When to sow Chinese cabbage in the UK
Chinese cabbage 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
Chinese cabbage 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 April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| South Coast and Channel | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| South East and Home Counties | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| East Anglia | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| Wales and West Coast | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| Northern England | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| Northern Ireland | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early April to early August | early May to late August | mid May to late August | early July to late November |
Growing notes
Late-summer sowings are the most reliable, as earlier ones bolt in hot, dry weather; barrel heads take about ten weeks and are cut from July to November. Cover maturing plants with cloches in autumn to stop wet weather rotting the hearts.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 30 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 43 cm
- Plants per m²
- 8
- Days to maturity
- 70 days
- Yield per plant
- 1 kg
- Sun
- Partial
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 25 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 30 cm
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 21 days, up to about 4 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- bolting
- clubroot
- cabbage white caterpillars
- cabbage root fly
- rot
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for chinese cabbage.