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| Gardeners Guide to Growing Vegetables |
Introduction
The cabbage is an important food crop that is valuable because of its dense-leaved heads. Botanically, the plant is a biennial grown as an annual. During the first season, cabbages will form the head that serves as a nutritional source of food. During the second year the plant will flower and set seed. Gardeners wishing to grow their own cabbage seed will need to allow the plants to stand through the winter. They can then harvest the seed the following year. Since the cabbage is hardy to USDA Zone 6 - 9, this will not work in colder areas.
The cabbage heads range from just under a pound to well over nine pounds. Size depends upon the variety, weather and soil conditions. Cabbage is related to the other cole crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
The cabbage is eaten in many forms. These include fresh, pickled, fermented (sauerkraut), steamed, stewed, sautéed, braised and fried. Cabbage may be preserved by freezing, canning or drying. Rich in nutrients, the cabbage provides a good supply of dietary fiber, too.
It is native to wild, rocky cliffs where it can grow unmolested by encroachment by other plants, which it cannot tolerate well. The thickened leaves allow the plant to store water.
Common Name:
The common name cabbage originally referred to all members of the cabbage family. That family includes cauliflower, broccoli, kale and many others. The name now refers to the plant we know as the cabbage. The word cabbage derives from the French word caboche, which means, "having a head."
Botanical Name:
Brassica oleracea - Capitata Group
The genus name is the Latin name for cabbage. The species name is Latin for "vegetable like".
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