When to plant Cabbage in Cool Australia

Cool zone — applies to Hobart, Canberra, Ballarat, Orange, Armidale and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Subtropical · Tropical · Arid.

Cabbage sows direct across most of the cool-zone calendar: March to August for the traditional autumn and winter crop, and again from October through January for summer and autumn hearts. Few vegetables are better matched to a Ballarat or Hobart winter — heads firm up in the cold and taste sweeter for a few frosts. Sow 6 mm deep, thin to 40–50 cm between plants, and expect 60–120 days to a solid head depending on variety. Choose small, fast varieties for the warm-season window and big drumheads for the long, cold haul.

Sowing calendar — cool zone

Green months are your sowing window: October to January and March to August.

Growing notes

Fully hardy, cabbage treats cool-zone frost as an asset: cold nights convert starches to sugars, and a mature drumhead will sit unharmed through a Hobart or Orange winter, effectively storing itself in the garden. Timing changes the picture more than variety charts suggest. Autumn sowings from March to May heart up in the cold with almost no pest pressure but grow slowly, at the 120-day end of the range; spring and summer sowings from October to January hit the 60-day end but land in peak cabbage white butterfly season, when unnetted brassicas in a cool-zone garden are stripped to ribs within weeks. Fine exclusion netting from sowing is non-negotiable for the warm-window crop.

Cabbage wants firm — even lightly trodden — fertile soil, full sun, and consistent water. The classic failure is split heads: a hearted cabbage takes up water faster than it can grow after heavy rain or a sudden deep soak, and the head bursts. Harvest promptly once heads are firm, water little and often rather than in floods, and if rain is forecast over mature heads, twist each plant a quarter-turn to break some roots and slow water uptake.

Watch too for slugs sheltering in outer leaves through damp winters — beer traps or a dusk patrol keep them honest.

Cabbage at a glance

Companion planting

Grows well with

Marigold: Deters cabbage white butterfly

Nasturtiums: Trap crop lures cabbage white away from brassica

Marigold: Deters cabbage moth and aphids

Keep away from

Tomatoes: Brassicas inhibit tomato growth

Tomatoes: Brassicas and tomatoes inhibit each other

Strawberries: Both suffer when grown together; strawberries stunted

Common questions

When can I plant cabbage in Ballarat?

Sow direct from March to August for the winter crop, or from October to January for summer and autumn hearts. Autumn sowings are slower but face far less pest pressure.

Why did my cabbage heads split open?

Splitting happens when a firm head takes up water rapidly after heavy rain or a big watering. Harvest promptly once hearts are solid, and water evenly rather than in occasional floods.

How do I stop caterpillars eating my cabbages?

Cabbage white butterflies are the main culprit, especially on spring and summer sowings. Fine exclusion netting installed at sowing prevents eggs being laid and beats any spray.

How long does cabbage take to grow?

Between 60 and 120 days from sowing, depending on variety and season. Warm-season sowings finish fastest; winter-grown drumheads take the full stretch but keep in the garden once mature.

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