There's nothing better than sharing the bounty of your garden with friends and loved ones, and in this regard, we take our cue from none other than Martha Stewart. The home gardener and cook recently shared photos of her lush cabbage harvest, revealing the meticulous preparation she'd made for her guests.
“The Garden Club of America Garden Tour came to my farm this morning – a wonderful group of serious, knowledgeable gardeners. Highlights were cabbages, scones and roses,” she wrote in the caption.
Want to grow gorgeous cabbages like Stewart? Read on for expert gardening tips. First of all, if you're nervous about getting started growing and caring for cabbages, experts say these cruciferous vegetables are a great gardening staple for beginners.
“Cabbage is an easy vegetable to grow, and with so many varieties available, you can harvest it all year round,” says Drew Swainston, garden content editor at Homes & Gardens. “Cabbage comes in different colors and leaf shapes for spring, summer, fall, and winter, so you can enjoy a bountiful harvest all year round.”
With over 400 varieties of cabbage grown around the world, there's sure to be something to suit everyone's tastes, but you can't go wrong with the classic white, purple and green cabbages.
Once a variety has been chosen, the next step is deciding where to grow the cabbage. Swainston says climate and soil conditions are crucial to how the cabbage thrives.
“Grow cabbage in full sun with rich, well-drained soil,” he suggests, “and rotate planting locations to prevent devastating diseases like clubroot from spreading through the soil.”
Finally, Stewart's cabbages are ready for photography, but Swainston says they should usually be covered to avoid anything that could harm them.
“The cabbage plants need to be covered with fine netting to keep out any seriously damaging pests. Martha has to do this to grow beautiful cabbages, but likes to remove the netting for photographs,” explains Swainston. “The netting should be fine, hung over a hoop and away from the plants to stop butterflies and moths from getting through the netting and laying their eggs on the leaves.”
Below are some cabbage seedlings you can purchase and get started on your Martha Stewart-worthy garden.
