When to sow Cabbage (spring) in the UK
Cabbage (spring) is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Cabbage (spring) is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| South Coast and Channel | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| South East and Home Counties | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| East Anglia | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| Wales and West Coast | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| Northern England | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| Northern Ireland | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early July to early August | late August to late September | early April to late June |
Growing notes
Sow in July and transplant in early autumn 10cm apart, then thin to 30cm in late February or March and eat the thinnings as spring greens. The remaining plants form small pointed heads from mid-spring to mid-summer, filling the hungry gap.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 30 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 11
- Days to maturity
- 270 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.7 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 20 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 30 cm
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- clubroot
- cabbage white caterpillars
- cabbage root fly
- pigeons
- mealy cabbage aphid
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for cabbage (spring).