Sweet Winter Cabbage

[mensplace]

Normally in the winter I grow Flat Dutch cabbage throughout the winter. This year I have not been able to find the seed or plants anywhere. Anybody have ideas of a cabbage variety that is very large, makes tight heads, will grow throughout the winter, and is sweet. I figure that if I could grow 12 plants that would be plenty for the two of us. I planted some Bonnies Best, but its just not the same. What I'm seeking is something that is very sweet, good for all cabbage uses, and will produce heads in the eight pound range with tight heads that will stand up to winter freezes.

[Labradors2]

I googled Flat Dutch Cabbage seeds, and noticed that someone is selling them at Amazon.com.

HTH,
Linda

[kath]

When I Googled, the results showed cabbages referred to as either "Early Flat Dutch" or "Late Flat Dutch" and there were many sellers listed.

kath

[mensplace]

Thank you Kath. I too found those, but simply wondered, since I will have to order seed, if there may be other varieties that are considered better by those in cold climates used to overwintering cabbage, i.e. sweeter, less prone to problems or other benefits. Not many here do a lot of winter gardening.

[kath]

OK- I can't help with that. Spinach is the only annual that I overwinter.
kath

[mensplace]

That's a real shame with so many vegetables allowing gardening to go on for four seasons. We eat out of the garden throughout the year.

[kath]

Originally Posted by mensplace

That's a real shame with so many vegetables allowing gardening to go on for four seasons. We eat out of the garden throughout the year.

I live in an area that has cold winters- last year the ground was covered with snow from late fall to spring, so without a big $ investment for a setup like Eliot Coleman has and/or forcing ourselves to eat kale, we rely on cold storage, freezer, refrigerator and dehydrator and are able to continue to eat squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, shallots, garlic, herbs, carrots, beets, peas, sweet corn, strawberries, blueberries, apples, green beans, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, etc. in some form or other for most or all of the winter. Some things we just prefer to eat seasonally- we buy very little produce from the store. After the garden gets "put to bed" and all the leaf gathering/shredding is finished in late fall, I look forward to the break for a couple months. It gives me time to recharge and plan for the next year.