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VegetablesHardyBiennial
Red Cabbage
Red cabbage is a dense richly coloured heading cabbage used for salads, braising, pickling and winter storage. Its stronger flavour and firm texture make it especially useful for late-season kitchen use as well as decorative planting value in the bed.
Basic information
Category
Vegetables
Lifecycle
Biennial
Hardiness
Hardy
Planting partners
3 companions · 1 crop to avoid
Growth profile
Days to harvest
120 days
Germination window
7–14 days
Germination temperature
10–20 °C
Plant spacing
45 cm
Row spacing
60 cm
Sowing depth
1.5 cm
Height
45 cm
Spread
45 cm
Calendar
JJan
FFeb
MMar
AApr
MMay
JJun
JJul
AAug
SSep
OOct
NNov
DDec
Sow Indoors
Sow Outdoors
Plant Out
Flowering / Harvest
Timings based on average frost dates in the UK. Sign up to set your frost dates.
Notes
Sow Outdoors: Usually sown in an outdoor seedbed or modules and transplanted once sturdy, rather than left crowded where sown.
Care tips
Maintain even moisture and steady fertility so heads fill properly without splitting or stalling. Plant firmly, protect from brassica pests with netting where required, and cut once heads feel heavy, compact and fully developed.
Common pests
Cabbage root fly, caterpillars, flea beetles, clubroot, pigeons.
