When to Plant Cabbage in Canberra, Cold / Highland Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Canberra), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Cold / Highland
In October the Cold / Highland zone normally runs 20°C by day and 7°C overnight, with about 58 mm of rain over 7 or 8 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -6.4°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 15 postcodes, SILO.
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This Cabbage guide is written for the Cold / Highland zone, which takes in Canberra, Cooma and Bright. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Aug to Mar
- Days to harvest
- about 10 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 50 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.5
Cabbage is a cool-season brassica staple available in green, red, savoy, and conical forms. It grows well across all Australian climate zones when planted in the correct season.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Cold / Highland
- Jan S/T
- Feb S/T
- Mar T
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug S
- Sep S/T
- Oct S/T
- Nov S/T
- Dec S/T
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
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How to Grow Cabbage in Cold / Highland Australia
- Soil
- Rich, firm, well-drained soil with heavy compost and aged manure. Cabbage needs solid soil structure for head formation; loose sandy soils produce loose heads.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun (6-8 hours minimum). Part shade tolerated in subtropical/tropical zones.
- Spacing
- 50cm apart, 60cm between rows
- Watering
- Deep, consistent watering 2-3 times per week. Inconsistent watering causes split heads. Drip irrigation ideal. Avoid overhead watering to reduce disease. Reduce water as heads firm up to prevent splitting.
- Good companions
- Nasturtium (trap crop), Dwarf Beans, Onion, Cucumber, Dill
- Keep away from
- Garden Cress, Grape, Lemongrass, Peach, Pear, Strawberry, Tomato
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before brassicas go back in. The cabbage family is hungry for nitrogen and shares club root and other soil diseases.
Cold / Highland Growing Tips for Cabbage
Recommended Varieties
- January King
- Savoy Perfection
- Drumhead
- Winter varieties
Key Challenges
- Short growing season
- Hard frosts damage immature heads
- Slow growth in cold temperatures
Pro Tips
- Start all seedlings indoors or in greenhouse
- Savoy types are the most frost-tolerant cabbage; prioritise these
- Use frost cloth (fleece) to extend the season by 4-6 weeks
Pests and problems for Cabbage in Cold / Highland
- Cabbage White Butterfly Caterpillars Moderate
- Bacterial Spot Watch
- Helicoverpa / Corn Earworm / Tomato Grub Watch
- Diamondback Moth Watch
- Damping Off Watch
- Fusarium Wilt Watch
- Clubroot Lime soil to pH 7.0-7.2 before planting. Ensure excellent drainage. Raise beds. Buy disease-free seedlings. Do not share soil or tools from... Watch
- Downy Mildew Avoid overhead watering. Water in morning. Space plants for airflow. Remove crop residues. Grow resistant varieties where available. Watch
Organic prevention (Cabbage Aphid): Check seedlings before planting. Avoid excess nitrogen. Remove brassica weeds. Companion plant with strong herbs.
Harvesting Cabbage
When ready: Head is firm and solid when squeezed. Outer leaves may begin to yellow or flare outward. Head has reached expected size for variety. Drum-like sound when tapped.
How to harvest: Cut head at base with sharp knife, leaving 4-6 outer wrapper leaves. Leave stump in ground; it may produce small secondary heads. Harvest in cool of morning.
Storing and preserving cabbage
How to keep it
- Sauerkraut (Fermentation). Shred cabbage finely. Add 20g fine salt per kg of cabbage. Massage until juices release. Pack tightly into clean jar, pressing down until brine covers cabbage. Weight down with smaller jar or zip-lock bag of brine. Cover loosely. Ferment at 18-22C for 2-6 weeks, tasting weekly. Refrigerate when flavour is to your liking. Keeps: 6-12 months refrigerated (continues to slowly ferment).
- Freezing. Shred or chop cabbage. Blanch in boiling water for 90 seconds. Plunge into ice bath. Drain thoroughly. Pack into freezer bags, removing air. Freeze flat. Keeps: 10-12 months.
- Dehydrating. Shred cabbage thinly. Blanch 1-2 minutes, cool, drain well. Spread on dehydrator trays. Dry at 55C for 8-12 hours until brittle. Store in airtight containers. Rehydrate in warm water for 20 minutes before use. Keeps: 6-12 months.
- Kimchi. Quarter cabbage, salt heavily, and soak 2-12 hours. Rinse well. Make paste of gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes), fish sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar. Mix with cabbage and other vegetables (radish, spring onion). Pack into jars. Ferment 2-5 days at room temperature, then refrigerate. Keeps: 3-6 months refrigerated.
What cabbage costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.
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Common Questions About Cabbage
When do you plant cabbage in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Sep
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Feb to Aug
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to Sep
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan to Mar, Aug to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jan to Mar, Aug to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Jan to Jul
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jan to Sep
Can you grow cabbage all year round in Canberra?
No. In the Cold / Highland zone the planting months are Jan to Mar, Aug to Dec. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Cabbage in Canberra?
Plant in spring for summer heads, or in summer for autumn and winter heads. Large hearting types such as Savoys need planting out by December to finish before winter.
What soil temperature do Cabbage need?
Cabbage germinate best when soil temperature is between 5°C and 30°C.
How do I know when Cabbage are ready to harvest?
Head is firm and solid when squeezed. Outer leaves may begin to yellow or flare outward. Head has reached expected size for variety. Drum-like sound when tapped.
What are the best Cabbage varieties for Canberra?
Recommended varieties for the Cold / Highland zone include: January King, Savoy Perfection, Drumhead, Winter varieties.
What grows well with Cabbage?
Good companion plants for Cabbage include: Nasturtium, Dwarf Beans, Onion, Cucumber, Dill.
Are cabbage salt tolerant?
Only a little. Cabbage are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cold / Highland zone, Canberra is its reference city.