"Ahhhhhhhh, weedhopper!" "When you can snatch the pebble...."



Uh, sorry -- had a relapse -- he just died this year, yah know...



Anyhow....



Cabbages. This is only my second season growing cabbages. There's a whole saga associated with the one I'm holding, that outlines how much I did NOT know when I grew them the 1st time. The cabbage I'm holding grew for 9 months. Talk about labor and delivery! I've come a looooooooooooong way.



Cabbages LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the cold weather. They host beach volleyball games when it's between 45-35 degrees out.



This upcoming season I will be starting all my cabbage seedlings from seeds for the 1st time. Shouldn't be a problem there, and if I'm successful, I'll be shooting for a plantout date of September 1st. Problem is catching that cold window of opportunity! If it's too hot, they'll just stall out and sulk until the temps get cool enuf. Then, they'll charge outta the shoot like Kentucky Derby thoroughbreds! I'm trying to time it so they'll spend MORE time in the cool/cold months to come to full maturity.



As it stands now, I'm the only one in Houston praying for more cold weather to mature the 7 remaining cabbages, but I don't hold out much hope. So, I'll have the 4 mature cabbages you see, and let the others keep going til I think they're about to bolt on me.



Make lots of homemade compost. Cabbages LOVE, LOVE, LOVE organic potting medium!



Get lots of fertilizer. Cabbages are HUNGRY, HUNGRY, HUNGRY! They eat a lotta fertilizer! I used a ring of 13-13-13 at plantout. About 2 months in when they started getting bigger, I upped the ante with liquid MG and Epsom salts every 7 days or so. 2 Tbsp MG, 2 Tbsp Epsom Salts per gallon of water, poured through the top.



Can you find a worm hole? You do, and I'll personnally send you $1 million -- 'cause there's not one worm hole in the batch -- well, only a couple on one cabbage. But that ONE worm has been pushing up daisies for quite awhile now. However, any day I'm expecting an explosion outta nowhere, due to the warming temps. For now, I'm ahead of that explosion and getting ready to harvest my beauties!



LMK if you need more time in the Cabbage Shaolin Temple, Weedhopper!



Your Neighborhood Cabbage-sahn,



Linda





My Cubits: Bucket Gardening! ** Beginner Vegetable Growers ** Growing Veggies By Zone Quote | Post #112901 (2)