Harvesting cabbage plants (How to pick a cabbage) – How to grow and harvest cabbage
Growing cabbage in mulch cultivation. The cabbage seedlings planted in early September have reached harvest time. (Cabbage ready to harvest.)
This year, it was very hot during the cabbage planting season, so I was worried the seedlings might wilt. But they survived the hot growing period and grew well until the harvest time.
Cabbage planted in autumn might have problems growing because of the late summer heat. But if it can get through that, it is pretty easy to grow. That’s why I recommend it for beginners.
Also, an important part of growing cabbage is pest control. Use tunnel growing and set up a insect netting right after planting the seedlings. This is the key point.
Summary of cabbage cultivation: soil preparation and planting seedlings (How to grow cabbage)
If you plant cabbage in autumn, the growing season is from early September to early November.
Cabbage days to maturity? Cabbage has a short growing period of about 2 months from planting to harvest, so it’s important to prepare the soil early. For autumn cabbage, the soil preparation period is usually early August every year.
https://www.vege-try.net/en/prepare-field-for-cabbage-lettuc...The cabbage planting time this year was early September, just like every year. There are many types of cabbages, like the small variety I grew this season or the regular-sized cabbages you often see in stores.
Whether it’s a big variety or a small one, the common rule for growing cabbage is this：If you plant in autumn and want to harvest within the year, you should plant by mid-September.
The reason for this planting deadline is that if cabbage is planted late, it might not form a head. For cabbage to form a head, it needs to grow large outer leaves while the plant is still young.
To do this, plant cabbage by mid-September while it is still warm, so the outer leaves can grow big when the plant is growing well. If you plant cabbage closer to October, the temperature will get lower, and the outer leaves might not grow big. This means the cabbage might not form a head, so be careful.
Summary of cabbage cultivation: Side dressing for cabbage (How to grow cabbage)
During the first week after planting the cabbage, the strong late summer heat continued, and I was worried the plants might not survive. After the heat calmed down a bit and the cabbage plants took root, they started growing well overall.
About three weeks after planting cabbage seedlings, in late September, I gave the cabbage extra fertilizer. For vegetables grown from seedlings, not just cabbage, the usual timing for extra fertilizer is about 3–4 weeks after planting.
For cabbage, I think one extra fertilizing is enough, unless there is a special reason. You might want to add more fertilizer to get bigger cabbage, but that’s not a good idea. Too much fertilizer can cause the cabbage to split (the head cracks) or increase the risk of pests and diseases.
Summary of cabbage cultivation: Post-side dressing cultivation management (How to grow cabbage)
About two weeks after the side dressing, this is a picture of the cabbage taken in early October. About one month has passed since planting.
The outer leaves of the cabbage have become larger, and the head is starting to form. Since the side dressing, I haven’t watered much. The cabbage is growing on its own, so there is less work for me in managing it. (However, if I’m not careful, pests can eat the leaves, so I regularly check for insect damage on the leaves.)
The cabbage in the grow tunnel has passed about two more weeks. It’s been about four weeks since the side dressing, and this is the state in late October. About 45 days have passed since planting the cabbage.
I measured the diameter of the cabbage head, and it was about 13cm (5.1 inches). It feels like there’s just a little bit more to go until harvest time. So far this year, there have been no pest problems, so I’m relieved. I hope it continues to grow healthily.
Summary of cabbage cultivation：The cabbage is ready for harvest (How to grow winter cabbage)
Late October. Time to harvest the cabbage. The way to know when to harvest cabbage is by checking the firmness of the head. Press from the top, and if it’s firm, it’s time to harvest.
How to harvest the cabbage? The method for harvesting cabbage is to take the whole plant. Cut the stem at the base and harvest the entire head. If it seems easy to pull, you can also pull it up from the roots to harvest.
The harvested cabbage was about 14cm (5.5 in.) in diameter.
This cabbage is said to be sweet and soft, so it seems like it can be used in many different ways. Since the cold weather is coming, it might be tastier to cook it (like in stir-fry or yakisoba) rather than eat it raw (like in shredded cabbage or salad).
I have one more cabbage growing, and it’s also almost ready to harvest. I’ll check it and harvest it soon. (It’s better to harvest cabbage when it’s ready. If you leave it in the field too long, it might split.)
Following is the video for how-to. English subtitles are available.