring hoes in combination with side knives to obtain slight hilling.
• If you require a third cultivation, use Lilliston cultivators and hill aggressively without burying the plants. You can only use this tool when cabbage is planted in 2 rows.

Frost, insect and disease protection

• Control black rot (Xanthomonas) by purchasing clean seeds, keeping the greenhouse clean and exposing seed to hot water treatment. Some organic seed suppliers hot treat their seeds, so check with them before applying your own treatment, as double treatment can affect germination.
• Flea beetles
  • Cover the crop with floating row covers or insect netting before emergence to avoid flea beetle damage. Keep covered until harvest. Alternatively, use a spinosyn-based product like Entrust. 
  • If possible, follow Extension bulletins that publish the timing of each generation of flea beetles, or place yellow sticky cards at plant height to monitor their presence. Check the cards at least twice a week.
  • Spray beneficial nematodes on heavily infected land to control flea beetle grubs and avoid future generations. Flea beetles tend to overwinter in nearby hedgerows and grass strips.
• You can prevent cutworms by spraying the soil with the beneficial nematode Steinernema carpocapsae. Once the pest is in the crop, control the population by spraying the crop with Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, or spread a baited product containing spinosyn, like Seduce, around the plants.
• Cabbage maggots: To reduce infestation of cabbage maggots on young seedlings, cover seedlings with floating row covers or insect netting as you would for flea beetles. Maggots appear in 3–4 generations in the Northeast, starting in early spring.
• Scout for the eggs of imported cabbage worms or diamondback moths on the underside of leaves. When the small worm population is over 2 per plant, spray a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt aizawai or Bt kurstaki) product, such as XenTari, or a spinosyn-based product, such as Entrust, every week until the population is under control. Alternate your spraying schedule by using Bt products along with a spinosyn-based product to avoid resistance buildup.
• To avoid Alternaria leaf spot, plant far away or upwind from earlier-planted cole crops and avoid overhead irrigation. Regular applications of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, available as Double Nickel, have shown the best controls in research. Bacillus subtilis, available as Serenade, and mineral oil like JMS Stylet-Oil has shown some control for a few growers. Regular sprays with giant knotweed extract, such as Regalia, appear to reduce Alternaria as well, by activating the plant’s natural defenses against fungal and bacterial diseases.
• Swede midge has become a problem for many growers over the past few years. As it is an invasive species, it has no native enemies. Exclusion through row covers and rotation more than ½ mile away from last year’s crop may provide effective protection.

Other cultural practices

• Irrigate frequently for optimum yield and plant health. Frequency depends on soil type, evaporation, precipitation and the particular needs of the crop. 
• Close plantings of fall cabbage allow for smaller head development. Space storage varieties at 12 inches by 36 inches to allow for a larger head that keeps better in storage. Generally speaking, customers prefer a 3 lb. head, but larger heads keep better in storage.

Double cropping and/or cover cropping

• Plant early cabbage after oats and peas, and summer cabbage after hairy vetch or bell beans.
• You can plant transplanted lettuce after early cabbage. Mow plants as low as possible. Incorporate crop residue.
• For later dates, work under any harvest remains to avoid insect or pathogen buildup, and plant a cover crop. In the northern United States and Canada, you can follow summer- and early-fall-harvested cabbage with a cover crop of oats and peas in September, or rye and vetch planted at later dates. Adjust accordingly in other regions.

Additional resources

• Organic Production and IPM Guide for Cole Crops

Production, Mini

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Soil Preparation

• Cultural practices are similar to regular red and green cabbage except that plastic mulch and row covers are often used to allow for early planting of mini cabbage. Plant at least 7 days after laying plastic to allow weeds under the mulch to germinate. When planted right after laying plastic, expect to hand weed the planting holes.
• Avoid having too much plant debris from the previous cash crop or cover crop so that you can lay the plastic as early as possible in the growing season.

Varieties

• Tiara, Arrowhead, Farao
• Red Express

Water wheel planter

Rows	In-row spacing	Planting depth (inches)	Notes
3	12 inches	As deep as possible	Use a 12-inch wheel and add kelp to water as 0.5% solution.

Number of successions

• You can seed mini cabbage 4–5 weeks before the field is ready for planting. For continuous harvest, you can seed every 2 weeks until July. Planting varieties with different days to maturity will spread out the harvest. As cabbage holds up well in the cooler, there’s less concern about having several plantings ready to harvest at the same time.

Cultivation procedures

• Cover plants with floating row covers.
• Cultivate with a rolling cultivator or Spyder to control weeds between plastic.
• If desired, plant cover crops like oats and peas between the plastic.
• After harvest, work in plant debris from crops and cover crops to allow for bare fallow.
• Follow with garlic or cover crops like rye and vetch.

Other cultural practices

• To avoid splitting, ensure regular soil moisture.

• Also see the section on green and red cabbage.

Harvest

(Green, Red, Savoy, Arrowhead and Mini)

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Ready-to-harvest and quality indicators

• Firmness is a better indicator than size. The heads should feel firm and the top of the head must be hard and solid. The basal stem has no hollow cavity. 
• A good spraying program should avoid any presence of cabbage worms or damage by other insects at this point.
• Cabbage heads infected with Alternaria or black rot won’t store and should not be harvested. Some Alternaria in older wrapper leaves might not affect long-term storage.

Harvest procedures

• Wash hands and sanitize knives before harvesting.
• Cut heads with a few wrapper leaves to protect the head during transportation. Use clean and sharp cabbage knives that are only used for this purpose.
• Slightly push the plant to one side, and with a smooth motion, cut the cabbage high enough to remove the damaged leaves but to allow for a few healthy wrapper leaves to remain. The cut should be straight across.
• If harvesting for 1 delivery, count heads into regular boxes.
• If harvesting for bulk storage, first place them on windrows to be picked up later and placed in a 20-bushel bulk bin.
• If cut at the right height, no additional cleaning needs to be done before delivery. Remove any damaged leaves. Cleaning cabbage in the field greatly increases distribution efficiency.

Cleaning procedures

• Wash hands and sanitize knives before cleaning cabbage.
• Cabbage is not washed. If cabbage is coming out of storage it usually needs to be re-trimmed.
• Use very sharp knives. Place clean cardboard or a cutting board on a table, and place the cabbage on the table to trim. Make sure your cut is straight across.
• Peel the leaves from the bottom of the plant instead of from the top. When you cut at the correct height, the leaves will come off without much effort.

Additional resources

• Wholesale Grading and Packing Instructions
• Postharvest Factsheet Cabbage
• Production Guide for Storage of Organic Fruits and Vegetables

Packing and storage summary for cabbage

Cleaning in the field	Remove damaged leaves.
Packing in the field	10–15 arrowhead or 6–8 red cabbages in a regular box, or 800 lbs. in a 20-bushel bulk bin
Packing for delivery	45–50 lbs. in a cabbage box (1 ¾ bushels) for wholesale Use a clean box of choice for CSA distribution or a farmers market. See the International Federation for Produce Standards for the correct PLU code. Add the prefix 9 for organic crops.
Storage	At 32°–41° and 95–100% humidity. Cabbage needs good air circulation; don’t pack them in closed containers for long-term storage. Cabbage is moderately sensitive to ethylene exposure. Allow for good air exchange and don’t store with crops that release ethylene.

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.