Can you grow a cabbage in a bag? Yes, you can! Growing cabbages in bags is easy, as long as you don’t crowd them. It’s actually a good idea to grow them in bags if you’re short on space, have poor soil, or just don’t want to plant them in the ground.
Growing from seeds
While it’s easier to grow any plants from seedlings, you could prefer to grow from seeds. The best seeds to grow are hybrid seeds because they give better yield and are genetically resistant to many diseases. If you’re growing from seeds, ensure that you plant them in seed trays first, preferably 2 to 3 seeds per section. Cabbage seeds germinate within 7-15 days depending on weather and moisture levels. Once they have germinated, they need to have at least 5 true leaves before you can transplant them. Always use seedlings that have straight and thick stocks. This will help you ensure that you can harvest bigger and healthier cabbages.
Your soil needs to be well-drained and nutrient-rich. Add a layer of soil at the very bottom of your bag followed by a layer of compost. Add another layer of soil over the compost. Ensure that the top ‘growing’ layer is nutrient-rich by mixing 60% soil with 20% compost and 20% sand, bone meal, and an organic fungicide.
You can make your own compost using garden waste which can include dry leaves and grass, or kitchen waste which includes anything from the fruit cores, peels, vegetable scraps as well as eggshells. The waste will slowly decompose over time and will provide the cabbage with much-needed nutrition during the final stages of growth.
Your bags need to be big enough for the cabbages to grow big because they grow very dense roots. Furthermore, if you want your cabbages to thrive you need to ensure that your bags are spaced out otherwise, it can restrict the growth of the cabbages. Place your bags where your cabbages can get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight.
Dig a hole in the middle of the bag and plant the seedling without harming the young roots. After planting, add a slow-release fertilizer of N:P:K ratio 12:12:12. Water the plants until water drains at the bottom once or twice a week. Overwatering and underwatering can cause the head to split.
After 2 months your cabbage leaves should have formed and you should also be able to see a head forming in the center. After 3-months your cabbage head should be bigger and the leaves covering the bags. Your cabbages should be ready for harvest within 5 months.
Your cabbages should be ready for harvest by 4 months. But, do not leave them longer than 5 months because their heads start to split.
Cabbages are extremely vulnerable to pests. You should check your plants every now and then especially under the leaves for pests such as worms, maggots, caterpillars, and beetles. They can easily be controlled by spraying fungicide particularly, organic fungicide such as Neem oil. Keep the soil moist but not soggy and avoid watering the top of the plant. For best results grow your cabbages in full sun. If you grow them in the shade you will only get leaves and not a head.