Cabbage in Zone 5a & 5b

Brassica oleracea

When to plant cabbage in zone 5b

Zones 5a and 5b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Start indoors: Start indoors from seed, then transplant outside. Cabbage needs a head start most zones can't give it by direct-sowing alone.

Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1-1.5 ft.

Cabbage takes up a full square foot for months and won't forgive a rushed transplant date. Start it too late into warm weather and it's more likely to bolt or stall than to head up properly.

How cabbage fits zone 5's season

Zone 5b's frost-free window runs about 148 days, from May 10 to October 5. Cabbage needs about 70 days from transplant to first harvest.

Good companions

• Onion: Onion scent is reputed to confuse cabbage moths. The research behind this is real but garlic-specific (field trials intercropping garlic with cabbage reduced diamondback moth damage) — onion hasn't been tested the same way, so treat the onion version as a reasonable extrapolation, not a directly measured result.

Where to buy cabbage seeds

• Botanical Interests
• True Leaf Market
• Burpee
• High Mowing Organic Seeds

See why we recommend these suppliers →

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See it growing

Search YouTube for "growing cabbage" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)

← Back to the full zone 5b calendar · Full companion planting guide · Full plant profile · Plan your beds in the Garden Designer →

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Growing Cabbage in USDA zone 5b: when to start seeds indoors, when to direct-sow, and when to expect a harvest.

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