How to grow red cabbage

Frost-hardy · Cabbage family

When to sow and plant

Plant out 29 March – 5 April

Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May

Where the dates come from

The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.

Plant out: 2–3 weeks before the last frost (USU Extension: How to Grow Cabbage in Your Garden)

Good and bad neighbours

Good neighbours · 2

Pea, Sugar snap and snow pea, Bush bean, Pole bean, Runner bean, Broad bean (fava bean)Expert rule· C
Legumes fix nitrogen that cabbage can use – but it is only released once their roots rot.
C: Expert rule with a reason
Pea Sugar snap and snow pea Bush bean Pole bean Runner bean Broad bean (fava bean)
Butterhead lettuce, Loose-leaf lettuceExpert rule· C
Lettuce grows fast in the gaps between young cabbages and is picked before the cabbage closes the rows.
C: Expert rule with a reason
Butterhead lettuce Loose-leaf lettuce

Disputed · 3

GarlicDisputed· X
Charts call garlic a bad neighbour for cabbage. Field trials in China and India instead found fewer cabbage white caterpillars, aphids and diamondback moths.
X: Sources disagree
Garlic
OnionDisputed· X
Charts call onions a bad neighbour for cabbage. A field trial in India found fewer diamondback moth caterpillars next to onions.
X: Sources disagree
Onion
KohlrabiDisputed· X
According to the garden academy, early kohlrabi fits the gaps between young cabbages; BUND advises against other brassicas as neighbours.
X: Sources disagree
Kohlrabi

Gardeners’ lore, not proven · 3

Celeriac, CeleryLore: good· D
Considered a good pair (often said to deter cabbage whites); no study found.
D: Tradition, named by at least two sources
Celeriac Celery
RadishLore: good· D
Considered a good pair; radishes are said to lure flea beetles away from cabbage. Not proven. Both are brassicas (clubroot).
D: Tradition, named by at least two sources
Radish
NasturtiumLore: good· D
Nasturtium is said to lure pests away from cabbage (trap crop); this is not proven.
D: Tradition, named by at least two sources
Nasturtium

Crop rotation

After the cabbage family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years).

The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2031.
If clubroot has appeared in the bed: no plants of the cabbage family for at least 7 years, not even mustard as green manure.
Heavy feeders two years in a row on the same bed are not a mistake, but they take more out of the soil.

At a glance

Family: Cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
Nutrient needs: Heavy feeder
Frost: Hardy, tolerates frost
Spacing (row × plant): – × 38 cm (– × 15 in)
Life cycle: Annual
Harvest: After 55 days

Spacing according to RHS: How to grow cabbages. Other sources: 76 × 38 cm (30 × 15 in) (USU Extension: How to Grow Cabbage in Your Garden).

Questions and answers

When can I plant out red cabbage?

Plant out, average for Germany: 29 March – 5 April. Enter a German postcode above for your area, or your own frost date in the planting calendar.

How far apart should I plant red cabbage?

– × 38 cm (– × 15 in) (row × plant), according to RHS: How to grow cabbages.

What grows well next to red cabbage?

Pea, Sugar snap and snow pea, Bush bean, Pole bean, Runner bean, Broad bean (fava bean): Good neighbour (C), Butterhead lettuce, Loose-leaf lettuce: Good neighbour (C), Garlic: Disputed (X), Onion: Disputed (X) and Kohlrabi: Disputed (X).

How long a break do red cabbage need in the same bed?

After the cabbage family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years). The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.

Sources

Show 16 sources

Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.