When to plant Cabbage in Temperate Australia
Temperate zone — applies to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Cool · Subtropical · Tropical · Arid.
Cabbage can be direct-sown in temperate Australia in every month except May — one of the most generous sowing windows of any vegetable. Seed goes in 6 mm deep, comes up in 6 to 12 days, and hearts up in 60 to 120 days depending on variety and season. A hardy brassica, it handles frost without complaint and tastes better after a cold snap. Choose the variety to match the season — quick sugarloaf types for spring sowings, solid drumheads for the long autumn-to-winter run — and net against cabbage white butterfly from the moment seedlings appear.
Sowing calendar — temperate zone
Green months are your sowing window: June to April.
Growing notes
Being fully hardy, cabbage treats the temperate frost calendar as background noise: seedlings and mature heads alike stand through the frosts that start around May, and winter-maturing cabbage is often the best of the year. The one gap in the sowing calendar is May itself, when cooling soil makes germination too unreliable to bother with.
Timing within the window is really about what the plant will face at maturity. Spring sowings from September to December grow fast but heart up in warm weather, so they need consistent water to stop heads splitting after summer downpours. Sowings from January to April mature in the cool and are the most forgiving. Winter sowings from June to August emerge slowly but deliver very early spring heads.
Cabbage is a gross feeder. Dig in compost or aged manure a few weeks ahead, firm the soil, space plants 40–50 cm apart in rows 50–70 cm apart, and keep nitrogen up until hearts begin to form.
Pest pressure is constant: cabbage white butterfly and cabbage moth did not get their names by accident. Fine exclusion netting installed before seedlings emerge beats picking caterpillars off afterwards every time. The other classic failure is split heads, caused by uneven watering near maturity — harvest promptly once hearts are firm, or give the plant a slight twist to slow water uptake if rain is coming.
Cabbage at a glance
| Sowing depth | 6 mm |
|---|---|
| Plant spacing | 40-50 cm |
| Row spacing | 50-70 cm |
| Germination | 6-12 days |
| Days to maturity | 60-120 days |
| Frost tolerance | Hardy |
| Method | Raise Seedlings,Sow Direct |
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
- Can I grow cabbage all year round in Australia?
- In temperate zones, very nearly — it can be sown direct in every month except May, when cold soil makes germination unreliable. Match the variety to the season for best results.
- How long does cabbage take to grow?
- From 60 to 120 days depending on variety and season. Quick types like sugarloaf sit at the fast end; large winter drumheads take the full stretch.
- Why are my cabbage heads splitting?
- Splitting happens when a firm heart suddenly takes up water after rain or heavy irrigation. Water evenly as heads mature, and harvest promptly once hearts feel solid.
- How do I stop caterpillars eating my cabbages?
- Cover the bed with fine insect-exclusion netting before seedlings emerge and keep it sealed until harvest. Cabbage white butterflies lay eggs whenever the weather is warm enough to fly.
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