C is for Cabbage

My Flat Dutch and Red Acre cabbages this year are absolutely beautiful to look at -- talk about lush!  This is the first year that I've been successful with regular heading cabbage, although I've tried in the past and failed.  The best I've done is a pretty good crop of Michihili Chinese cabbage a few years ago, although they were about 1/2 the size of what I was expecting from the picture on the seed pack.  The trick I've found is having all the right tools -- grow light, greenhouse, extra early start date, and a nice mild spring. Oh, and rain helps. That's it!

From the beginning of January.....

to a few weeks later....

and even a few weeks later....

out to the garden on February 8th...

to these beauties today!

I side dressed them this past week with composted chicken manure.  I'm watching them to see if they will start forming the heads, and it appears that they are starting to grow together there in the center. What do you think?  Here's hoping!

The red cabbage are not quite as big as the flat Dutch cabbage plants, but they sure are pretty!

We had a little rain this morning and I told my 5 year old granddaughter, KT, that this is where fairies take their baths....she was very interested!  She went around looking for more fairy baths, which is a good way to get children excited about gardening! ha!