Vegetables - Cabbage

There are a lot of different types of cabbage. They can be harvested at different times of year. Some produce only loose leaves, and some form a heart. Some are green, or even nearly white, and some are purple. I have had problems with growing cabbages in the past, but now I grow a variety called Minicole. It is a small plant, and forms a small heart. Thgis is an advantage, as by "small" I mean a cabbage that will feed about two people. A big cabbage can hang around in the fridge for ages before you can finish it off! The heart seems to form well with Minicole. Other hearting cabbages I tried to grow just didn't form the hart at all. And personally I find cabbage leaves (as opposed to the heart) not so nice to eat.

The seeds are fairly small, and round. They can be sown outside, and transplanted to their final locations, or sown in place, and thinned. The plants are not too big, so you may be able to sow them in their final locations, but the plants will probably end up too close together! If that happens, then transplant them elsewhere allowing room to grow.

I have bought seedlings when my seeds failed to germinate! These were of a different type - Savoy, I think.

To harvest, dig up the plant, trim off the root and outer leaves, remove any slugs you find (sorry!) and slice thinly. You may want to cut out the stem inside the heart as well. You can eat it raw, as coleslaw, or boil it. Don't boil it too long! If sliced thinly, just a couple of minutes may be enough. There should be a slight crunch to it, not just sog. I add butter, pepper and perhaps a bit of spice, such as mace. Boiled cabbage can end up tasting quite nice! Coleslaw is thinly sliced raw cabbage, with mayonnaise. Some grated raw carrot adds colour, and taste.

Seeds