Planting Tips: Cabbage is best started indoors about five weeks before your last expected frost date. Plant the seeds about ⅛″ deep in a good seed-starting mix, using deep containers to allow for strong root growth. Cover the containers with a plastic bag to retain humidity and place them in a warm spot. Once the seedlings emerge, remove the cover and provide plenty of light.

Transplant your cabbage outdoors on a cloudy day, spacing the plants about 18″–20″ apart in rich, well-drained soil.

Seed Saving Tips: Cabbage is a biennial, meaning it takes two years to produce seed. In mild climates, you can overwinter the plants right in the garden by mounding mulch around the base for protection. In colder areas, you’ll need to dig the plants in the fall and move them into large containers—5-gallon buckets with drainage holes work well. Keep them in a very cool, sheltered location over winter, watering just enough to keep the roots from drying out.

In spring, replant the cabbages outdoors. The heads will split and send up tall seed stalks. When the seed pods have turned tan and dry, cut the stalks and thresh them over a bag or bowl to release the seed. Once completely dry, store the seed in an airtight container.

Note: Cabbage will readily cross with other members of the cabbage family, including collards and Brussels sprouts. To save pure seed, grow only one of these at a time or separate them by a good distance.