When to plant cabbage?
Cabbage, for the RHS, is sown outdoors from February to April for summer varieties, from April to June for autumn and winter ones, and in July for spring ones. Campania sets no month and keeps growth at 15-18 °C, with looser heads above 25 °C, while in Sicily and Umbria headed cabbage is not among the cabbages listed and no month is written.
When, by region
| North | Centre | South | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sowing | Outdoors: February–April for summer types, with a cloche or fleece on the earliest. April–June for autumn and winter types. July for spring types. Indoors, from late winter into summer, depending on the variety, seed 1 cm deep. | Umbria's 2025 sheets list cauliflower, broccoli, broccoli raab and savoy. Headed cabbage is not there, and no month is written. | Campania includes headed cabbage and sets no month: the usual method is transplanting. In Sicily the cabbage chapter lists cauliflower, broccoli, leaf cabbage and kohlrabi, on an autumn-winter-spring cycle. Headed cabbage is not on that list. |
| Spacing | Transplant at 10-15 cm, about 5 weeks after sowing. Compact varieties at 30 cm, larger ones up to 45 cm. Spring cabbages start at 10 cm and are thinned to 30 cm in late February or March. In a pot, one in 30 cm, or up to three in 50 cm. | As in the north for the RHS spacings. Umbria does not write a spacing for headed cabbage. | In Campania, 3-8 plants per square metre. Growth at 15-18 °C; above 25 °C the heads are looser. Sicily, for the cabbages it lists, writes 10-25 °C: headed cabbage has a fertiliser sheet, not a month. |
The RHS sows its four cabbage seasons in different months. Where a regional guide does not list headed cabbage, no month is filled in.
February–April, April–June, July, 1 cm, the 5 weeks, 10-15 cm, 30 cm, 45 cm, the thinning in late February or March, and pots of 30 cm and 50 cm, are from the RHS. The 15-18 °C, the 25 °C limit and 3-8 plants per square metre are from Campania, on the sheet that covers cauliflower, headed cabbage, savoy, broccoli and kohlrabi. Sicily's autumn-winter-spring cycle and 10-25 °C are written for cauliflower, broccoli, leaf cabbage and kohlrabi. The name headed cabbage is not in that chapter. Umbria's 2025 list is cauliflower, broccoli, broccoli raab and savoy, with no month. Cauliflower, which has the RHS months, is in when to plant cauliflowers. The months are in the February calendar, March, April, May, June and July.
Four sowings, not one
The RHS splits cabbages by harvest. Summer types are sown from late winter to mid-spring, outdoors from February to April, and the earliest are covered. Autumn types, from mid-spring to early summer, outdoors from April to June. Winter types, including savoys and smooth drumheads, in late spring or early summer, still April to June. Spring types, small pointed heads, are sown in July and overwinter. Cut them as greens, or leave them to heart from mid-spring to mid-summer.
Indoors, two seeds a module at 1 cm (½ in). Keep the stronger plant. After about 5 weeks, at 10-15 cm (4-6 in) with five or six true leaves, plant out deeper than before, lowest leaves level with the soil. In a seedbed the drill is about 2 cm (¾ in) deep. In place, three seeds every 30-45 cm (12-18 in), then one plant. The pot is in the homemade seedbed.
Campania, with no month
Campania's cabbage sheet covers cauliflower, headed cabbage, savoy, broccoli and kohlrabi. The usual method is transplanting. No sowing month is written. Growth is happiest at 15-18 °C. Above 25 °C the plant tends to flower early and the heads are looser. Headed cabbage is 3-8 plants per square metre. Cauliflower, on the same page, is 2-3, savoy 3-5.
In Sicily the cabbage chapter lists cauliflower, broccoli, leaf cabbage and kohlrabi. The natural cycle is autumn, winter and spring, between 10 and 25 °C, and summer transplants bring it forward. Headed cabbage is not on that list: there is a fertiliser sheet, not a date. Those 10-25 °C are not given to it. Umbria, in 2025, lists cauliflower, broccoli, broccoli raab and savoy, and sets no month. Savoy, as an RHS winter cabbage, sits in the April-June window. Cavolo nero is in when to plant cavolo nero.
Mesh, water, rotation
Cover with fine mesh, pinned to the ground, against pigeons and the cabbage insects. While young, water often. Later, in dry spells, a thorough soak every 10 days. Once the head starts, water helps it swell. How much is in watering. The soil wants to be firm and rich: the RHS puts 2 buckets of compost per square metre, better the autumn before. On acid soil, lime goes on the winter before, to take the pH above 6. Compost is in the compost guide.
Return to the same spot after a couple of years, in the cabbage bed. The plan, including clubroot, is in crop rotation. In Campania, outside mountain zones, the rotation is five years, with at least three crops and at most one repeat: cycles repeated in the same year count as one year. From sowing to a head takes about 4-6 months. Cut when it is firm. On summer and spring types, a 1 cm cross cut in the stump can bring a second, smaller head. In a pot the compost dries out: see the container garden.
In the app
Every plant in the catalogue has its own sowing calendar, and weather alerts for your area help you judge whether to sow now or hold off.
Frequently asked questions
When do I sow in the north?
It depends on the type. Summer: February–April. Autumn and winter: April–June. Spring: July. Indoors, from late winter into summer, seed 1 cm deep, and out at 10-15 cm, about 5 weeks later.
What month do Campania, Sicily and Umbria write?
None. Campania includes headed cabbage and gives 15-18 °C, with looser heads above 25 °C, and 3-8 plants per square metre. Sicily lists cauliflower, broccoli, leaf cabbage and kohlrabi. Umbria 2025, cauliflower, broccoli, broccoli raab and savoy.
How far apart, and in a pot?
The RHS: 30 cm for compact varieties, up to 45 cm for large ones. Spring cabbages start at 10 cm and are thinned to 30 cm in late February or March. In a pot, one plant in 30 cm, or up to three in 50 cm. In Campania, 3-8 plants per square metre.
Why is the head loose?
In Campania, above 25 °C the heads are looser and the plant tends to flower early. The RHS wants firm soil, water every 10 days in dry spells once the plants are settled, and mesh pinned to the ground.
Can I plant it where cabbage was?
The RHS keeps it in the cabbage bed and moves it, so soil problems do not build up. In Campania the written rotation is five years, with at most one repeat. In Umbria the 2-year gap with no other brassicas is written for cauliflower, broccoli and savoy, not for headed cabbage.