Botran (F1) Cabbage Seed

Scientific name

Brassica oleracea var. capitata

Soil and water

Like other brassicas, cabbage is a heavy feeder. Give it fertile soil with a pH of 6.5–7.5 and water it steadily all season.

Days to maturity

Counted from transplanting in cool spring weather. Plantings made in the warmth of late spring or early summer finish 10–14 days sooner, and add about 14 days if you direct sow.

Spring crop

Pick early or midseason types. Drop a pair of seeds into each cell of a 50- or 72-cell tray and thin to the stronger one, or sow 1/4" deep in open flats or an outdoor seedbed. Keep the mix above 75°F (24°C) until the seed sprouts, then grow on at about 60°F (16°C). Set plants out when 4–6 weeks old, leaving 12–18" between plants and 18–36" between rows. Cabbage grows best at 55–75°F (13–24°C), ideally 60–70°F, but still crops well in warmer summers.

Fall crop

Choose midseason and storage varieties. Start transplants in May and set them out in June or July; where hard freezes come early, sow on the early side so heads mature in time.

Winter crop

Where winters are mild and seldom drop below 32°F (0°C), plants can go out from September through February.

Direct sowing

Sow 3–4 seeds every 12", 1/2" deep, in rows 24–36" apart, and thin each group to one plant.

Seeding rate

At 2 seeds per foot in rows 36" apart: about 1,000 seeds per 500 ft. and roughly 29,000 seeds per acre.

Preventing splits

Early varieties can split when mature, or when heavy rain or irrigation follows a dry spell. Slow the plants down by cultivating close enough to cut some roots, or give each plant a slight twist.

Insect pests

Cover seedlings with floating row cover from planting day against flea beetles and root maggots. Use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) for cabbage worms and loopers. Working the soil 2–4 weeks before planting, to turn in cover crops and weeds, helps reduce cutworms.

Disease prevention

Prevention is the best defense: long rotations away from brassicas, clean seed-starting mix and seedbeds, and strict sanitation of tools and fields.

Harvest and storage

Heads cut while still young and actively growing store best. Keep only sound, disease-free heads, at 32°F (0°C) and 95–98% relative humidity with good air movement.

Sized seed

Seed is sized for accurate spacing with mechanical seeders and even emergence, unless the description says otherwise.

Packet

100 seeds.

Seeds per lb.

About 98,500 on average.