Summer cabbage crops fast in the middle of the year, when the hungry gap is a distant memory and the vegetable patch is otherwise overflowing.
Summer cabbage is sown and planted in spring for a harvest just a few months later, unlike spring cabbage which overwinters in the ground for the best part of a year. It’s a much faster crop, but that speed makes it less forgiving of a dry spell or a gap in netting.
Sowing & growing calendar
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | Sow in March | Sow in April | ||||||||||
| Plant | Plant in May | |||||||||||
| Harvest | Harvest in July | Harvest in August | Harvest in September | |||||||||
| Protect | Protect in May | Protect in June | Protect in July | Protect in August |
Care details
- Sow March – April
Sow indoors or in modules for transplanting.
- Plant In May
Plant out once seedlings have several true leaves.
- Protect May – August
Net against cabbage white butterflies and pigeons for the whole growing period.
- Harvest July – September
Cut as heads firm up; don't leave them standing too long in hot weather or they can split.
Growing tips & common problems
- Plant firmly — as with all cabbages, loose roots produce poor, loose hearts rather than a solid one.
- Net against cabbage white butterflies from the day plants go out; caterpillar pressure is at its worst in the summer heat.
- Water well through dry spells — a rapid summer crop under stress is more prone to splitting hearts than a slower winter one.
Grows well with
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