This has been a big gardening year for me, in more ways than one. I'm building raised beds, and I'm expanding the size of the garden (not as quickly as I was hoping, though).
Hubby loves cabbage. He'd rather have a cabbage salad than one made of lettuce. Steamed cabbage, cole slaw and stuffed cabbage rolls are comfort foods from his childhood. And sauerkraut, although he's only had that from a can. (Making it myself is on my grand list of goals.)
Growing cabbage
Cabbage is easy to grow from seed, but in early spring a nine-pack of cabbage plants came home with me. I planted them in a four-foot by three-foot area of one of my raised beds.
I surrounded each plant with a ring of crushed eggshells to deter slugs and cutworms.
My plants were huge and gorgeous. But I wondered when they would start forming "heads" and if I was supposed to do something to make that happen.
I did some research but didn't find anything addressing this question specifically... but I also didn't find directions to "do something," so I didn't.
Eventually I learned that all I needed was patience; the plants began forming heads on their own when it was time.
Organic remedy for cabbage worms
One morning my beautiful cabbages had holes in the leaves. I knew that meant the dreaded cabbage worms had arrived. I picked off half a dozen little green caterpillars and dropped them into a jug of compost tea because that's what was convenient.My flock of chickens share the garden waste with my compost pile. They were thrilled to get the tough outer leaves of holey cabbage and if there were any little green worms on them, the hens slurped them down like candy.
Related Posts: what to do with nine heads of cabbage!
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Freezing and Dehydrating Cabbage
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