This group of hybrids contains pointed, flat and round cabbages that are biennials but grown as annuals. They are descendants of wild cabbage and have been hybridized for centuries in Europe and spread to the Americas and Asia.. Cabbages are cool-weather plants and are best grown in full sun in amended, well-drained moist garden soils. Get a soil test before planting and fertilize according to recommendations. Seeds can be started indoors and transplanted to the garden in late summer for a fall or winter crop. A second crop can be obtained from an early spring planting. Cabbages are grown for the dense head of leaves produced during the first year. There are many varieties with leaves ranging from smooth to crinkled and light green to reddish. Shapes can be rounded, oval to pointed. They can be eaten raw or cooked and have the best flavor after a frost. There are many hybrids available in various sizes shapes and colors. North Carolina is ranked 5th for commercial cabbage production. Grow cabbage in the edible garden or mixin the perennials for winter interest. Click here to see a calendar of planting schedules, time-to-harvest, and recommended spacing. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Insects issued include aphids, cabbage webworm, cabbage white butterflies and cabbage loopers. See pests of crucifers to the left. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common Cole crop diseases and other plant problems. VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Edibles, Bulbs, and Houseplants," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Brassica oleracea .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheAllium cepaBrassica oleracea Brussels Sprouts GroupBrassica rapa Rapifera Group
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Annual; Cool Season Vegetable; Edible; Vegetable
Life cycle
Biennial
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 10 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Other/more complex
Leaf margin
Entire; Undulate
Leaf feel
Fleshy; Waxy
Leaf value
Edible
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves can be thick, light green to reddish and smooth to crinkled.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower shape
Cross
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Four-petaled flowers in fall or winter
Bloom time
Fall; Winter
Fruit type
Siliqua
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Coastal Mediterranean, W Europe N to France & Brittan
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves
Fruit type
Siliqua
Edibility
The leaves are edible.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Edible
Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Edible Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Mass Planting
Garden tags
#vegetable garden #problem for horses #vegetable #cool season vegetable #coastal plant #dense heads #full sun #hortcontest #edible
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Aphids Found on Flowers and Foliage; Cabbage Looper on Ornamentals; Pests of Crucifers
Disease problems
Weed Management in Broccoli, Cabbage, and Cauliflower