Cabbage is a true garden champion, offering both incredible nutrition and amazing flexibility in the kitchen. Understanding the different types of cabbage can help you choose the best ones for your meals and your garden plot. They come in a stunning array of shapes, colors, and textures, each with its own unique benefits.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, growing your own cabbage is surprisingly straightforward. You get to enjoy the freshest possible produce, packed with vitamins and fiber. Let’s look at some of the most popular and worthwhile varieties to consider.
Types of Cabbage – Nutritious and Versatile Varieties
This group includes the classics you see most often at the market. They are reliable, store well, and form those familiar tight, round heads.
Green Cabbage
This is the standard cabbage, with smooth, pale to dark green leaves. It’s incredibly versatile and has a mild, slightly peppery flavor that sweetens when cooked.
* Best Uses: Perfect for classic coleslaw, sautéing, adding to soups and stews, or making fermented sauerkraut.
* Growing Tip: It’s a cool-season crop. Plant in early spring or late summer for a fall harvest, as heat can cause it to bolt.
Red Cabbage
Known for its vibrant purple-red leaves, this cabbage is not just beautiful but also packed with anthocyanins, the same antioxidants found in blueberries. Its color can bleed, so keep that in mind when cooking.
* Best Uses: Excellent for pickling, adding crunch to salads for color contrast, or braising with apples or vinegar.
* Growing Tip: Similar to green cabbage, it prefers cooler weather. The heads can be a bit smaller but are very dense.
Savoy Cabbage
You can recognize Savoy by its deeply crinkled, ruffled leaves that are dark green and more tender. The texture is less dense than green cabbage, and the flavor is milder and almost buttery.
* Best Uses: The tender leaves are ideal for cabbage rolls, using raw in salads, or for quick wilting in stir-fries.
* Growing Tip: The wrinkled leaves are more resistant to pests like cabbage worms, which have a harder time gripping the surface.
These varieties don’t form a tight, round ball. Instead, they grow in a more open, leafy formation, often with a sweeter taste.
Napa Cabbage
Also called Chinese cabbage, Napa has oblong, barrel-shaped heads with crisp, pale green and white crinkled leaves. Its flavor is very mild and subtly sweet.
* Best Uses: The prime choice for kimchi, but also great in stir-fries, salads, and soft tacos.
* Growing Tip: It matures quickly and is sensitive to day length. Plant it so it matures in the shorter, cooler days of fall for the best heads.
Bok Choy
This cabbage doesn’t form a head at all. It has dark green, spoon-shaped leaves clustered around thick, crisp white stems, forming a celery-like bunch.
* Best Uses: Fantastic in Asian soups, quickly steamed, or stir-fried where the stems stay crunchy.
* Growing Tip: It’s a fast grower and can be succession planted for a continuous harvest. It bolts quickly in summer heat, so grow it in spring or fall.
These are smaller, often sweeter cabbages that are perfect for small gardens or small households.
Brussels Sprouts
Yes, they are a type of cabbage! They grow as small, individual buds along a tall, thick stalk. They have a strong, nutty flavor, especially after a frost.
* Best Uses: Roasting brings out their sweetness, but they can also be shredded raw in salads or pan-seared.
* Growing Tip: They require a long growing season. Start them early and be patient—the sprouts form from the bottom of the stalk upward.
Pointed or Sweetheart Cabbage
This small, cone-shaped green cabbage has a sweeter, more delicate flavor than its round cousins. The leaves are thinner and more tender.
* Best Uses: Wonderful eaten raw in salads, lightly steamed, or used in any dish where a subtle cabbage taste is desired.
* Growing Tip: It matures faster than standard round cabbages, making it a good choice for areas with shorter growing seasons.
How to Grow Cabbage Successfully
Most cabbages follow similar basic rules, which makes them easy to manage once you know the fundamentals.
Planting and Soil
Cabbages need full sun (at least 6 hours) and rich, well-draining soil. They are heavy feeders.
1. Amend your soil with plenty of compost or well-rotted manure before planting.
2. You can start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last spring frost, or buy transplants.
3. Space plants according to their mature size, usually 12-24 inches apart, to give them room to form heads.
Watering and Care
Consistent moisture is key to preventing heads from splitting and ensuring tender growth.
* Water deeply and regularly, aiming for about 1-2 inches per week.
* A layer of mulch around the plants helps retain soil moisture and keeps roots cool.
* Feed with a balanced organic fertilizer a few weeks after transplanting and again when heads begin to form.
Common Pests and Solutions
Cabbage worms, loopers, and aphids are the usual suspects. Here’s how to manage them naturally:
* Row Covers: Use lightweight fabric row covers right after planting to physically block pests.
* Hand-Picking: Check the undersides of leaves regularly and remove any caterpillars you find.
* Organic Sprays: Use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), a natural bacteria, to target caterpillars without harming other insects.
Storing and Preserving Your Harvest
To get the most from your crop, proper storage is essential.
* Fresh Storage: Whole, unwashed heads can be stored in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer for up to two months. Once cut, wrap the remainder tightly in plastic wrap.
* Freezing: Shred or chop cabbage, blanch it for 1-2 minutes in boiling water, then cool quickly in ice water. Drain thoroughly and freeze in airtight bags.
* Fermenting: This is a fantastic way to preserve large harvests. Green or red cabbage can be turned into sauerkraut or kimchi, which adds beneficial probiotics to your diet.
Simple Ways to Enjoy Cabbage
Cabbage’s versatility is its superpower. Here are a few easy ideas:
* Shred it raw for a quick slaw with a vinegar-based dressing.
* Sauté thin slices with garlic and a splash of broth for a healthy side.
* Roast wedges with olive oil, salt, and pepper until the edges are caramelized.
* Add it to any soup, stew, or pot of beans in the last 20 minutes of cooking for extra nutrition and texture.
FAQ
What is the most nutritious cabbage variety?
All cabbages are highly nutritious, but red cabbage often ranks highest due to its extra antioxidants. Savoy cabbage is also excellent, providing lots of vitamin K and fiber.
Which cabbage is best for eating raw?
Savoy and pointed cabbages have the most tender leaves for salads. Red cabbage adds great color and crunch, while Napa cabbage is perfect for delicate slaws.
How many kinds of cabbage are there?
There are dozens of cultivated varieties, but they generally fall into the main categories discussed here: headed (green, red, Savoy), loose-headed (Napa, Bok Choy), and miniature (Brussels sprouts, pointed).
What is the easiest cabbage to grow?
Green cabbage is typically the most forgiving and reliable for beginners. Bok Choy is also very easy if grown in the right cool season, as it matures very quickly.
Growing different types of cabbage enriches your garden and your table. Each variety brings its own flavor, texture, and nutritional profile, making this humble vegetable anything but boring. With a little planning and care, you can enjoy a long harvest of these healthy, versatile plants straight from your own backyard.