Yesterday I headed out to the garden with one specific goal in mind. To pick a cabbage.
I don’t know why, but I still find it hard to believe that you can plant a seed, give it a little water and it will turn into food. Am I the only one who is totally in awe of the whole process?
The cabbage in this years garden is HUGE thanks to the following reasons…
- Well amended soil {a big thank you to the chickens for their fertilizer donations}
- Proper drainage {raised beds help with this}
- Plenty of water {it rains in Seattle? No way!}
- Proper spacing {12″-24″ is suggested, I plant mine 18″ apart}
- Keeping the slugs at bay {this one is huge}
So, how to do I keep the slugs away? Simple. I use two methods. Salt {for instant gratification} and I also save yogurt and sour cream containers throughout the year. I then cut off the bottoms and place them around the cabbage starts when they are young. The containers act as little barriers until the plant is large enough to protect itself. Or until I can salt them to death.
Hello beautiful cabbage. I think I love you. And now I am going to chop you up leaf by leaf and turn you into something tasty.
If you are in the market for a slicer, you’ll want to check out the Norpro Mandoline Slicer Grater with Guard. Amazon has it on sale right now for only $17.28! Wahoooo!
Megan says
How much does that huge head of cabbage weigh?
Mavis says
You’ll have to weight {ha ha ha} until tomorrow to find out. 😉
Mary Ann says
Love that picture! lol
Michelle says
You are funny… And your cabbage is gorgeous!! Wow. I’m impressed. And like you, I’m totally in awe that a teeny tiny seed becomes a big beautful plant that provides us with food. And lots of it. Incredible. Miraculous, really. I am also in awe of how quickly everything seemed to grow in your garden. One minute it is just getting started, next thing you know you’re harvesting gigantic heads of cabbage!
Mavis says
Gigantic is right!
Robbie says
“…plant a seed, give it a little water and it will turn into food.”. Right!!?? It still amazes me. Who ever started the rumor that gardening is hard work? Now canning….that’s hard (but rewarding) work.
Mavis says
Ha! I totally agree!
Carolyne Thrasher says
I’m in Salem, Oregon. Not as rainy down here. When are you planning on planting your fall cabbages? Should I be starting my starts now? Or waiting until July? I start everything inside and transfer to the greenhouse but this is my first year trying to get a fall/winter garden going.
Mavis says
I wait until the end of July to plant my fall cabbage. 😉
mtrxwon says
July 23rd is the most auspicious cabbage planting time.
Misty Hill says
The way we grow/use cabbage is different..the one you are holding would just be starting to form a head and would not be ready for quite awhile…lol-I let the cabbage head form really large in the middle and use it to harvest and discard the large outer leaves..(I usually grow Flat Dutch) I really enjoy your blog 🙂
Mavis says
Ahhh yes, but if I had to harvest all the cabbage at once I think I would pass out. So once a cabbage looks usable, I pluck it! 🙂 If there is one thing I have learned about gardening is pacing myself. LOL… Have you ever grown savoy cabbage? I think I want to try that next.
Dawn says
Okay so please don’t laugh at me Mavis… Well okay you can but don’t roll of on the floor while you are doing it, K? I planted cabbage this year (red I think or purple anyhow…) and I have been wondering when it will be ready. Does it not grow a head of cabbage like you would buy in the stores? I was the dingbat that asked about sugar snap peas or sweet peas cause I don’t know which are which in my garden.
I like you think this gardening thing is a miracle. It is the best!!! Pulled potatoes out of the ground the other day (well cause frankly we have to move soon and they were taking over my garden anyhow, whole nother story that I posted earlier. Carried them around in a basket and showed them to my family like they were gold. They weren’t that impressed. It was like Christmas morning when I was a kid for me. Forget the presents let me play in the garden 🙂
Jenn says
Dawn, I feel the SAME way! I didn’t know there was a difference. I love picking my sugar snap pea’s (I planted sugar snap but have 1 random shoot mixed in that’s a snow pea. I can’t wait until I can harvest my corn (sometime this week) and get some actual ripe tomatoes. I’ve got ton’s of green ones though! (Northern CA)
Michelle says
My peas and lettuce aren’t growing because the birds keep eating them! Does anyone have problems with birds in their garden and how do you keep them out? Thanks!
Zoe says
There no comments open on your KFC cole slaw post so I’ll comment here 🙂
you should try making stuffed cabbage rolls with all that cabbage you have. My hubby, who doesn’t prefer his cabbage cooked, loves them. So do the rest of us, who eat cabbage in any way, shape, or form.
Here’s the link to my recipe:
http://zoedawn.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/savory-stuffed-cabbage-rolls/
Zoe says
*there ARE no comments…
Mavis says
I love you Zoe! I am totally making these! Thank you.
Oum says
Wow, I never knew growing cabbage could be so fulfilling and chemical-free! Your blog post is a breath of fresh air in the gardening world. I can almost taste those big, fat heads of cabbage already! Thanks for sharing your wisdom and making gardening feel like a delightful journey. Can’t wait to get my hands dirty and see the magic happen in my own garden!