Grow savoy cabbage in your own garden. We present suitable varieties and give tips and tricks from sowing, through care and fertilization, to harvest.
Of the savoy (Brassica oleracea convar. capitata var. sabauda) belongs to the cabbage family. He is particularly close to that White cabbage, also called white cabbage, related. Savoy cabbage can be grown all year round. In spring the heads of the Wirsings are light green (so-called. Frühwirsing). Later varieties, on the other hand, are usually deep green to dark green in color. Savoy cabbage generally grows a little faster than others Types of cabbage and can be planted later or harvested earlier. Savoy cabbage is a grateful companion for the hobby gardener, because this type of cabbage is very easy to care for and can be grown very easily in your own garden. The savoy cabbage turns out to be somewhat more robust compared to its relatives. This makes it an ideal entry-level hobby gardener when it comes to growing cabbage.
Growing savoy cabbage all year round: this is how it works step by step
We will guide you through the gardening year with brief instructions - from seeds to crispy savoy cabbage:
- Decide whether you want to sow the seeds yourself or buy young plants. Rearing is not particularly difficult. There are early, medium and late maturities Savory varieties.
- There are different varieties to choose from, a few popular ones in a nutshell: An early variety is called Vorbote 3 (high cold tolerance; Cuttings can be planted very early). The mid-ripe varieties include Wirosa F1 (dark green and strongly curled leaves), Vertus 2 (high yield, heavy heads and valued for its mild taste). The late varieties include Alaska F1 (finely curled heads of cabbage, long storage time), Langendijská (light green Leaves and medium-sized cabbages) and Marner Grüfewi (very robust, can withstand cold winters outdoors).
- Early varieties of Wirsing should be sown as early as February. A bright window sill or a greenhouse is suitable for this. For medium-sized varieties, May is suitable for planting out or Sow well. The sowing of late varieties can be done from July. Most of the later varieties of savoy cabbage can easily overwinter outdoors.
- Sunny beds are preferred. But even partially shaded places are perfectly adequate. A loose to slightly loamy and nutrient-rich soil is preferred as a member of the strong eaters. If your garden soil is rather sandy, the soil can be improved with compost and horn shavings before planting out. Also ours Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil is ideal for the savoy cabbage.
- For planting out, a distance between 40-80 cm. If night frost occurs when the early varieties are planted out, a fleece cover can serve as protection overnight. The early ripening cabbage plants can be planted out at the beginning of April. Medium-sized varieties can be planted out in May. August is the recommended planting date for late varieties.
- During the growth phase, you should occasionally loosen the soil around the plant with a hoe. Savoy cabbage is one of the so-called hacking plants, for which regular loosening of the soil is very good.
- Watering should be done regularly on dry days. The growth of the savory can be supported with a nitrogen and potassium fertilizer. Do not fertilize too much: this quickly leads to reduced disease resistance and a sulphurous taste. The shelf life also suffers from excessive fertilization. Therefore, do not use fertilizer a few weeks before harvest. Our Plantura Organic tomato fertilizer is such a potassium-based fertilizer and gently releases its nutrients to the savoy cabbage. This makes it a very good choice for fertilizing vegetables.
- If sown in good time, early varieties can be harvested as early as July, later varieties can also be harvested into winter. Most winter-hardy savory varieties can be harvested even in permafrost.
Important tip: After the harvest, no more cabbage should be grown in the same location for at least four years. This is absolutely necessary to prevent soil-borne diseases and to allow the depleted soil to relax.
Savoy cabbage is one of the so-called head cabbage types. Another representative of this group is the Butter cabbagewhich has almost been forgotten today. We introduce you to the cabbage in our special article.
Many thanks to the photographers: Zoe Naylor and Nina Pope.