Red cabbage is the cabbage that takes longest in the vegetable patch. From sowing in March to a head ready for storage in October takes around six months, and the variety Klimaro F1 needs about 125 days just from planting out to harvest. In return, the head tolerates frost, stands in the bed well into November and keeps for months in a cool cellar. Red cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra) can be grown in most of the UK and northern Europe, provided you start it indoors and give each plant 50 cm in every direction.
Timeline from March to November
The plan applies to Klimaro F1 in a cool temperate climate. In mild coastal areas you can move everything one to two weeks earlier; in colder inland areas with a late spring, the same amount later.
| Month | What to do |
|---|---|
| March | Sow indoors at the end of the month, 1-2 cm deep, at around 20°C. |
| April | The seeds germinate in 10-20 days. Move the seedlings to 15-18°C and plenty of light. Prick out at the first true leaf. |
| May | Harden off for 7-10 days. Plant out in the middle of the month at 50 cm spacing and put the netting on the same day. |
| June | Water in dry spells, weed, and give the first feed 3-4 weeks after planting. |
| July | The leaves begin to close into a head. Turn the leaves over every week and look for eggs, even under netting. |
| August | The head grows fastest now. Water evenly, roughly every 7-10 days in dry weather, never in bursts. |
| September | The head firms up. Stop feeding nitrogen so the head stores better. |
| October | Harvest the heads you want to eat now. Light frosty nights do no harm. |
| November | Bring the storage heads in before hard frost and keep them cool. |
Red cabbage compared with pointed cabbage and cauliflower
The long season is the reason many people skip red cabbage. The rule is simple: if you want cabbage to eat in July, grow pointed cabbage. If you want cabbage in the cellar in February, grow red cabbage. If you have the space, grow both.
| Red cabbage, Klimaro F1 | Pointed cabbage, Express | Cauliflower | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sown indoors | March to April | March to April | Mid-March onwards |
| Plant spacing | 50 cm | 30 cm | 40 cm |
| Harvest | September to November | July to September | September to November |
| Head | Medium to large, firm | Pointed, about 1 kg | White curd |
| Keeping after harvest | Several months in a cool place | 1-2 weeks in the fridge | Up to 2 weeks in the fridge |
The pointed cabbage Express is ready to harvest before the red cabbage has even closed its head. We usually plant pointed cabbage between the red cabbage plants in May and harvest it out in July, before the red cabbage needs the space. We cover growing cauliflower in the article on cauliflower, and you will find more varieties among our cabbage and kale seeds.
Starting indoors in March and April
Red cabbage has to be started indoors. Direct sowing in May gives no head before the frost. We sow our red cabbage Klimaro F1 at the end of March, or in early April if the growing site is cool.
Sow: One seed per cell in a module tray, 1-2 cm deep in seed compost. Keep moist and at around 20°C. Germination takes 10-20 days.
Cool and bright: As soon as the seed leaves are up, move the tray to 15-18°C and a south-facing window or a grow light.
Prick out: At the first true leaf, after 3-4 weeks, move the seedling to an 8-10 cm pot, slightly deeper than it stood before.
Harden off: Ten days before planting out, let the plants stand outside during the day, first in shade and then for longer and longer. Red cabbage tolerates a degree or two of frost, but a plant that has not been hardened off stalls for weeks.
The technique in detail is in the article on starting seeds indoors.
Plant deep and firm with 50 cm of space
Plant out in mid-May when the plant has 5-6 leaves and is 10-15 cm tall. Red cabbage wants rich soil with plenty of organic matter and a pH above 6, in sun or partial shade. Dig in 2 buckets of compost per square metre.
Depth: Set the plant so deep that the lowest leaves sit at soil level. The stem forms new roots and the plant stands firm when the head weighs 1-2 kg in October.
Spacing: 50 cm between plants and 50 cm between rows. It looks empty in May. By August the leaves cover the whole area.
Firm soil: Press the soil down well around the stem. Cabbage forms firmer heads in firm soil.
Water in: 2-3 litres per plant straight after planting.
Feeding and even watering so the head does not split
Cabbage is a nitrogen-hungry crop, and red cabbage stands in the bed for six months. Give a nitrogen-rich feed, such as nettle tea or pelleted chicken manure, every three weeks from June to the end of August. Then stop. Nitrogen in September gives loose heads that rot in storage.
Split heads are almost always caused by uneven watering. A firm head that has stood dry for two weeks and then gets heavy rain takes up water faster than the leaves can grow, and splits from the inside. So water evenly all summer: a thorough soaking of about 10 litres per plant every 7-10 days in dry weather. Mulch the soil with 5 cm of grass clippings to keep the moisture more even. If a head is ready before you want to harvest it, you can loosen the roots by twisting the plant a quarter turn. Growth slows and the head stays put without splitting.
Netting against cabbage white and cabbage root fly
Red cabbage is in the bed during both generations of the cabbage white, May to June and July to August, and the first flight of the cabbage root fly in May coincides with planting out. So we put the netting on the same day we plant, never later.
Mesh size: 0.8 mm stops cabbage white, cabbage root fly and flea beetles. 1.3 mm only stops the butterfly.
Hoops: The netting needs at least 20 cm of air above the leaves, otherwise the butterfly lays eggs straight through the mesh. Red cabbage grows 40-50 cm tall, so plan for hoops of 70 cm.
Edges: Bury the edges or lay boards along the whole length of the net. A 5 cm gap is enough to let a butterfly in.
Collar against cabbage root fly: A disc of felt or cardboard 10-15 cm across around each stem stops the fly from laying eggs next to the base of the stem. The larvae eat the roots, and the plant wilts on a sunny day in June despite moist soil.
We describe the eggs and the difference between the two species in the article on the cabbage white.
Harvest after frost and store for months
The head is ready when it feels firm under your palm, usually 120-130 days after planting. Cut the stem just below the head and leave 2-3 outer leaves on as protection. A couple of frosty nights a few degrees below zero do not harm a mature head, if anything the flavour becomes milder, but the head should be indoors before hard frost. At Florea the first head goes into a red cabbage lasagne with feta, a dish our founder Erik Hoekstra makes every autumn.
For storage, choose the firmest heads without splits. Pull the plant up with its root, remove loose outer leaves and hang it upside down in a root cellar or a frost-free garage, at 0-4°C and high humidity. Red cabbage stores better than white cabbage, and at the right temperature a head stays firm until February. Check the store every three weeks and remove any leaves that have gone soft.
Common mistakes
Sowing in May: The plant has no time to form a firm head before the frost. Sow indoors by mid-April at the latest.
Too close: At 30 cm spacing the heads come out small and loose. Red cabbage needs 50 cm.
Watering in bursts: Two weeks of drought followed by rain gives split heads. Water evenly.
Same spot as last year: Clubroot stays in the soil for many years. Grow cabbage on the same ground at most every fourth year and keep the pH above 6.
Author: Emma Vogiatzi
Fact-checked by Erik Hoekstra
Last updated 2026-10-20