Growing ornamental cabbage: sowing, care and harvest time

Grow ornamental cabbage in your own garden: We present suitable varieties and give tips and tricks from sowing, care and fertilization to harvesting.

The colorful ornamental cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. acephalad) enchants many gardeners with its colorful appearance in late summer and autumn. The ruffled and motley foliage in a wide variety of shapes and colors: From bright orange to pink and purple to a rich green, nothing is impossible. In Japan, ornamental cabbage has gained great popularity in recent years. Since then, more and more varieties have been bred and have already found their way into German gardens. Contrary to the myth that ornamental cabbage is not suitable for consumption, it can be eaten without hesitation. It should be noted that only really home-grown varieties are recommended. Finished plants from the nursery are often sprayed with chemical pesticides! The young, very tender leaves are particularly recommended for culinary enjoyment. These have a good flavor and are a wonderful vegetable side dish. The ornamental cabbage thrives in German gardens, but should be protected over the winter. A gazebo, a bright basement room, a garage or, best of all, the conservatory are suitable for this.

Growing ornamental cabbage - this is how it works step by step:

1. You can buy seeds or ornamental cabbage cuttings from garden supply stores.
2. Choose the right variety. Some Strain recommendations we have put together for you:

• Hardy varieties suitable for balconies and terraces:
  • attraction: almost white, very smooth foliage.
  • child red: red-purple foliage; smooth-leaved.
  • KingWhite: very smooth, white inner leaves.
• Other varieties for the garden:
  • Red & White Peacock: heavily slit with spikes and white inner leaves.
  • Sunrise: long-stemmed; creamy-white inner leaves, which are also often decorated with pink dots.
  • Sunset: pink to purple radiant inner leaves; very long stems.

1. The seeds of the ornamental cabbage can be germinated on a sunny windowsill from the end of March. When watering, be careful not to wash the seed free.
2. If the first pair of leaves has already formed, then you can prick. This supports root growth and will give you significantly larger cabbage heads.
3. The ornamental cabbage has no special demands on the soil. If your garden has poor soil conditions, you can fill the planting hole with some compost or a high-quality, peat-free one organic potting soil enrich.
4. Planting out after the ice saints! The space in the bed or in the front yard should be around 30-50 cm x 30-50 cm for each plant and variety. Would you like to grow on the balcony or terrace? Then it is best to ensure good drainage. Because waterlogging is not good for this type of cabbage.
5. Once in the spring and again about three months later, ornamental cabbage should be fed with a primarily organic organic fertilizer such as our Plantura Organic flower fertilizer be taken care of.
6. On dry summer days, care should be taken to ensure a regular water supply.
7. Most varieties can be harvested with the first frosty nights or overwinter in a suitable place.

Important tip: The more sun the ornamental cabbage gets, the brighter its leaves will be and the colder the nights, the more colorful it will be.