Crinkled, blistered leaves wrap a dense core that should swell to the size of a nice plump apple before it is cut: that is savoy cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. sabauda), a biennial harvested anywhere from midsummer right through to late winter. Give it full sun and cool, moist, rich soil, and the heads will firm up before the first frosts.
| Name | Brassica oleracea var. sabauda |
|---|---|
| Common | Savoy, Milan, Lombard |
| Family | brassica, headed cabbage |
| Type | biennial vegetable |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | cool, deep, moist, rich |
| Harvest | Midsummer → late winter depending on variety |
Special care, from sowing and planting up to harvest, will help you get magnificent cabbage.
Sow savoy cabbage at the end of winter or at the beginning of spring in a nursery.
→ Tip: sync your planting with our Moon phase calendar
As soon as seedlings have sprouted at least 3 to 4 leaves, transplant them to their target location. Protect the seedlings if you need to plant them before late spring.
Mulch between the plants to keep the soil cool and moist, the conditions this cabbage needs to form a dense head.
Avoid planting savoy cabbage where any brassica grew in the previous three or four years, because clubroot builds up in the soil and deforms the roots.
Draw soil up around the stems of tall plants so heavy heads do not rock loose in the wind.
It takes a few months for
Savoy cabbage to grow, but this lead-time is greatly dependent on the variety.
Some varieties can be harvested 2 months after planting, whereas others need up to 7 months.
A tasty way to reward harvest helpers is to prepare delicious stuffed cabbage rolls… they’ll come back next year for sure!
Savoy cabbage is grown over a long season, from a late-winter sowing to heads cut in the depths of winter. This table gathers the dates and checks given above so you can see the whole cycle at once.
| Stage | When | Where and how | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sowing in a nursery | End of winter, late winter–early spring | Seeds sprinkled in a tray in a nursery | Wait for the first leaves to appear |
| Direct sowing | Early spring or mid-spring | In the ground under a cold frame or a tunnel greenhouse | Protect plants set out before late spring |
| Transplanting | Early spring or mid-spring until late summer | Well-tilled soil, 20 inches (50 cm) apart | At least 3 to 4 leaves on the seedling |
| Harvesting | Midsummer to late winter, 2 to 7 months after planting | Cut the formed head | Core the size of a nice plump apple |
Timings shift by a month or more from one variety to the next, so treat these as a framework rather than a fixed calendar.
The main enemy of cabbage in general is downy mildew. Moisture is the primary factor that enables the spread of downy mildew.
Caterpillars everywhere? Most certainly an attack of a that cabbage doomsday butterfly, the large white. Pick off as many as you can and/or spray with B. thuringiensis.
→ More cabbages to try planting: cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli…
Bacillus thuringiensis only works on caterpillars that actually eat the treated leaf, so target small young ones rather than large, nearly grown caterpillars.
Slip a cardboard or felt collar around each stem base at transplanting to keep cabbage root fly from laying at the neck.
Provide your cabbage with extra nutrients (fertilizer, manure and seaweed-based compost) to boost growth and especially enhance your harvest!
