Cabbage vegetable is ideal for cool climates to grow in a container. It hesitates intense sunlight and heat stress. Fresh garden cabbage is a very good option in both cool and warm climates. People make create hype about this that it gets pests and insects very easily but don't tell you the basic cause of it.
Here, I'll clear your doubts about cabbage growing in containers and give you a detailed guide about growing it at the beginner level.
Growing cabbage from seeds in containers
Cabbage is a seasonal vegetable that you can grow in your home containers easily if you know the basics of growing it. But just the info is not enough to grow cabbage, there are many challenges while growing it at the beginner level.
Don't worry, I'm here to help you as always. I'll tell you how to grow them with simple steps. But before that, take a brief of the basic growing conditions and season of growing cabbage.
Season of growing cabbage
In cool climates, one can start cabbage cultivation from early spring to late spring and in fall from early fall to mid-fall. Cabbage-like cool climates and moderate temperature growing conditions.
In warm climates, you should avoid growing it after mid-spring. As temperature get an increase, cabbage feels the stress of heat. So it restricts the growth of cabbage and the leaves start to turn yellowish.
Although, you can start it in early fall to grow in containers. Even if you keep them in bright light indoors but provide cool conditions, they can grow in summer as well.
Growing conditions for cabbage
- Soil type
Loamy, well-drained, rich organic matter component soil is best for Cabbage growing. If you are using the same soil that you've last used for other indoor plants or even similar plants like cabbage, then you should change it. Because it may contain some pests or infectious diseases that may affect the growth of cabbage in the future.
Always use a soil mixture that includes soil, fertilizer, and moisture at once and it increases its richness and fertility.
- Climate and temperature
In cool climates is best to grow cabbage in containers. Although you can grow cabbage in a warm climate in special conditions. For that, you need to use a greenhouse so that you can maintain the cool cabbage.
At the time of sowing seeds, the temperature should be 60F to 65F. From mid-growth to harvesting, if you are providing plenty of sunlight, moisture, and shade, then it can grow easily in moderate temperatures.
- Fertilizers
Organic waste compost is best for cabbage. I'm not suggesting here any market fertilizer or growth booster. Using vermicompost is not that good because many other larvas may affect the growth that remains in vermicompost with earthworms.
- Humidity
Humidity should not be very high or very low at the time of sowing seeds and even for mid-growth. If it varies between 20% to 35% then it is good enough for cabbage.
- Sunlight and shade
Intense sunlight may force extra heat stress on cabbage so try to provide some partial shade to your cabbage if possible. In cool climates, it is not necessarily required but for hot summers, it is always better to keep them in partial shade and enough moisture.
In a day, 3 to 4 hours of morning sunlight is good enough for cabbage in summer, for rest of the day, you can keep them in partial shade.
Requirements for cabbage growing
Containers size
I'll suggest you grow two or three cabbages at once in a container. Growing only cabbage in a container is slightly complicated for beginners.
You need 12 to 15 inches deep, 28 inches wide, and 30 inches long. This size of the container is enough to grow two full-size cabbages.
The material should be lightweight so you can consider plastic containers that are easy to move and shift. Open some drainage holes earlier before sowing and filling the soil mixture.
For seed germination, you need small nursery cups so that you can transplant them later easily.
Materials and tools required
- Organic compost
- Garden soil
- Sand
- Cabbage seeds
- Small cultivator tool
- Pest killer
Method of growing cabbage from seeds
Step 1- Prepare a soil mixture for cabbage
Using a soil mixture(nutrients rich) is always better than using raw garden soil. Take fresh garden soil, compost, and sand. Mix them in a ratio of 2:2:1. Spray water in between and prepare a fresh soil mixture. Initially, prepare this for seed germination and then for bigger containers after.
Step 2- Sow seeds in nursery cups
Take the high-quality cabbage seeds, and sow two or three seeds in each cup to get the maximum percentage of plants to grow further. Spray some water to keep some moisture. Keep them in bright sunlight or partial shade for germination.
Step 3- Cabbage seed germination
After one to two weeks, seeds start to germinate in the nursery cups. You can't transplant them all of a sudden. Let them develop their roots for some time. You should let them grow one more week after germination in the same containers.
Step 4- Young cabbage plants transplantation
Before transplantation of young cabbage plants, you should wet the nursery cups from the inside. It helps to pick them up easily without damaging them. Prepare a new soil mixture as I suggested earlier. Fill it in the new bigger containers where you want to transplant the young cabbage plants. Use a small cultivator tool to make some digs for cabbage plants.
Cover them with the soil but not too deep. Spray some water over it and let them develop its roots further. I hope you've taken the same-sized container as I suggested. If you did then transplant two plants in one container each.
Step 5- Taking care of cabbage plants
From transplantation, you don't need to do much work just to keep regular eyes of inspection on the plants to notice any pests, insects, diseases, and health of plants. If the soil is getting dry, then irrigate immediately, don't let the soil dry.
Don't worry if you have drainage in the containers, your soil will not be wet for too long. Don't fertilize your cabbage because it is seasonal.
Don't use pesticides till an emergency case with cabbage plants. You can remove larvas from hands or tools if they appear. Keep the moisture regular and don't keep them in intense sunlight during the afternoon in summer.
Step 6- Harvesting of cabbage
So finally, after 90 to 110 days, your cabbage will be ready in your containers. Mostly, they grow well if you keep things simple and effective. Use a harvesting knife to harvest cabbage.
Cut them direct with the stem. Wash them, clean them, take a final look inside the leaves of any pest or insect, and confirm their health. You can consume cabbage now as you want to.
Challenges while growing cabbage
- Pests and disease
If you are using used soil that has a history with pests or insects then you shouldn't use it for cabbage or it can increase the chances of pests and diseases in cabbage containers. Sometimes, pests start to attack leaves so leaves start to get patches and holes.
In that case, you don't need to panic. Just examine the growing stage. If it is growing well and near harvesting, then don't use pest killers, harvest it in one or two weeks.
If pests are attacking too much then go with organic pest controllers. First, prepare a dilute solution of pest killers and spray according to the instructions on the label.
- Yellowish leaves
With a lack of water and dry conditions, cabbage leaves start to turn yellow. First, they lose green color and then slowly they start turning yellowish. Many times, if you overwater the cabbage for a long time then they also feel similar stress.
The solution is simple, keep a regular check on soil moisture, and don't overwater or water the cabbage containers.
- Growth restrictions
In small containers, cabbage gets restricted. They stop growing further and you get small-sized matured cabbage. In many cases, if too many pests are present in the soil, then it also may happen.
To avoid that, increase your container size and keep regular eyes on the cabbage plants.