Vegetable Gardening (61 page)

‘Oliver':
One of the earliest-maturing varieties, this hybrid matures in 85 days on 2-foot-tall plants. It is well adapted to many climates.

‘Red Rubine':
Yes, even Brussels sprouts have color variations. This heirloom variety produces very tasty and attractive red sprouts on a hardy, purplish-red-colored 2-foot-tall plant. The red color remains even after cooking. This variety matures in 95 days.

Choosing cabbage: The age-old and dependable cole crop

When many people think of cole crops, they first think of cabbages. Broccoli and cauliflower may be gaining in popularity, and Brussels sprouts may be novel, but cabbage is a long-time, solid vegetable citizen. It has been an easy-to-grow staple in Europe for hundreds of years and for centuries before that in the Middle East.

Cabbage-growing isn't as popular as it once was, and you rarely find cabbage on the menus of finer restaurants, but the sweet, tender flavor of freshly harvested cabbage makes it worthy of a spot in your garden. With so many varieties to choose from, you can have fresh and delicious cole slaw, sauerkraut, and boiled cabbage almost all season long — from summer into winter.

Cabbage requires the same conditions as other cole crops — cool weather, fertile soil, and proper watering — but the variety that you select is a bit more important to ensure a continuous harvest. By selecting early-, mid-, and late-season varieties, you can extend your cabbage harvest season by weeks. You can easily get lost in the dizzying array of cabbage varieties:

Early-, mid-, and late-season varieties

Round, pointy, and flat-headed varieties

Smooth-leafed and
savoyed
(crinkle-leafed) varieties

Green and red-colored varieties

Growing two or three different varieties that mature at different times allows you to spread out the harvest over the growing season. And by spreading out the harvest, you avoid getting yourself into the "six heads of cabbage ready all the same week" situation. (Even the most ardent cabbage lover would have a hard time eating all that cabbage!)

To get you started on the right foot, in the following list I describe ten varieties that represent the universe of cabbages. (Note, however, that I cover Chinese cabbage in Chapter 11.) Cabbage plants can spread to 3 feet in diameter, and they all have green leaves and white centers unless otherwise noted. The late-maturing and fall-planted varieties are best for storage. (I talk more about storing cabbages in Chapter 19.) The days to maturity for each variety are from setting out seedlings in the garden to first harvest. Add 20 days to the maturity date if you directly seed in the garden. Without further ado, here are some varieties to try:

‘Danish Ballhead':
This old-time favorite produces 8-inch-diameter, round, smooth-leafed heads late in the season (after 100 days) and is great for winter storage. This variety is good for sauerkraut and slaw recipes.

‘Early Jersey Wakefield':
This early heirloom smooth-leafed cabbage with a pointed head measures 5 inches in diameter and has compact plants that are slow to split. (For more on splitting, see the later section on harvesting cabbage.) This variety matures in 65 days.

‘Famosa':
This hybrid midseason, round-headed crop produces 2- to 4-pound, dark blue-green, savoyed heads with a yellow tinted interior and tender leaves in 75 days.