When to sow Cabbage (summer) in the UK
Cabbage (summer) 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 (summer) 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 indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| South Coast and Channel | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| South East and Home Counties | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| East Anglia | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| Wales and West Coast | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| Northern England | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| Northern Ireland | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early February to late March | late February to late April | mid April to late May | early July to late August |
Growing notes
Sow from late winter to mid-spring, protecting February sowings with cloches or fleece, and plant out when 10-15cm tall for cutting in mid- to late summer. Space compact varieties 30cm apart and larger ones up to 45cm.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 40 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 45 cm
- Plants per m²
- 6
- Days to maturity
- 140 days
- Yield per plant
- 1.0 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- 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
- cabbage whitefly
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for cabbage (summer).