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Vegetable Gardening

cabbage ... old dogs can learn new tricks

12 years ago

This past season when I harvested cabbage I cut the head off high leaving a group of the larger basal leaves and roots in place. The old stalk then sprouted 5 or so new heads. I then got a second harvest of the most tender cabbage you can imagine. My wife said they reminded her of brussel sprouts. She simply steamed a few of these new loose leaved fist sized heads, salt and pepper, and a little butter.

Lord I can wait for next winter to get the cabbage growing again!

Mike

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Comments (9)

planatus
12 years ago
Yes, yes, more people should let cabbage do its cut-and-come again thing. I find it works best with the spring crop, so I run some of my cabbages very early. Three little varieties I like, Gonzales, Pixie and Alcosa savoy, all do a good job producing secondary heads. I grow them twice a year, spring and fall.

Once summer gets hot, I've seen forgotten cabbage stubs develop secondary heads on the stem just below the ground, like blanched brussels sprouts encrusted with dirt.

Like you, I grew cabbage for years before discovering this easy trick.

Here is a link that might be useful: cut and come again cabbage
t-bird
12 years ago
I'd heard of it before - but thought it seemed complicated. But after picking my first cabbages - it just happened!
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canfan
12 years ago
I have seen the second growth occur in our garden but was surprised today when I went and grabbed the 1/2 head of cabbage from the fridge for our corned beef dinner. A sprout had grown out of the center of the cabbage it was about the size of 2 good sized brussel sprouts. Threw it in the pot with the rest of the vegies.
runningirl4
12 years ago
I have a similar situation. I had some red cabbage that I harvested last summer and I left the stems in hoping I would get second growth. Well, I didn't get any growth and then left the stems in the ground over my lazy winter and now within the past few weeks I've noticed some significant 2nd growth! The heads are tiny and there are a few of them.

Do you think there is a good chance I'll get anything worth waiting for? I have a small garden, so I could really use the space for something else? Maybe I'll just plant some radishes or lettuce around them while I wait for something to happen?
SoTX
12 years ago
I learned about this way back when Mike McGrath had OG. If you cut a cross on top of stem, you'll get 4 more smaller heads.
planatus
12 years ago
Both the Illinois and Arkansas extension publications on growing cabbage mention waiting for the second growth and harvesting it. Works with radicchio, too.
sandra_christie
12 years ago
Wow, I'd never heard this. It's 11PM, but I'm tempted to get out there right now. Thanks for this tip.
rathersmallbunny
12 years ago
This is why I love reading these forums so much -- where else are you going to find other enablers( er, I mean people) who say "It's 11pm but I want to go out and cut a cross on my cabbage stems right now". I totally understand that feeling!!
User
11 years ago
I'm getting a lot of secondary sprouts on my cabbage stubs, four or five on each root. I'm wondering if anyone has tried thinning these to get larger heads.

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