Planting red cabbage: instructions & tips

Red cabbage can be used to make a crisp winter salad or a hearty side dish. We will explain to you what cultivation options are available and how to properly care for the young plants.

The red cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra), often referred to as red cabbage, is first mentioned in historical sources from the 12th century. century mentioned. Red cabbage is not only a tasty winter vegetable, but also a bioindicator: it changes color depending on the soil pH value. It appears red when grown in acidic soil, but bluish in alkaline soil, which can be revealing information about your garden. In our overview article you will find everything you need to know about Cultivation, Harvesting and Use of Red Cabbage. Below we explain in detail how to successfully plant red cabbage in the garden.

Sowing red cabbage: this is how it works

The right time for sowing red cabbage depends heavily on the variety: A basic distinction is made between early, medium and late ripening red cabbage varieties. You can read more about this in our special article on the different ones red cabbage varieties.

Red cabbage seeds are sown in seed trays or cold frames for young plant rearing, worked in flat and isolated after emergence. Or the seeds are placed in straight seed furrows at a distance of 15 cm from each other – when sowing directly into the bed – and later transplanted at a greater distance. A potting soil with a lower nutrient content is suitable as a plant substrate in the rearing of young plants best, as this promotes vigorous root growth, which is advantageous when transplanting later is. For example ours Plantura organic herb and seed soil Due to its low nutrient content and loose structure, it is ideal for growing young plants. We also trust in the sustainable production of our earth and do not use peat at all.

Sow early cabbage: Early varieties of red cabbage can be sown from February to early March in heated greenhouses, heated cold frames or a comparable frost-free location with a temperature of around 15 °C. After the development of the first true leaves, the young plants are pricked out, i.e. isolated, and placed in nutrient-rich soil. At a temperature of at least 15 °C, the plants continue to grow in the cold frame, greenhouse or in the bed under the protection of a polytunnel. Between May and June they develop into heads that are ready for harvest.

Sow summer cabbage: If you want to harvest summer cabbage varieties, you should sow the seeds of the corresponding varieties in March or early April. Suitable places for sowing are unheated cold frames or beds covered with warm, transparent plastic sheets. From May, the young plants can either be placed in the bed from the cold frame or the tarpaulin on the bed is removed. Summer cabbage is ready for harvest between July and September.

Sowing autumn and winter cabbage: The slowly developing late and very late red cabbage varieties are also sown in a cold frame or under a tarpaulin between March and early April. In addition, these varieties allow subsequent sowing in April and May, so that the late red cabbage can be harvested from October to December.

Tip: In mild regions without severe frosts, early cabbage can be sown in the previous year, eliminating the need for time-consuming rearing of young plants. For this purpose, seeds can be sown directly into the bed in late summer, around mid-September, which then rest over the winter. Even in winter, temperatures should not fall below 0 °C for long periods of time, and only short periods of frost should occur. The seeds begin to germinate the following year as soon as daily temperatures of around 10 °C are reached and form strong heads of cabbage that can be harvested as early as May.

plant red cabbage

When do you plant red cabbage?

Anyone who has sown cabbage as described above has strong young plants. Many garden centers also offer pre-grown young plants. As a rule, only summer and autumn or winter cabbage are offered. Both can be planted in beds from May to the end of June. If you use a greenhouse, a foil tunnel, fleece or a transparent tarpaulin, you can even plant from April.

The young plants should be planted as deep as possible, whereby the heart, i.e. the origin of the leaves, should remain above the ground. A hole can be dug with a normal planting trowel, the young plant placed in it, then covered with soil and lightly pressed.

Tip: When planting out before mid-May, it is important to protect the small plants from the cold, as this too intense a cold stimulus can trigger premature flowering and head formation does not occur comes.

Red cabbage: planting distance, location and soil

Red cabbage feels most comfortable in a sunny to partially shaded location. Red cabbage can be grown particularly well in good garden soil, especially humus-rich, deep loamy soil with a slightly acidic to slightly basic pH value. As a highly nutrient-consuming crop, a high nutrient content in the soil is beneficial. Less humic and more calcareous soils are usually tolerated, but produce lower yields. The right distance is important both when planting out the young plants and when direct sowing: with a A planting distance of 50 cm and a row spacing of 50 cm will give the plants enough space for a healthy given growth. Late-ripening varieties usually require a little more space and should therefore be planted about 70 cm apart. The large planting distance gives the cabbage enough space to grow and also prevents an infestation with pests like this Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) in front.

Cultivation of red cabbage in mixed culture is possible without any problems, especially carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus), salad, onions (Allium cepa), kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are particularly suitable. But also fragrant herbs like thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and sage (Salvia) are good neighbors and at the same time keep pests away. In general, the following applies to cabbage varieties: cabbage next to cabbage does not get along. Other cruciferous plants (Brassicaceae) such as canola (Brassica napus) and mustard (Sinapis).

If you want to consider a sensible crop rotation in your bed, you should plan the red cabbage for the first harvest. Examples of good preceding crops are potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) or legumes such as peas (Pisum sativum) and kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), since legumes can bind nitrogen in the soil and are therefore an ideal green manure. A break in cultivation of at least four years should generally be observed in relation to other types of cabbage or cruciferous plants (Brassicaceae) in order to prevent diseases such as the Clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae), a harmful fungal disease.

Tip for the balcony: It is also possible to grow the red cabbage in a pot. A pot with a diameter of at least 20 cm and a depth of 20 cm should be used for this, placed in a sunny to partially shaded location. Only one head of cabbage should be planted per pot, otherwise there can be competition for water and nutrients due to the limited space between several plants. Regular watering is particularly important for pot cultures.

Planting red cabbage: A brief summary

• In order to provide the red cabbage with nutrients right from the start, it makes sense to apply green manure to the area before cultivation.
• The right time for raising young plants or sowing them in the bed depends on whether early, summer or autumn cabbage is to be grown. In general, red cabbage can be grown as young plants from February or sown directly into the bed from mid-April.
• A high-quality potting soil with a lower but balanced nutrient content, such as ours, is suitable for growing young plants Plantura organic herb and seed soil, as this promotes root growth.
• The ideal planting distance for early varieties is 40 to 50 cm, for late varieties around 70 cm, as they remain in the bed longer.
• Plants set early should be protected from night frosts by fleece, a tarpaulin or in a greenhouse.

Proper care during cultivation

As soon as the young plants are planted in the bed, care begins: all around the small plants should be raked regularly to reduce competition for light, water and nutrients from weeds impede. In addition, tillage loosens the soil and improves ventilation. Especially on dry days, you should water regularly and intensively because the root system is still weak, so that the red cabbage does not dry out. You can find out how to properly water and fertilize the red cabbage and which pests there are as soon as it is older in our overview article on the Red cabbage.

Are you looking for other types of vegetables that make a delicious winter salad together with the red cabbage? Then also read our article about Cultivation and care of the sugar loaf.