How to Grow Cabbage 'Stonehead'
Brassica oleracea capitata 'Stonehead'
Cabbage 'Stonehead' is a reliable cool-season brassica prized for its compact size and sweet flavor. Gardeners grow this variety to enjoy fresh harvests before summer heat sets in or in late autumn after the first frost.
📷 Wikimedia CommonsStarting Cabbage 'Stonehead': indoors or direct sow?
🏠 Start indoors 4 weeks before your last spring frost, then move the seedlings outside.
Move sturdy seedlings outdoors once they have developed true leaves and the risk of hard frost has passed.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8 to encourage healthy root development. As a cool-season crop, start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost date. Sow seeds about 1/2 inch deep; they typically germinate within 5 to 10 days once conditions are right.
Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart in rows to allow proper air circulation and head formation. Provide consistent moisture, aiming for 1 to 1.5 inches of water weekly, and apply a light mulch to retain soil moisture. Feed regularly with a balanced fertilizer if the soil is not already rich.
Watch for cabbage worms, aphids, flea beetles, cutworms, and cabbage root maggots; use row covers or insecticidal soap as prevention. Clubroot, black rot, fusarium yellows, and downy mildew also threaten the crop; ensure good drainage to avoid these issues. Harvest heads when firm after 70 to 80 days from sowing.
When to Plant Cabbage 'Stonehead'
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | April – May | June – July | August – September |
| Zone 2 | April – May | May – July | August – September |
| Zone 3 | March – April | May – June | July – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | April – June | July – October |
| Zone 5 | February – March | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 6 | February – March | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 7 | February – March | March – May | June – November |
| Zone 8 | January – February | March – April | May – December |
| Zone 9 | January | February – March | April – December |
| Zone 10 | January | January – March | April – December |
| Zone 11 | January | January – February | March – December |
| Zone 12 | January | January – February | March – December |
| Zone 13 | January | January – February | March – December |
Companion Plants for Cabbage 'Stonehead'
✓ Good companions
Deep roots complement shallow cabbage roots without competing for space
Improves growth and flavor of cabbage while repelling cabbage white butterflies
Attracts beneficial insects like parasitic wasps that control cabbage worms
Natural fungicide properties help prevent clubroot and other soil-borne diseases
Provides living mulch, conserves soil moisture, and doesn't compete for nutrients
Repel nematodes and various garden pests while attracting beneficial insects
Act as trap crop for aphids and flea beetles, drawing pests away from cabbage
Repel cabbage root fly, aphids, and other brassica pests with strong scent
✗ Keep away from
Can shade cabbage and compete for nitrogen, reducing head formation
Both are heavy feeders that compete for nutrients, leading to poor growth
Compete for similar nutrients and may stunt cabbage growth through allelopathy
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
