Growing Cabbages — Veggie Gardening Tips Aurora Hello, Kenny. Just want to let you know how much I enjoy reading your logs since I discovered them a couple of days ago. I bookmarked your site and plan to visit it regularly. Although I am not a vegetable gardener nor am I a cook, I love vegetables and someday hope to grow them myself. For now I just tend to my many houseplants and sometimes have some herbs growing inside and by my front door. Since I really know little about cooking, I just usually dream about the day when I can…hahaha. I discovered your site when I was researching about chickweed, which I had a lot of. I was telling my son that I think the weeds that I have are edible, but he won’t let me try to eat them…bossy son. 🙂 Your site assured me that they are indeed chickweeds and edible, so I have to wait for them to grow again, and I’ll steam some. I had just pulled out A LOT of them just before I found your site 🙁 Anyway, I can tell that you make a lot of people so happy with your website. Thank you very much. I am so hungry for some fresh vegetables after reading your log.

Be happy and healthy. Aurora Susan My cabbage plants are not forming a head just lots of healthy leaves- any ideas what I need to do? Kenny Point The healthy leaves are a good sign, just keep the cabbage plants watered and fertilized and the heads should begin to form soon, provided those really are cabbage plants and not just collard greens! Dan M. Summer comes early in Kentucky, Can you prevent splitting heads by tying together the leaves? Thanks in advance. Kenny Point Dan, I don’t think that tying the leaves will help solve your problem with the cabbages splitting or extend the time that you have to harvest them. Some growers use a sharp spade to slice straight down into the soil along a couple sides of the cabbage plant. This severs some of the plant’s roots, slows the head’s growth, and helps prevent the cabbages from splitting. Karen Anderson Im a very novice gargener. I’ve planted some red & green cabbages and both are looking great but dont have any heads on them, just great big leaves. Have they bolted? If so what causes this. Weve had a lot of rain recently is that it?

Kenny Point Hi Karen, your cabbages sound like they are doing just fine to me. Sometimes it takes a while for the heads to begin to develop, but cabbages aren’t prone to bolting as easily as other greens such as lettuces. The cabbages haven’t bolted unless the plants start developing pronounced upright growth, or the heads split and send up a stalk. Angela Could you please tell me what might be wrong with my cabbage? I planted red and green and all the green ones have something wrong with them. From the outside they look fine when you peel back the leaves instead of a large head there are seven or eight small heads about the size of a baseball. Every plant is like this. Kenny Point Hi Angela, it sounds like your cabbage plants may have been stressed and tried to bolt or resorted to emergency growth mode. Sometimes the stems will sprout multiple heads like that after the main heads has been harvested and the plant tries to continue growing. Could the growth of your cabbage plants have been interrupted by drought or excessive heat as the plants were developing? Did you time your plantings to allow for the cabbages to grow and mature during the cooler time of year in your growing region? Claudia Hi.

My daughter brought home 2 cabbage plants. She’s in a contest. What kind of fertilizer should we use? How often, how much water should we use? We live in Arizona, where it’s around 69/40 degrees. We’ve already transplanted them. Do we need to cover them at night? Thank you! We hope to grow BIG, beautiful cabbage. :o) Kenny Point Hi Claudia, an organic fertilizer that is high in nitrogen would work well for your cabbage plants. Compost, fish emulsion, liquid seaweed, would all work well and a side dressing of earthworm castings would be great if you can find them. The frequency of fertilization will depend on how rich and healthy your soil is, but supplementing with a feeding once per month should be sufficient and a couple doses per month of an organic fertilizer would not hurt. Watering, again depends on your weather conditions and temperatures. Irrigating the cabbage plants twice a week should be plenty at those temps but water deeply when you do irrigate, and watch the moisture closely until the plants have a chance to become established outside in your garden. They should be fine without covering at night in your climate. Did you harden the plants off before transplanting?

If not you may want to provide them with a little shade and a windbreak for a few days until they are better acclimated to outdoor conditions. Good luck with the contest! Claudia Thank you for responding so fast, Kenny. I did harden the plants off, w/o knowing actually. I would take them out daily so they could get some sun. They seem to be doing very well outside. We will try all your suggestions. Thank You! katheyrn Hi,My son is in a contest at school and we live in florida and its going to be real hot soon the winning student has to have the tallest cabbage do you have any good tips for us so that maybe he can win there is a nice scholarship award for the winner wendy patterson Can you eat the outer cabbage leaves (like collards)? Kenny Point Hi Wendy, sure the outer cabbage leaves are perfectly edible but you might want to cook them since they are sure to be tougher and stronger flavored than the inner leaves. TomW My third grader, several months ago, brought home a green cabbage plant which he had grown from a seed in a classroom project. We kept it on the window sill until we transplanted it to our garden a few weeks ago.

While the plant got off to a slow start, it is now growing quite fast although a head has yet to form. My son does not recall the cabbage’s variety. Would anyone know what variety of cabbage seed would probably be used in elementary school class projects? Kenny Point Tom, there are so many different varieties of cabbages that it would be difficult to even venture a guess at what cabbage your son is growing, but good luck and maybe you can take a photo when the plant matures. chuc I will be going to Africa to teach for one year. I love my cabbage, etc. the average weather there is 80F to 100F. Will love to take along 3 to 5 different cabbage seeds with me to plant. I love big size cabbage, can you please advise me what type of cabbage seeds to buy and take along with me. Please reply soon leaving in May ending 2010. By the way I love your responses and advice, please keep up the great information. Kenny Point Hello Chuc, I don’t know really know any heat-loving cabbage varieties that I can recommend for growing in Africa. I think I would grow a heading variety of collard greens instead.

They are closely related to cabbage but can stand up to summer heat much better. Good luck in Africa and keep in touch, take some photos, and let us know what’s growing over there and what kind of gardening techniques are in use. Cathy McCarty Can you tell me what I can do to avoid hot cabbage. Like when last years crop matured I made coleslaw and the cabbage was hot. I have about 15 heads growing in the garden now any hints or ideas would be appreciated. Cathy Kenny Point Cathy, the only thing that I can think of that may cause your cabbage to grow spicy would be maybe if the plants are stressed by heat or drought. Was your cabbage planted during early spring in time to mature before the hottest part of summer arrived? I have never heard of that happening before, you may also just want to switch to a different variety that is better suited to you growing region. TJ I am growing my first garden (Seattle)… I have several cabbages planted and while leaves look great, no heads have formed and I noticed there are flower things growing in the center… what does that mean? Thank you for any information you can give me!

Kenny Point Hi TJ, it probably means that either your weather or your timing when you planted the crop was off and your cabbage plants are going to seed instead of developing heads. If that’s the case there isn’t much that you can do to salvage the crop and you may as well pull them out and use the space to plant something else. Did you start the cabbage plants from seed or did you purchase transplants? If transplants were they very root bound when you set them out into the garden? That can sometimes stunt the plants and prevent them from maturing properly. TJ oh no!! yes… i bought them as starts… and it has been raining like heck out here in seattle for weeks… well.. i guess i’ll pull them and let the chickens have them… thanks for the quick answer.. btw–when is the best time to plant cabbages? i figured that if the nurseries in the area had the starts, planting them wouldn’t be a problem.. same thing with my walla walla onions–they don’t seem to be developing, but the onion sets i bought look great.. Kenny Point Nope, you can’t always trust in the nurseries to supply seedlings at the proper time for planting.

I’ve even seen plants that didn’t sell during early spring simply left on the shelves for some unsuspecting gardener to purchase and plant months later… not much chance for success from those babies! Here in Central PA I set cabbage transplants out in April for a spring harvest and again in July or August for a fall crop. The timing may vary in your specific climate or growing region and depending on the cabbage varieties that you are planting. Eric Kooma I am a cabbage grower and a scholar in Africa. I have observed in most discussions that high temperatures cause multiple heads on cabbage. Are there other factors that lead to multiple heads? I would appreciate if I could get physiological explanation of multiple head formation as a result of these factors. Thank you. gina ketchen-carter will cabbage make a second head Kenny Point Hi Eric and Gina, after the main head has been harvested cabbages will often sprout additional much smaller heads if the stalk is left in the ground. Doesn’t always happen and I’ve never found it to be worth the effort, I prefer to pull the stumps after harvesting the cabbages and replant the area with another crop.

Barry We just had a very bad winter in my part of Australia with quite bad frosts. I planed my cabbages in Autumn (fall) but my cabbages all started forming multiple heads inside the main head with just a few leaves forming the outer of the head. Could the bad frost (the worst in living memory here, so much for global warming!) cause this? I have had to pull the entire 40 plants and compost them. Kenny Point Hi Barry, I don’t believe that the frost would cause your cabbages to form multiple heads like that. More likely the timing was off and you should experiment with planting the cabbages earlier during mid to late summer. Patty Hi. I planted some cabbage plants in the fall (October). It has been at least 4 months. The plants look very healthy with large leaves, but they are not forming heads. I live in North Florida and we have had very cold winter with a few nights of hard freezes. Could these temperatures cause no heads to form. Since the plants look good, should I just wait longer and see what happens or should I go ahead and harvest the leaves – I’ve been told that I can at least it those. Thanks for your comments!

Kenny Point Hi Patty, cabbage plants are pretty hardy but they do get stressed and stunted by temperature extremes at times and fail to develop heads. I would wait and give them more time to see what they will do before I harvested the outer leaves, but yes you can eat them too. Nirmala Hi Kenny, I have some cabbage plants that I planted in early November…which are still slow in development.. they just started form little cluster (about the size of a lemon) from now ..how long would it take to harvest? I wanted an idea as its time to plant spring veggies soon 🙂 Thanks for your assistance on this matter Kenny Point Hi Nirmala, cabbages can be slow to mature but once they begin forming a head they will grow a lot faster. Maturity varies depending on the type and variety of cabbage. Some of the compact varieties can go from a button to mature head in a few weeks time. Can you inter-plant your spring veggies around the cabbages? If not I would let the cabbage grow until you need the space and then harvest and use them at whatever size they have attained at that point. Ken Kenny Point Hi Ken, I would try it… cabbages are pretty hardy and prefer cooler temps.

Maybe cultivating them during a different season is just want you need to get better success. Try experimenting with different sowing dates until you get the timing just right. Please let us know how they grow for you and which season works best in Chile. andrew hi kenny i live in south phx az and i was wondering iif my cabbage that i planted in always moist dirt will grow Kenny Point Hi Andrew, what do you mean by “always moist?” Is the soil waterlogged? Most garden plants would have a problem growing in those conditions. Or is the area just irrigated on a daily basis? If so that should be okay. What is causing the soil to be moist all of the time? Deanna Kearns I planted cabbages last fall and they are doing nicely. You may have answered this question already, but my eyes are getting tired reading them! lol There are a few that are sending up what looks like flowers things, what is this? What could I have done wrong? Thank you so much for letting us pick your brain!! Kenny Point Hi Deanna, sounds like the cabbage plants are going to seed rather than developing heads. That happens sometimes when the plants are stressed due to the growing conditions.

What growing zone are you in and when did you plant the cabbages? Did you use seeds or transplants? They could become stressed by hot weather, root bound transplants, drought, etc. It is best to raise them during the cooler seasons and to set plants out as established transplants to reduce weed competition and damage from insects like flea beetles. Deanna Kearns I am just outside of Atlanta GA- zone 8. I over wintered a few, started seeds indoors and direct sowed some when I transplanted. Trying all possibilities! We have been having some very strange weather here. We had about a weeks worth of summer weather here (high seventies/low eighties) and that was just when they hit a growth spurt. I did water the entire bed a few times. I pulled the one up that bolted, what should I do with the others to ensure that this doesn’t happen to them? Thank you!! Kenny Point Deanna, the best thing that you can do to prevent bolting is to plant your seeds or seedlings at the ideal time and provide the moisture and nutrients to keep them growing without interruption. Cabbages generally aren’t as prone to run to seed as plants like lettuce.

It also could have been a freak issue with that particular plant and turn out to be an isolated incident. Monika Hello, three of my cabbage did not form heads and grew pretty yellow flowers instead. The outer leaves look good and healthy, can I eat them? Thanks! Kenny Point Hi Monika, yes you can eat those cabbage leaves and the flowers too if you’d like. jan Hi Kenny, I live in England and I’m growing January King 3 cabbage, they were planted in May and they have got gigantic leaves! Is this normal? They are starting to get middles though. Also they have developed raised pale green yellowy dots on the leaves as have my cauliflowers, is this some kind of disease and are they safe to eat? One more question, if safe to eat can I take those massive outer leaves off and eat them or will they be tough? Thanks 🙂 Caron Kenny, I live in Iowa. I planted cabbages from seedlings I bought at the nursery. That was in March and it’s now mid-July. They’re growing ok, but I don’t know when to harvest them. They don’t seem very big.

One of them has yet form a head properly, but doesn’t seem to have the flowers someone else in the comments had (the Seattle person). Is it time to take them out of the garden and eat them? april sprinkle i have a cabbage plant with strange cauliflower type little growths on the stem. any thoughts? disease, insects, should i steralize soil ater pulling up this plant? your opinion would be much appreciated! Jane I planted cabbage seedlings in the garden 3 months ago (Seattle – cool and wet this year). I have many HUGE, healthy leaves but not even a hint of a head. They are in a raised bed with rich soil. Is this normal? Kenny Point Hi Jane, some varieties of cabbages can be slow to develop heads so don’t give up yet. Growing them during hot weather can stunt the plants and cause them to bolt or not head up but that doesn’t sound like that was the case for you… give it a little more time. You can also try growing a second planting of cabbages as a fall crop. TomW Back in 2009, I asked for help identifying the cabbage my third-grader brought home from school.

Kenny Point gently pointed out the myriad of possibilities. Number two son brought home a similar plant at the beginning of the summer, and since it is probably the same genus-species of his big brother’s, I felt compelled to update that Jared’s plant had a tag which read, “BONNIE MEGA-CABBAGE School Cabbage”. The tag also had a picture of a baby nestled next to the cabbage’s overpowering leaves. Perhaps the plant was never intended to form a head. Jared’s cabbage did not grow very well either. I’m suspecting my garden is too close to a Black Walnut tree I grew from a ‘tree-ling’. No worries – I just felt compelled to update this site in the off-chance that someone can benefit from my experience. Tom Jane A while back I posted that my cabbages were not even thinking about forming heads (Seattle). You told me to have patience. FINALLY, they are forming heads!! I had no idea it would take SO long. I started a couple of seedlings along with some Brussel sprouts for fall. Thanks, Kenny. Kenny Point Hi Tom, thanks for the update.

Black walnut trees will definitely retard the growth of vegetable plants that are grown nearby or even where their leaves have fallen and decayed. It’s not a tree that you want growing near the veggie patch! Kenny Point Thanks Jane, glad to hear that the cabbages are finally heading up for you. I would experiment with different planting times and maybe try some other varieties next time to see if you can get them to size up and form heads earlier. Good luck with your fall garden… Brussel sprouts can be even more of a challenge in getting them to bear fruit! Chuck Huntington I have a large buternut tree out back. Are these leaves harmful to plants like blacck walnut. Annette I love this site! I started my first garden this summer which was amazing and now my fall garden is keeping us fed with the usual cole crops. The best thing is no bugs and no weeds in this season. My question is, can you eat young cabbage leaves just as you can young spinach, collard, broccoli florets, etc. My Cabbages are just beginning to form small heads, and I have so many I would like to begin harvesting and eating some. Will baby leaves taste alright?

Annette Sorry, I hit submit before I said thank you. I do thank you very much for this terrific site. Kenny Point Thanks Annette, yes you can eat the young cabbage leaves, or baby cabbage heads if you’re willing to sacrifice production just as the plants are beginning to mature. The leaves will taste fine and will be extra tender compared to the mature leaves. Fall gardens are amazing and a winter like this one allows you to harvest throughout the season and the plants will resume growing in just another five or six weeks from now. Jennifer Hi Kenny, I am a novice gardener and have planted our first garden mid April in Virginia. The weather was still fairly mild(mid to upper 70’s) at that time. We did have a week of a cold-snap here though(enough to where my melon seeds didn’t come up). The cabbage seeds that I planted started out nicely, but are not forming heads, and all but one have formed flowers now. Should I just pull them up at this point or leave them be? Will they form heads after they flower? Also, if I just cut them off close to the base, would they possibly grow a head later?

I wish I knew what I did wrong:( Dana Just wanted to drop a note to say how much I appreciate all the advice you’ve given others in their comments. I’ve planted a very small amount of red cabbage for the first time to see if we like it homegrown and was simply looking for some basic information to help me along. This page has provided everything I could have wanted to know. Thanks a bunch! sandy hi kenny, i live in spokane wa and decided to go for it and plant a fall garden on aug 1. my cabbage are beautiful but just starting to form heads and it snowed last night. can you please tell me what to expect will they live ? do i cover them with straw? will they live and produce in spring if their covered. thank you,sandy Susan I planted starter plants at the middle of June so it has been about a month now and they still are not past the original leaves as far as development goes,they also look rather sparse as far as development goes,will they still have time to fully develope?our fist frost date is mid sept. Kenny Point Susan, they do seem to be growing slowly but you still have plenty of time for the cabbages to mature.

I plant them as both a spring and fall crop. My spring cabbages are about ready to harvest now and I am just about to plant seed for the fall crop. Also cabbages will tolerate frost so they can continue to mature well past the first frost date. For now just water them as needed and feed with an organic fertilizer every other week or so if your soil is not in good shape. Alphabetical list of vegetables | Recipes from Nic and Chris 10th April 2015 Alphabetical list of vegetables Here is an alphabetical list of vegetables and a few related facts about each one. We hope you find it of use and maybe get to enjoy eating a few veggies you never knew existed. Artichoke – There are two vegetables with the name artichoke and they are quite different from each other. The ‘Globe Artichoke’ is a tight head of fleshy leaves, delicious steamed or boiled and eaten with lemon butter or hollandaise sauce. The tips of the leaves are too tough to eat even after cooking and the fiberous ‘choke’ is also inedible, but the ‘heart’ is wonderfully buttery in texture with a great flavour.

The ‘Jerusalem Artichoke’ is a knobbly tuber like a small malformed potato. It has a smoky flavour and is delicious and healthy but has a tendency to cause flatulence in most people so don’t eat too much of it. Asparagus – tender green tips available during a short growing season. Asparagus plants continue to produce new shoots every year and can last more than a decade, producing a crop each spring. There are two major forms; the green asparagus and the white asparagus. Both are delicious. Aubergene – A vegetable that absorbs strong flavours well.Commonly rich purple coloured skin with a white fleshy interior he aubergene is called eggplant in America. A key ingredient in moussaka. Beans – high protien seeds of legume plants. Beet – Tubers with rich, nutty, earthy flavours. A sweet variety of beet is grown commercially in europe and asia for sugar manufacture. Red beetroot is often sold pickled. The red colour can stain almost anything and has been used in clothing dyes for centuries. ‘Borscht’ is the classic beetroot soup from eastern Europe. Broccoli – green and delicious and full of vitamins.

The ‘florets’ are actually underdeveloped flowers. A versatile veg that is used across the world in many different ways. Brussels sprouts – traditionally eaten with Christmas Dinner in the UK. Brussels sprouts are small and green and look like mini-cabbages. They grow well in northern Europe and frosts do not damage the unharvested vegetables, hence their popular. Cabbage – the king of vegetables. Easy to grow almost anywhere. Cabbages generally come in white, yellow, green and red colour schemes. In Germany the pickled ‘Sauerkraut’ is pretty much a national dish and in Korea a similar but spiced ‘Kimchee’ has equal status in the national cuisine. Carrot – Introduced to most of Europe by the Romans, carrots have been popular for 2000 Years. However the orange colour is a comparitively recent addition. The first orange carrots were cultivated in the Netherlands in the Sixteen Hundreds. Cauliflower – White relative of broccoli.

Cauliflower cheese is a universal classic favourite way of serving this vegetable Celeriac – a large knotted ball-like root vegetable which makes amazing nutty soups Celery – Slightly bitter (unless blanched) european stalks with a distinctive flavour, used in salads, stews and soups. Chard – green leafy vegetable, high in iron. It grows well during british winters and is used as an alternative to spinach. Chicory – A bitter vegetable that is ‘forced’ (grown in darkness) and so has white leaves. Collards – This leafy green vegetable is also known as tree-cabbage and is rich in vitamins and minerals. Corn – North American native vegetable considered sacred by many native tribes. Confusingly corn is also the word used to describe the seeds of wheat and barley. Cress – small peppery sprouts Cucumbers – related to courgettes and traditionally used raw in salads. The cucumber grows quickly and holds lots of water Gourds – The common name for fruits of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants (members include cucumbers, squashes, luffas, and melons).

Jerusalem Artichoke – It isn’t an Artichoke and it doesn’t come from Jerusalem. The jersalem Artichoke is actually related to the sunflower. The bit we eat is an ugly little tuber (like a small thin and knobbly potato) that tastes amazing. It has a smoky taste that really excites the palette. Kales – Until the Renaissance, kale was the most common green vegetable eated by the people of northern Europe Kohlrabi – Kohlrabi is a member of the turnip family and can be either purple or white. Leek – The national vegetable of Wales. Lettuce – lots of green leaves used as a mainstay of salads. Varieties such as round, isberg, lollo rosso and radichio are popular. Melons – Wonderful fruits with a high water content. There are many farmed varieties . All have seeds surrounded by rich, watery but sweet flesh that is encased in a fairly hard shell. Mushrooms – not technically a vegetable, but a far older member of the plant kingdom. Mushrooms do not use sunlight to produce energy, hence they have a completely different range of tastes than any other vegetable.

Did you know that the largest single living organism on earth is a mushroom called Armillaria Ostoyae, the biggest of which is up to 8,500 years old and carpets nearly 10 square kilometres of forest floor in northeastern Oregon, USA. One variety was available in cultivated form for much of the 20th century, but in the 21st dozens of mushroom varieties have been successfully grown in commercial yields and can be purchased in the shops. Okra also called ‘ladies fingers’ or gumbo is a wonderful pungent vegetable from the same family as hollyhock. It probably was first cultivated in Ethiopia and is still a North African staple, but has become popular in Europe, Asia and America too. Onions Onions have been eaten for tens of thousands of years and we still aren’t bored of them. White and Red are the common colours for onions and they can vary in size from a few millimetres to almost a foot across. Pak Choi The Pak Choi or chinese cabbage is a delicious leaf vegetable often used in Chinese cookery. It is a relative of the standard western cabbage but has a milder flavour and soft leaves.

Parsnips The sweet, starchy parsnip was a very popular european vegetable before the arrival of potaoes and Sugar Cane from the Americas. Although not the prize it once was, the Parsnip is a classic root vegetable, particularly popular in more northern lattitudes. Peas – best eated within minutes of picking as the sugars rapidly turn to starch. Therefore frozen peas often taste better than ‘fresh’ peas. Peppers – These are the fruit of the Capsicum family of plants. The hotter tasting ones (due to more Capsaicinoids in the flesh) are usually refered to as chillis. Potatoes – Nothing finer than a steaming plate of mashed potatoes. An american staple crop that as been exported all over the world. Pumpkins – A popular gourd vegetable used in cooking and to make halloween jack o lanterns. Radicchio – a chicory leaf used in salads. Popular since ancient times, modern widescale cultivation of the plant began in the fifteenth century close to Venice in Italy. Radish – rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), folic acid (folate), and Potassium, the raddish is a peppery vegetable popular in western and asian cookery.

We usually eat the taproot, but the leaves can also be eaten in salads. Rhubarb – A plant with large leaves that grow out of thick succulent stems with a very particular floral scent. These stems are popularly eaten as a fruit once sweetened and cooked. Rhubarb was originally native to China but has been popular in Europe since Roman times. Rutabaga – Alternative name for Swede Salsify – A long thin root vegetable with a mild nutty flavour. Once common in Europe but has gone out of fashion in many countries and so is rarely grown on a commercial scale any more. Shallots – Small onions often with a more fiery bite. Spinach -large green leaves wilt easily in a pan and are often served with a little butter and nutmeg as an accompanying vegetable. Spinach contains lots of healthy trace minerals including iron Squash another generic name for fruits of the vine of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants (see also Gourds). Butternut Squash has recently grown in popularity in the United Kingdom. Swede – Apparently a cross between cabbages and turnips swedes are a low calory root vegetable Sweetcorn – a north american native plant loved throughout the world.

Sweet potato Ipomoea batatas (related to the morning glory) produces a starchy tuber. In the USA the red variety of sweet potato is often called a yam, although yams are a seperate vegetable in their own right. Tomatoes – not technically a vegetable, but a fruit. Tomatoes are best grown yourself because the uniform flavourless powdery fruits available in supermarkets are not worth eating. Turnips – Root vegetable will grow in cold climates. Watercress – very peppery small salad like leaves Watermelon – Sweet tasting gourd reaches enourmous size and definitely the most refreshing fruit there is. Yams – Sweet starchy tuber that are popular in African, Carribean and American cookery We hope this alphabetical list of vegetables is of use to you. Share on Kings Seeds - Cabbage Greyhound Cabbage Greyhound Item Number: 10911 Description A traditional early, compact, fast growing pointed cabbage with few outer leaves and good soild hearts. Excellent flavour and texture . Pack size: 500 Seeds February to July Where to Sow Early sowings can be made in trays or modules under glass at 13°C.

Later sowings can be made into a seed bed in shallow drills 2cm (3/4") deep in short rows. What to do Next As soon as glasshouse seedlings show their first pair of leaves, prick off into trays 5cm (2") apart or thin modules to one seedling per cell. Gradually harden off before planting out, spacing plants 30cm (12in) apart between plants and 30-38cm (12-15cm) between the rows. Outdoor sowings should be thinned to 7-10cm (3-4in) apart , then once plants are 15cm (6in) tall , they can be lifted and transplanted to their final planting positions, spaced the same as detailed above. MATURITY June to October HANDY TIP Well suited to successional sowing. A last sowing in late July should give a crop cutting in October. NUTRITIONAL VALUES Email: info@kingsseeds.com Sharing is caring Copyright © 2017 - E.W king & co ltd. All rights reserved. Use of this website signifies your agreement to the terms of use.

A Site by Red Transact Terms and conditions All prices in this catalogue will remain in force until 31sth August 2014 and include V.A.T. where appropriate. We reserve the right to revise these prices in the event of matters outside our control. Orders for delivery to mainland England, Wales and the Scottish lowlands, please add: £1.50 for seeds and sundries £3.50 for potatoes and fruit plants For post code areas: AB, BT, DD, IM, IV, KA, KW, KY, PA, PH and the Isle of Wight £3.50 for seeds and sundries £12.95 for potatoes and fruit plants For EU countries please add £3.50 for seeds and sundries. For Rest of the World please add £10.50 for seeds and sundries. Unfortunately we are unable to send potatoes, and plants outside of the UK PAYMENT Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to E W King &Co Ltd., and should accompany your order. We also accept payment by Visa, Mastercard or Maestro.

Please quote number, expiry date, issue number (if applicable) and full name as shown on card, with the last three digits of your security code located on the signature strip. Unfortunately we are unable to accept gift vouchers through our website. SUBSTITUTES We will endeavour wherever possible to supply all items as listed in this catalogue. Should circumstances prevent us from doing this, we will send the best possible alternative or a refund/credit if there is no available alternative. If you do not wish to receive substitutes please specify in the order notes during checkout. DELIVERY All orders will be despatched within 14 days of receipt unless stated otherwise. Fruits, Potatoes and Trees will be delivered separately and at the times stated within our catalogue. Special terms are available for gardening clubs and societies. we will be accepted in sterling by cash, cheque, Visa, Mastercard or Maestro. List of Vegetables from A to Z You are here: Home / Fruits & Vegetables / Growing Vegetables / List of Vegetables from A to Z List of Vegetables from A to Z 28 Comments Few gardening ventures are more satisfying than growing a vegetable garden .

Whether you have a half-acre plot or a few pots on a patio, bringing a crop of tomatoes, beans or corn to harvest gives a feeling of accomplishment. Once you’ve mastered the basic garden vegetables, try the more exotic types. Here’s the list to choose from! Did we leave anything out? Leave a comment and let us know, so we can add it. Artichoke: A perennial plant resembling thistles, artichokes are only hardy to US. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 6. Artichokes require rich soil and plenty of moisture to produce well . Arugula: Sow arugula seeds in early spring or fall. This salad crop prefers cool temperatures. Enjoy its unique, peppery taste alone or in a salad of mixed greens . Asparagus: Asparagus is a perennial vegetable, taking two or three years to become established, but it lives for 20 to 30 years. Asparagus requires minimal care and produces sweet, tender stalks every spring. Basil: Basil and tomatoes are often planted together. Gardening lore says that the two improve each other’s taste. They are certainly well-paired in dishes, such as bruschetta and pasta sauces.

Start basil from seed or transplants and grow in sun. Keep the soil moist and pinch back the leaves. Beans: Plant beans after the soil is warm, and don’t soak the seeds first, contrary to popular belief. They’ll rot or crack. Bush beans produce a lot of beans over a few weeks; the harvest season of pole beans extends until frost. Try shell beans as well. Beets: Beets take up little room and can be planted in early spring for a summer harvest or late summer for a fall harvest. Bok Choy: This crisp, flavorful cabbage is used primarily in stir fries. It thrives in cool, moist conditions and tolerates part shade. Broccoli: Broccoli is a cool-season crop that tolerates late spring frosts. Fresh broccoli tastes infinitely better than commercially-produced counterparts. Cut stalks off the main plant for a continual harvest. Rotate crops to minimize insect problems. Broccoli Raab: This Italian cousin of broccoli has similar growing requirements and produces loose flower heads instead of compact, formed bunches. Brussel sprouts: Brussel sprouts need a very long season to grow—as much as 175 to 185 days, depending on the variety.

The taste is actually improved by a touch of frost. Cabbage: Start cabbage early in the spring when the soil is soft or set out transplants. Like brussel sprouts, cabbage likes a nice, long growing season and plenty of moisture. Cabbage stores well for the winter. Cantaloupe: The sweet fragrance of ripening cantaloupe in the garden is reason enough to grow it, but the sweet taste is even better. Plant cantaloupe after all chance of frost is passed in a warm, sunny location. Carrots: Carrots are slow to germinate, especially in dry conditions, but they take up little room and are easy to grow. Thin carrots to 2 inches apart and grow half-length varieties, such as ‘Danvers Half-Long’ if you have heavy soil. Cauliflower: Cauliflower is a bit trickier to grow than some of the other brassicas. It doesn’t tolerate heat or frost, but needs at least two to three months to mature. Cover the cauliflower head with the leaves of the plant when it is about the size of an egg to “blanch” the cauliflower, which turns it white and improves its taste. Celery: Home gardeners seldom grow celery .

It grows slowly, requiring as much as six months to mature, and prefers a cool, moist climate and very rich, wet soil. Read about celery health benefits . Chile peppers: These pungent, flavorful peppers thrive in dry, warm weather, such as that found in the southwest. Start them from nursery transplants and place them in a sunny location. Limit water as the fruit matures to improve the flavor. Roast peppers in a hot oven or use fresh. Chives: Chives are a perennial herb, so give them a permanent location. The thin, green leaves are excellent in salads and sauces; the blossoms are edible, as well. Chives tolerate cold winters and drought conditions. Collards: Easy to grow and brimming with vitamins, collards deserve a place in any garden. Grow them as an early spring crop in the north and a fall crop in the south. They tolerate and even prefer slightly cool temperatures. Corn: Corn takes a lot out of the soil and requires plenty of space, but gardeners grow it anyway for the sweet, crisp taste of fresh corn. Corn is pollinated by the wind so plant it in a block of at least four rows, rather than one long row.

Cucumber: Cucumbers thrive in warm, moist conditions. Plant them after the last frost in a sunny location. Cucumbers take less room in the garden than most cucurbits and can even be trellised. Grow bush varieties in containers. Dill: Dill grows easily from seed, is delicious in a variety of dishes and attracts beneficial insects to the garden with its tiny flowers. Interplant it throughout the garden to confuse pests. Eggplant: Those shiny, purple lobes are the royalty of any garden. Grow eggplant as you would tomatoes. Plant seedlings in a warm, sunny location after the last frost. Keep the soil evenly moist and protect eggplants from late spring frosts by using row covers or cloches. English peas: Also known as garden peas, these are the traditional peas eaten without the pods. Start them from seed in early spring. They don’t tolerate hot, dry conditions. Escarole: Use escarole in salads or sautéed in olive oil with garlic. Plant escarole from seed in midsummer for a tasty fall crop. French Sorrel: Tasty in salads and soups, French sorrel is a perennial green that is easy to grow.

Sow seeds in early spring and make cuttings throughout the season. Don’t allow the plant to grow above 12 inches or go to seed. Garlic: Plant garlic in early spring. Purchase varieties adapted for your climate zone and plant the cloves pointed ends up and 2 to 3 inches deep. Dig them up when the tops die back. Kale: Kale is a cool season vegetable that plants well from seed or a transplant. It is successful as a spring or fall crop. Harvest leaves before heat, since higher temperatures make the leaves bitter. Fertilize kale with a nitrogen rich fertilizer about a month after transplanting or when the plants are about 4 to 5 inches tall. Kale is rich in vitamin A and vitamin C, making it a great vegetable for nutrition. Kohlrabi: Plant kohlrabi from seed in early spring when the soil is soft. The plant produces a turnip-flavored root in as little as six weeks. Leeks: These mild-flavored cousins to onions are expensive to buy at the grocery store, but easy to grow in the garden. Sow them from seed in early spring or use transplants. Dig them with a trowel rather than pulling them to harvest.

Mulch them to overwinter because they don’t store well. Lettuce: Plant lettuce in early spring, as soon as the soil is soft. Choose soft-headed lettuces over head lettuce, which tend to go to seed more quickly. Keep the soil moist so the lettuce is tender and mild. Okra: A staple of Southern cooking, okra thrives in warm, moist conditions, much like eggplant and tomatoes. Start it indoors six weeks before planting if you live in the north. Southern gardeners can plant it from seed in late spring. Onions: Onions take a long time to grow from seed and are often grown from sets instead. Buy onion sets locally, choosing those adapted to your area. Radicchio: This exotic, Italian salad plant looks lovely in the garden with its red foliage. It needs five months to mature and prefers cool temperatures. Plant it midsummer for a fall crop. Parsnip: Parsnips look like white carrots, but have a texture closer to potatoes. Use these root vegetables in soups, stews or roasted. Sow parsnips in spring and keep the soil evenly moist. Like carrots, they are slow to germinate, and may take as long as a year to grow.

They benefit from a few frosts. Peppers: Sweet peppers need a warm location and moist soil to develop the thick-walled, sweet fruit. They are more difficult to grow in dry regions than chile peppers. Potatoes: This staple crop is drought-resistant and yields more protein per square foot than any other crop but legumes. Start with certified disease-free seed potatoes and rotate crops every year to minimize disease. Pumpkins: Pumpkins take up a lot of space in the garden with their long, lazy vines, but their cheerful, orange or white fruit are worth the space. Plant them in late spring when the soil is warm. Radish: Radishes are a good crop for the beginning gardener or even a child. They germinate quickly, take up little space and reach maturity in four to six weeks. Use them in salads or eat fresh. Rhubarb: This old-fashioned perennial plant is actually a vegetable, but is eaten as a fruit. Give it a large space in full-sun and keep the soil moderately moist. Harvest rhubarb in mid spring to early summer, but don’t eat the leaves, which are toxic.

Rutabagas: Rutabagas are round, squat root vegetables that are typically eaten boiled, or mashed and served with butter. These humble vegetables thrive in cool temperatures, but require at least three months to mature. Plant them in early summer in the north, and late summer in the south. Shallots: Shallots seem like a luxury item, but they are easy and inexpensive to grow. Buy a few shallots and break them apart to create sets. Plant the sets with the pointed side up 2 to 3 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. The sets will form a new cluster of shallots. Snap peas: Snap and snow peas have crisp edible pods, eaten fresh or used in stir-fry. These plants are just as easy to grow as garden peas. Plant them in early spring for a late spring crop. Spinach: Delicious in salads or steamed, spinach is one of the earliest garden greens. It goes to seed as soon as temperatures spike. Try new smooth varieties that are easier to wash than the crinkled type. Summer squash: Summer squash includes yellow squash, zucchini and patty pan squash. These plants grow easily and are prolific producers. One or two plants is usually plenty.

Sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes need at least five months of warm weather, making them a popular crop for Southern gardeners. Try adapted varieties if you live in the North. Tomatillo: Tomatillo plants resemble tomatoes–tall, gangly sun worshipers that take up more than their fair share of the garden. The green fruit develop a papery skin when they are ripe. Use them for Mexican sauces. Tomatoes: Tomatoes are the most commonly grown garden vegetable, and with good reason. Home-grown tomatoes are infinitely better than those found in the grocery store. Plant them from seedlings after the last frost and choose disease-resistant varieties. Turnips: The ultimate peasant food, turnips are a fast-growing root vegetable that thrives in cool weather. Boil them, mash them or roast them. Watermelon: Watermelon needs long, hot summers and plenty of water to mature. Grow adapted, short-season types if you live in the north. Winter squash: Winter squash, such as acorn and butternut squash, take up more room in the garden than summer squash and require more time to mature. However, they store well and have a high vitamin content.

Zucchini: Zucchini is actually a specific type of summer squash, so it is grown using the same methods as summer squash. A great choices if you are looking to get a lot of vegetables from one plant, because they make a lot. Most vegetables have similar growing requirements, simplifying gardening tasks. Select varieties well-suited to your region, give them adequate water and sunlight and reap the rewards of fresh, nutritious produce. BBC - Gardening - Gardening Guides - Techniques - Growing cabbages and brassicas RHS crop rotation advice Growing cabbages and brassicas There are dozens of different varieties to try, for every season plus early and late varieties depending on harvest time. Read our guide on how to successfully grow cabbages, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts and kale from seed. On this page Print this page What to grow A wide range of common leafy vegetables, such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale and cauliflower are all part of the Brassica genus. Some root crops such as turnips, swedes and kohl rabi are also part of this nutritious group. Most brassicas are relatively easy to grow; however, unless you're an experienced gardener, cauliflowers are best avoided.

For a first time grower, try a variety of cabbage, Brussels sprouts or kale. Soil preparation All brassica crops grow best in partial shade, in firm, fertile, free-draining soil. Start digging over your soil in autumn, removing any stones you find and working in plenty of well-rotted manure or compost. Tread on the soil to remove any air pockets and make the surface very firm. Brassicas will fail if the soil is too acidic so add lime to the soil if necessary, aiming for a pH of 6.5-7.5. How to sow seeds Nearly all brassicas should be planted in a seedbed or in modules under glass and then transferred. Seeds should be sown thinly, as this reduces the amount of future thinning necessary and potential risk from pests. Sow seeds 1.25cm (1/2in) deep and rows should be spaced 15cm (6in) apart. Once the seeds have germinated, thin the seedlings to 7.5cm (3in) between each plant. Cabbage and broccoli seedlings are ready for transplanting when they're between 6 and 8cm high (2.5-3in).

Brussels sprouts and kale should be 15cm (6in).Water the day before moving, and keep well watered until established. Space the plants according to the instructions on the seed packet. It can vary from 30cm for small cabbages to 75cm for Brussels sprouts. Aftercare Brassicas are affected by a wide range of pests and diseases, especially the fungal disease, club root. The roots become stubby and swollen and can develop wet rot, while leaves become yellow and wilt, causing severe stunting of growth. Remove any infected plants from the ground and destroy. Make sure the soil is adequately limed and well drained, and do not plant cabbages in the same place the following year. Rotate your crops annually to avoid disease. Don't grow brassicas on the same plot more often than one year in three, as moving the crop helps avoid the build up of soil pests and diseases. Brassicas are a particular favourite of birds so use a deterrent to stop them picking off seedlings. CDs on string can be effective. They're also susceptible to attack by the caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly. Try covering crops with a crop protection mesh.

It keeps the butterflies out, so they can't lay their eggs on the plants. Harvest and storage Harvesting time is dependent on crop type and variety. From July onwards, summer cabbages, cauliflower, kohl rabi and green broccoli are all ready. Harvest by cutting close to ground level with a sharp knife. With cabbages, lift the entire plant to reduce the risk of club root. With broccoli, harvest when the flower shoots are well formed, but before the small flower buds have opened. Timing is important, as once in flower, the shoots are woody and tasteless. From October well into the following year, winter and spring cabbage, Brussels sprouts, early and late varieties of broccoli, autumn and winter cauliflower, kale, kohl rabi, swede and turnips are all ready. Begin harvesting Brussels sprouts when the sprouts at the base of the stem have reached the size of a small nut and are tightly closed. Cut them off with a sharp knife, disposing of any opened sprouts and yellow leaves. Only remove a few sprouts at a time from each individual stem. With kale, start harvesting at the crown of the plant from November onwards, removing a few young leaves at a time.

This stripping of the crown encourages the development of succulent side shoots to harvest between February and May.

Question: Which vegetable has types named Greyhound and January King?
Answer: CABBAGE