You might think white cabbage is just white cabbage, but there’s actually a whole world of variety out there! Different cultivars offer unique flavors, textures, and—most importantly for us gardeners—different growing and harvest times. To help you plan your garden, I’ve put together a quick guide to the most popular varieties.
Choosing the Right Variety for Your Space
When picking out seeds, the first thing you should consider is how much space you actually have. Believe it or not, you can even grow white cabbage in containers, which is a total game-changer for small backyards, patios, or balconies. If you’re going the container route, just make sure to pick a variety that doesn’t get too massive.
For small spaces, I highly recommend “mini” or compact varieties like ‘Tiara’ or ‘Zora.’ On the other hand, if you’re a bit impatient (don’t worry, we’ve all been there!) and want to get that cabbage on the dinner table fast, go for quick-growing types like ‘Tamarindo,’ ‘Farao,’ or ‘Premiere.’ These have a much shorter growing season than the slow-and-steady winter varieties.
A Quick Look at Popular Varieties
Here’s a breakdown of some well-known white cabbage varieties. I’ve included the best times to sow them outdoors and when you can expect to harvest, which gives you a good idea of their total growing time.
- ‘Amazon’ / Sow outdoors: March to June / Harvest: July to October (Growing time: approx. 78 days)
- ‘Braunschweiger’ / Sow outdoors: May to June / Harvest: October to November (Growing time: approx. 120 days)
- ‘Eton’ / Sow outdoors: March to June / Harvest: August to October (Growing time: 95 days)
- ‘Farao’ / Sow outdoors: March to August / Harvest: July to October (Growing time: 64 days)
- ‘Fieldwinner’ / Sow outdoors: March to June / Harvest: August to October (Growing time: 75 days)
- ‘Gunma’ / Sow outdoors: March to July / Harvest: June to October (Growing time: 75 days)
- ‘Lennox’ / Sow outdoors: April to June / Harvest: October to November (Growing time: 70 days)
- ‘Zora’ (Mini Cabbage) / Sow outdoors: April to July / Harvest: June to September (Growing time: 70 days)
Other great varieties to look for:
- Bartolo
- Dithmarscher
- Expect
- Fieldglory
- Filderkraut
- Impala
- Paradox
- Perfecta
- Premiere
- Reaction
- Rivera
- Tamarindo
- Tiara