Harvest
When to harvest cabbage
The short answer
A cabbage is ready once it has formed a firm head of the size you want. Cut through the stem just above the ground with a sharp knife. With spring and summer cabbages, score a 1cm deep cross in the stump and it should grow a second, smaller head.
With spring, summer, autumn and winter types, there is a cabbage for almost every month. They all share one sign of readiness, and one trick that gets you two heads from one plant.
When it's ready in the UK
RHS says a mix of spring, summer, autumn and winter varieties can give cabbages all year, with four to six months from sowing to maturity. Spring cabbages can also be picked early as loose leaves, the spring greens.
| Window | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring cabbage: sow indoorsJuly to August | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: yes | August: yes | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Spring cabbage: plant outSeptember to October | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: yes | October: yes | November: no | December: no |
| Spring cabbage: harvestMarch to May | January: no | February: no | March: yes | April: yes | May: yes | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Summer and autumn cabbage: sow indoorsFebruary to April | January: no | February: yes | March: yes | April: yes | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Summer and autumn cabbage: plant outApril to June | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: yes | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Summer and autumn cabbage: harvestJune to February | January: yes | February: yes | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: yes | July: yes | August: yes | September: yes | October: yes | November: yes | December: yes |
| Savoy (winter): sow indoorsFebruary to April | January: no | February: yes | March: yes | April: yes | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Savoy (winter): sow outsideApril to June | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: yes | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Savoy (winter): plant outApril to July | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: yes | May: yes | June: yes | July: yes | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Savoy (winter): harvestAugust to March | January: yes | February: yes | March: yes | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: yes | September: yes | October: yes | November: yes | December: yes |
Months from Vercro's crop catalogue, the data the Vercro app plans with. It allows about 10 to 17 weeks from sowing to the first harvest. Weather, variety and where you garden move every one of these.
125 UK gardeners had recorded cabbage in Vercro by 19 September 2026. What Vercro gardens are growing.
How to tell it's ready
- A firm head of the size you want.(RHS)
- Spring cabbage: loose leaves as greens, or firm hearts.(Garden Organic)
How to harvest
- Cut through the stem just above ground level with a sharp knife.(RHS)
- Spring and summer cabbages: score a 1cm deep cross in the stump and it should produce a second, smaller cabbage.(RHS)
- Take every other cabbage along the row first, so the rest have room to grow on.(RHS)
- When the crop is finished, dig out the stumps to deter the spread of brassica diseases.(RHS)
What moves the date
- Which type you sowed: spring, summer, autumn or winter.(RHS)
If you leave it too long
- Mature cabbages can stand for a few weeks, but will eventually deteriorate.(RHS)
After picking
- In the fridge, a cabbage keeps at least a week.(RHS)
- Some winter cabbages store for several months somewhere cool, dry and frost-free.(RHS)
- For storing, harvest firm red and white winter cabbages before the first frost.(Garden Organic)
Keep a record of what each bed gave
Log what you pick, and how much, bed by bed. Vercro keeps the record, so next year you know what worked where, and Today shows what your crops need next.
Keep going
Where this comes from
Crop windows, growing times and plant families come from Vercro's own curated crop catalogue, the same data the Vercro app uses. Where a published source says something different, we show both rather than choosing the convenient one. Reviewed 19 September 2026.
- How to grow Cabbages, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Cabbage - spring, Garden Organic. Read 19 September 2026.
- Harvesting and storing vegetables, Garden Organic. Read 19 September 2026.