- Strong wind
- Maritime exposure
Uses
Edible uses
Notes
Leaves - raw or cooked[1][2][3]. Cabbages are generally used as a cooked vegetable, though the shredded leaves can also be eaten in salads. Dutch cabbages are generally sweeter and milder in flavour making them more suitable for raw eating. Those leaves in the heart of the plants are more tender than outside leaves and so are also more suitable for eating raw. These heart leaves, though, are less nutritious because they have been excluded from the light[K]. Many people find that the raw leaves give them indigestion[K]. The leaves can be fermented and made into sauerkraut, used as a health food and said to be good for the digestive system[K]. By careful selection of cultivars, it is possible to harvest cabbages all year round[K]. Seeds - sprouted and added to salads. Very good eating[4].
Leaves
Seed
Medicinal uses(Warning!)
There are no medicinal uses listed for Brassica oleracea Capitata Group.Ecology
Ecosystem niche/layer
Ecological Functions
Nothing listed.
Forage
Nothing listed.
Shelter
Nothing listed.
Propagation
Seed - this can be sown from early spring to late summer in a seedbed outdoors, depending on the cultivar. The plants are moved to their final positions when about 7 - 15cm tall. Do not let the seedlings get overcrowded or they will soon become leggy and will not make such good plants. If your seedlings do get leggy, it is possible to plant them rather deeper into the soil - the buried stems will soon form roots and the plant will be better supported. For a summer crop, the seed is sown in early to late spring, autumn maturing cultivars are sown in mid to late-spring and winter maturing cultivars in late spring. Winter to spring maturing cultivars are sown in mid to late summer, these are often sown in situ and thinned as required. Seed of fast-growing summer cabbages can also be sown in a greenhouse in January/February in order to provide an early crop. This is planted out in early to mid-spring as the weather allows and can be harvested in late spring and early summer.
Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Brassica oleracea Capitata Group. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.
Cultivation
Succeeds in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[6][7][8]. Prefers a heavy soil and a cool moist climate[6][2]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil. Succeeds in maritime gardens[8]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.3 to 8.3. The cabbage is widely cultivated throughout the world for its edible leaves There are three main types of cabbage, the common hearting cabbage has dark green leaves, Dutch cabbages form a much larger heart and the leaves, which have a milder flavour, are a pale green or even white, whilst the third type, red cabbages, has red leaves. There are many named varieties of each type and by careful choice of varieties it is possible to ensure a year round supply of fresh leaves. Several cultivars are hardy enough to stand the rigours of a British winter, there are also some less-hardy varieties that can be harvested in early winter and stored for a few months in a cool place to provide leaves in areas with very severe winters[8]. Some varieties have been selected for the ornamental value of their leaves, these tend to be of poor culinary quality[9]. Cabbages are good companions for dill, camomile, sage, wormwood, mint and other aromatic plants which help to reduce insect predations on the cabbages[10][11]. Cabbages also grow well with potatoes and beet[11]. They grow badly with strawberries, tomatoes and climbing beans[10][11].
Crops
Problems, pests & diseases
Associations & Interactions
There are no interactions listed for Brassica oleracea Capitata Group. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.
Polycultures & Guilds
There are no polycultures listed which include Brassica oleracea Capitata Group.
Full Data
This table shows all the data stored for this plant.
- Strong wind
- Maritime exposure
}}
References
- ? 1.01.1 F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (32202/01/01)
- ? 2.02.12.2 Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8 ()
- ? 3.03.1 Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim (32202/01/01)
- ? 4.04.1 Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (32202/01/01)
- ? 5.05.1 Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. ISBN 0-02-544950-8 (32202/01/01)
- ? 6.06.1 Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin ISBN 0-14-046-050-0 (32202/01/01)
- ? Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. (32202/01/01)
- ? 8.08.18.28.3 Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (32202/01/01)
- ? Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray ISBN 0-7195-4781-4 (32202/01/01)
- ? 10.010.1 Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins (32202/01/01)
- ? 11.011.111.2 Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-304-34324-2 (32202/01/01)