When to plant cabbage
Cabbage is a cool-season crop that tolerates light frost and prefers to grow in cool weather. Cabbage handles frost well once established; split heads mean uneven watering.
- Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before the last spring frost.
- Transplant outside 1–3 weeks before the last spring frost.
- For a fall crop, sow 11–14 weeks before the first fall frost.
About 70 days from planting to harvest.
Get exact dates for your garden
Planting dates by hardiness zone
| Zone | Typical last frost | Start indoors | Transplant | Fall crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2a | May 24 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | — |
| 3b | May 17 | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Apr 26 – May 10 | Jun 18 – Jul 9 |
| 4a | May 12 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 22 – Jul 13 |
| 4b | May 8 | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 17 – May 1 | Jun 25 – Jul 16 |
| 5a | May 3 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | Jun 29 – Jul 20 |
| 5b | May 1 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | Jul 5 – Jul 26 |
| 6a | Apr 29 | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jul 11 – Aug 1 |
| 6b | Apr 22 | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | Jul 16 – Aug 6 |
| 7a | Apr 16 | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | Jul 19 – Aug 9 |
| 7b | Apr 5 | Feb 8 – Feb 22 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Jul 26 – Aug 16 |
| 8a | Mar 29 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Aug 1 – Aug 22 |
| 8b | Mar 16 | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Aug 8 – Aug 29 |
| 9a | Mar 3 | Jan 6 – Jan 20 | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Aug 19 – Sep 9 |
| 9b | Feb 20 | Dec 26 – Jan 9 | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Aug 29 – Sep 19 |
| 10a | Mar 2 | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Aug 25 – Sep 15 |
Zone rows use the median frost dates of all ZIP codes in that zone. Zones measure winter cold, not season length, so two places in the same zone can have frost dates weeks apart — use your ZIP code for real dates.
When to plant cabbage in major cities
| City | Median last frost | Start indoors | Transplant | Fall crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | Mar 13 | Jan 16 – Jan 30 | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Aug 11 – Sep 1 |
| Portland, OR | Feb 25 | Dec 31 – Jan 14 | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Aug 25 – Sep 15 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Apr 25 | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | Jul 12 – Aug 2 |
| Denver, CO | Apr 30 | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | Jul 6 – Jul 27 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Apr 23 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | Jul 10 – Jul 31 |
| Chicago, IL | Apr 10 | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Mar 20 – Apr 3 | Jul 30 – Aug 20 |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 27 | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | Jul 19 – Aug 9 |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 4 | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Jul 27 – Aug 17 |
| Columbus, OH | Apr 20 | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | Jul 18 – Aug 8 |
| Boston, MA | Apr 4 | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Aug 3 – Aug 24 |
| New York, NY | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Aug 14 – Sep 4 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Aug 11 – Sep 1 |
| Washington, DC | Mar 29 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Aug 2 – Aug 23 |
| Charlotte, NC | Mar 30 | Feb 2 – Feb 16 | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Jul 28 – Aug 18 |
| Nashville, TN | Apr 1 | Feb 4 – Feb 18 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Jul 25 – Aug 15 |
| Atlanta, GA | Mar 25 | Jan 28 – Feb 11 | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Aug 3 – Aug 24 |
| Dallas, TX | Mar 2 | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | Aug 23 – Sep 13 |
Growing cabbage: quick facts
| Frost tolerance | Hardy: survives hard frosts, down to about 25°F or colder |
|---|---|
| Soil temperature | at least 40°F to germinate; 45–95°F is ideal |
| Planting depth | ¼–½ in |
| Spacing | 12–24 in |
| Germination | 5–10 days |
| Days to harvest | about 70 days from planting out |
Typical figures from university extension planting guides. Seed packets give the best numbers for a specific variety.