Growing cabbage in Uganda
cabbages are normally classified according to the duration of time they take to mature;
Early cabbages- these include golden Acer which matures in 65 days, and red express which matures in 63 days.
Midseason types- these include baby cabbage which takes about 71 days to grow.
And lastly is the late season types like Red cabbage which looks like the Red Acer and takes 75 days to mature.
Cabbage prefer well drained, fertile soils high in organic matter, and with a PH between 6.0-7.5. They can however tolerate slightly alkaline soil. Cabbages are heavy feeders and as such yours will also need plenty and consistent moisture.
Prepare your soil for seeds or seedling by digging it over with a garden fork,then rake it to make a fine seed bed. Your Cabbage will need affirm soil base to keep their roots anchored because cabbage heads are heavy. You can sow along a single row or along staggered wide rows. Use spacing of 12-18 inches wide and 16-18 inches between rows. Ensure to harden off seedlings to prepare them for planting.
Fertilize your plants when growing especially after transplanting and then add nitrogen when the cabbage is half grown.
Always weed your cabbage vegetable garden as the need arises to control grass and other weeds because cabbage is a shallow rooted crop, and its cultivation is shallow.
Chemicals are available for weed control and generally perform very satisfactorily.
Cabbages are harvested by cutting through the stem; just above ground level with a sharp knife. If you want to get the highest yields, cut the cabbage’s head when it is solid (firm to hand pressure), but before it cracks or splits when head are matures.
Note that sudden heavy rains may cause cabbage heads to crack or split wide open.