Anybody know how to grow cabbage and kale...?

Question

Please don't laugh. This must sound silly, but I have no experience as a farmer and what I have been able to find on the internet makes no sense to me.

I have some cabbage and kale growing on the premises.
I've read that I can harvest the cabbage by taking the middle and leaving some of the leaves around the edge so that new little cabbages will grow later on in the season, is that true?

and I should harvest the outer leaves of the kale...?

What about after the season...?

Do I just leave the roots in the ground?

Will they grow back, or do I need to put seeds in the ground each year?

I don't understand this business about getting more cabbages from the same root after picking the head.

How can I tell if a cabbage or kale produce seeds? I've eaten plenty of them before and never found any seeds.

Do you have to start them indoors like tomatoes?

Thanks to all serious answers! Let me know if you need more details!

8 JULY 07, 0354 hrs, GMT.

Answer 1

The main thing with cabbage family plants is lots of water, & fertile soil . Here (NY) they are grown, commercially, in naturally occuring muck soil. You can get new ones coming back from the cut-off plants . Last year , the deer ate most of mine when they were ~ half-grown . Did get smaller ones coming back . They come back on the stalk, not the roots, so leave a little . You have to plant them every year. They are biennial . Any that come back will flower, and go to seed, but will be no good as edibles.

One other thing ; Keep them evenly watered as they approach maturity. If they are very dry , then get a sudden influx of water, the heads can split.

Pull the roots in fall , as it's possible pests or disease (clubfoot, esp.) could winter over in them . Be sure to rotate locations , having them in the same place no more than 2 yrs in a row, & 3 of 5 .

If you are starting now, get the short-seaon varieties, meant for fall planting ( started now) . Stokes Seed is a good source of info (& seed, if in N. America . You're in UK? So I don't know where you'd go for seed.)

http://www.stokeseeds.com/cgi-bin/StokesSeeds.storefront/469a58a300c496da2744cf366ce3071c/Search/Display?a=a

Answer 2

Cabbage will only giveyou one good head. Pull lthe plant, you will have to take a knife and cut the head away from the plant. Take the root section and throw it into a compost pile with the dirt still on the roots. Wakefield will give you the biggest head. Harvest all the leaves on the kale As long as the outer leaves are not discolored, eaten up, or tough nyou can eat them. I usually pull the plant and throw all the waste in the compost. My rows are at least 25 feet long thus plenty of plants. On Kale turnip greens spinach etc. you don't have to pull the plants to harvest is you do not have a lot of plants and you harvest from the outside in. Harvest time will end when the plant boltls(blooms). This happens usually when the weather get too hot. You can start cabbage etc in the house between now latter part of Augusgt, depending on where you live and you should have plants for the fall planting. If the weather cooperates with you you can get another crop for the winter.

Answer 3

Kudos to you for wanting to learn how to garden.
Not sure where you live but in the Northeast, we can grow cabbage until about October.
Each year you have to plant cabbage or kale by seed-- inside like tomatoes to give them a head start. You can also buy them already started at the garden center.

As far as the cabbage, I let them grow and at the end of the season, you will harvest a good size cabbage like they sell at the Market.
Never heard about harvesting and more little cabbages growing on the plant. (?)

At the end of the season, you can leave the basic plant there or remove them and throw them in your compost.
Cabbage do not produce seeds.

Kale is basically like Swiss Chard or Collards. When they become a good size then cut off the outer leaves and cook them up.

Actually, the Swiss Chard that I planted last year, survived our harsh winter and to my pleasant surprise came back this year.
They did go to seed very fast, though, meaning they have shoots that grow extremely fast that have obvious seeds in them. Kale is similiar to Swiss Chard.

Hope I made sense.

Happy Gardening !! :)))

Answer 4

Cabbages and Kale are very easy to grow.The soil should be free draining,deep ,and rich in organic matter.Prior to planting work in about 4 handfuls of Gro-plus general garden fertiliser(per sq yard/metre).Can be sown almost every month,except when very hot.Ptotect seedlings from slugs and Snails with either Blitzem or Mesurol pellets. Contol Aphids, and caterpillars withTarget or Orthene.Cabbages should not be grown more than 3years in same place.Otherwise can become diseased.Pluck leaves off cabbage, when required, and don't let seed head grow.Several different varities.Kale I would think would be similar.Check with your local garden center.The seedlings are reasonably cheap to buy so I would put in new ones each year.Plant in between old ones> Good Luck!

Answer 5

plant your cabbage plants in the ground about 60-70 days cut the cabbage head out forget about the other On your kale plant the seed in the ground about 80 days start cutting the leaves off and enjoy

Answer 6

There is a the town in Germany known as Hamburg. That is in which you are going to uncover them. They have the an identical of orchards however develop those hamburgers in all kinds of sizes and more than a few sun shades of purple to mauve. After they have got been picked, they're wrapped among small sheets of paper, boxed up and despatched to McDonalds...............(select the bones out of that! ahem, they do not have bones.....)