
How to Grow Red Cabbage? Friends, today we have a brand-new topic for you: “Growing Red Cabbage.” Purple cabbage is another name for the red cabbage, which is a member of the Brassicaceae family. Because anthocyanin pigments are present, red cabbage has a pepperier flavour than regular cabbage. The presence of anthocyanin is what gives the cabbage its colour.
Additionally, it is a wonderful method to supplement your diet with cancer-preventive carotenoids and produces gorgeous stews, salads, and pickles. To create a headed cabbage with a flat-topped, cylindrical, spherical, or oval shape, the plant leaves are closely aligned. Their leaves are uniform, circular, and of average size. Red leaves form a tight head on the Red Cabbage plant. It is advised to utilise tunnels in early spring plantations since the Red Cabbage plant can easily produce flower spikes in cold temperatures.
How to Grow Red Cabbage? Every You Need To Know
Although red cabbage and ordinary, green cabbage are extremely similar, there are still a few key distinctions that you should be aware of. In comparison to green cabbage, it has around ten times as much vitamin A and twice as much iron. It is a low-maintenance vegetable that you may cultivate and preserves better than green cabbage. One of the earliest known vegetable plants with a particularly lovely form. It tastes like green cabbage and is delicious boiled or stir-fried.
A variety of cabbage called red cabbage has dark red or purple leaves. However, because of a pigment called anthocyanins, the plant’s colour varies depending on the pH of the soil. When grown in acidic soil, red cabbage leaves turn more reddish; when grown in neutral soil, they turn purple; and when grown in alkaline soil, the leaves turn more greenish-yellow.
Red cabbage plants are quite easy to grow, and they need lower temps and some shade. However, this tough leafy vegetable plant is vulnerable to pests, so be sure to watch it carefully at all times. If properly planted, you can harvest two crops per year one in the spring and one in the fall. Green and red cabbage plant cultivation are extremely similar. A tray, some Red Cabbage seeds, and beginning soil are all things you’ll need in order to start seeds inside.
Growing Red Cabbage: A Step-by-Step Guide with Planting Ideas, Techniques, and Secrets:
Name | Red Cabbage |
Scientific Name | Brassica oleracea |
Origin | Origins are strictly European |
Shapes | Standard round to flattened or pointed |
Taste | Faintly peppery taste |
Plant Growth Habit | Biennial plant but grown as an annual vegetable crop |
Growing Climate | Easy to grow in cool weather |
Soil | Well-drained and nutrient-rich soil that’s high in organic matter |
Light | Partial sunlight (summer), and full sunlight (winter) |
Seasonal Information | All seasons |
Head size | 3 pounds |
Matures | 75 days |
Plant spacing | 24 inches apart |
Plant size | About 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide |
Different Varieties of Red Cabbage:
- Red cabbage of the “Ruby Ball” kind is small and arguably the tastiest.
- A lot of the “Mammoth Red Rock” variety stores well.
- The hybrid “Scarlet O’Hara” is Japanese.
- The red cabbage cultivar ‘Ruby Perfection’ is renowned for its beauty.
- Two open-pollinated red cabbage types are “Lasso” and “Red Acre.”
Conditions for Growing Red Cabbage Plants in Soil
Provide well-drained, nutrient-rich soil with a high organic matter content for growing Red Cabbage plants. Red cabbage may be cultivated in a variety of soils, including clay and sandy loam. To produce a high crop, however, make sure that the pH level of the soil is kept between 6.5 and 7. Your Red Cabbage plants only require nutrient-rich, well-drained soil to thrive.
Where and When to Plant Red Cabbage:
Red cabbages are typically sown between February and mid-April and then transplanted between April and early June. It thrives in humid environments with fertile, well-drained soil.
To prevent seed displacement by water when planting, the terrain must be level or moderately sloping. This holds true where commercial production is taking place, and it needs to be cultivated in the sun.
When growing Red Cabbage from scraps indoors;
- Simply place the plant’s residual base where the leaves normally emerge in a shallow water-filled container.
- To make it simpler to get to the light, put the container on the balcony.
- In around three to four days, the roots and leaves should begin to sprout.
- After that, make sure there isn’t any drying by changing the water every few days.
- As long as you keep changing the water occasionally, you can transplant the red cabbage into your garden, or a container with soil, or you can just let it grow in the water.
When Producing Red Cabbage from Seed, Whether for Human use or for Profit
- Before planting, seeds are first grown indoors. Red cabbage seeds should be started inside about 4 weeks before the last frost. Plant seeds in containers that permit water to pass through the cell’s bottom.
- When seedlings reach a height of 2 to 4 inches and the first set of leaves appear, they are prepared for transplanting. To prepare the seedlings for transplanting into harsh environments, they must be hardened off to slow plant growth. The seedlings can be hardened off and transferred outside for transplanting once they are 2 inches tall and have sprouted their first leaves.
- To allow for growth, place the seedlings about 12 to 26 inches apart when transplanting. Until your crops are fully developed, make careful to weed and take precautions against pests and illnesses that could harm them. Water your plants frequently because red cabbages need a lot of water.
- For its vegetative growth stage, red cabbage prefers temperatures that are consistently damp and chilly. They are low-maintenance plants, however, they will need frequent watering.
Red cabbage Planting Procedure:
- Red cabbage should be transplanted once the seedlings have become established and have two to three true leaves.
- Do these two to three weeks before the anticipated last frost date. To prevent the cabbage seedling from being exposed to harsh sunlight, transplant it on a cloudy day.
- Pick a decent location in your yard; raised beds are preferable but not required.
- The Red Cabbage plant prefers partial shade because it enjoys the sun but cannot tolerate extreme heat.
- Red cabbage can also be planted directly into pots, allowing you to move the pots about.
- Spread some organic material over the soil before planting your Red Cabbage seedling. Compost or aged manure will work well.
- Due to its inability to tolerate damp soil, red cabbage requires well-draining soil.
- Plant in rows with spacing of 12 to 24 inches.
- Once the plant has reached a stable state, fertiliser can be added. Cabbage can be grown with cucumbers and beans.
- Because they are all heavy feeders and will compete for nutrients, it is advisable to avoid planting red cabbage and broccoli or cauliflower together.
- Additionally, planting cabbage near strawberries and tomatoes is not recommended.
How Much Water Is Needed to Grow Red Cabbage Plants?
Over the course of the growing season, keep the soil continuously moist. Established Red Cabbage plants typically require 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week delivered by irrigation or rainfall.
Tips for Growing Red Cabbage Plants:
- Red cabbage is a crop that may be grown with little difficulty and with little advance planning.
- Regular irrigation is necessary for red cabbage. Use a watering bucket or a sprinkler system to water your plants for optimal results. Additionally, make sure the soil is always moist, particularly when the plants are absorbing sunshine.
- by gathering the cabbage heads for consumption with a sharp knife. By doing this, the plant roots will be protected from harm.
- Even moisture is necessary for red cabbage to grow healthy heads. The soil should next be mulched with composted finely ground leaves or bark to keep it cool, wet, and free of weeds.
- Keeping your garden tidy and your cabbage healthy is the greatest way to prevent issues.
- Then, prior to planting, prepare the soil by combining compost and aged manure.
- Roots that stand in wet split or decay, thus the soil needs to drain efficiently.
- Red cabbage can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks if it is loosely wrapped in plastic. Before keeping it, make sure it is dry.
Upkeep of red cabbage Plants:
Ensure there are no weeds growing near the red cabbage. Remove any yellow-coloured leaves from Red Cabbage plants or those that have been severely harmed by the caterpillar with care. Following that, keep a check on the plants throughout the fall and winter, firming them down if frost raised them or raising some dirt around the stems to assist avoid wind rock as necessary.
However, avoid letting the plants dry out as this will cause plant bolting. You must water softly but deeply once per week when there has been a prolonged period of no rain (a week or more). Apply roughly 10 litres per square metre of soil as a general guideline. Water the soil instead of the plant leaves while doing this in the morning. Try to avoid splashing the leaves.
You can apply a second application of a well-balanced fertiliser when plants are actively growing and at around the fourth or fifth week after seed germination. Additional fish blood and bone can strengthen the vegetables and lessen their susceptibility to plant diseases, while it is not necessary. After the fertiliser has been distributed, the soil should be gently but deeply watered after the fertiliser has been softly scratched into the soil’s surface.