Thursday, June 9, 2011

Growing cabbage once again.

Cabbage is not too difficult to grow in tropical climates. I can safely say that because I had gone through the whole process last year in Putrajaya. Early this year I saw hybrid cabbage seeds which mentioned specifically it's suitability to be grown in hot climate, I quickly purchased a packet.

The seeds went through three different pots.  I did it that way for convenience, and it suits their need on space. Baby cabbage doesn't need 12 inch pot to start with!
  • 2 inch pot: germination - up to 4  leaves
  • 4 inch pot: first transplant - up to 6 leaves
  • 12 inch pot: second transplant - til harvest.

April 2011
The four cabbages were fine in shallow pots... It's a short sun exposure. After midday, they bath in full sunlight for 3 hours, then slowly reduced, as the sun meandered through trees at the far end.

cabbage still a baby in 2 inch pot, 14.4.2011
cabbage in 4 inch pot , 25.4. 2011
May 2011
they are placed at the railings of side balcony. sun exposure is still 3 hours a day.

cabbage in 4 inch pot,  5.5. 2011

Early June 2011
Now cabbage heads are forming. They are placed at different location with   6 hours sun exposure. Whoever come to house will not miss them.
Because the leaves are large, overflowing the pots, people are asking " what's those, are they kale?"
"No, cabbage"
"What, cabbage can grow here?"


all the four cabbages in 12 inch pots, 8.6.2011

The last time we grew cabbages in Putrajaya, it took 4 months from seeds to harvest. So we are expecting a decent harvest in the middle of August. In the meantime Kakdah had just germinated the rest of the seeds.  A quick check today shows 30 little cabbage seedlings growing happily. Seeing them grow through the stages over 4 months is fun.

29 comments:

  1. It's strange knowing you struggle with cabbage which to us is easy - as long as you keep away the pigeons and caterpillars - and then read about the exotic plants that you grow and we can only dream of growing,

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  2. Your cabbage looks very good. Mine gets eaten by various insects. I want to try to grow some here in the fall, which I am told is the better growing season for cabbage here in Virginia USA. Happy gardening!

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  3. wow..love it..I admire you doing this gardening i miss my life before:(

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  4. Beautiful cabbages! Nice to see the growth over time. I enjoy growing vegetables in pots, it allows you to move them for more sun or shelter as needed, and they seem less prone to insects.

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  5. teruja dgn info bang chik pasal kobis... Maria pun cuba tanam... lepas tu 3 hari pergi bercuti kobis Maria layu terus... langsung hari tak hujan... sedihnya... nasib baik tak mati... lepas siram semula ok... tp pokok nampak kurus tak gebu mcm sebelum tu... :(

    bang chik bole bagi tip tak mcm mana nak tinggalkan pokok klu pegi bercuti ?... harap sudi membantu...

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  6. ~Sue@Green Lane Allotments
    Thanks. No pigeons around here.., and butterflies seem to like lemon tree to lay eggs. So far, cabbage is safe.

    ~Jeanne
    Good luck to your cabbage growing. It should thrive in your weather. Over here we have to play tricks with weather on temperate plants.

    ~teJan
    Gardening is fun...., aha, at least we appreciate the existence of the many living things on earth. Some are supportive and yet some are combative. Plants and insects are replicas of human existence.

    ~Rebecca @ In The Garden
    Its versatile, this growing plants in pots. An effort to put ornamental elements within vegetable growing.... We keep shifting pots to suit the sun exposure needs and the overall aesthetic level composed by Kakdah.. aha.

    ~bangchik and kakdah

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  7. ~ejaMaria
    Tahniah kerana dah cuba tanam kobis. Ada banyak cara nak handle tanaman bila bercuti.

    1. Pesan pada jiran.
    2. Gaji orang untuk jaga tanaman
    3. letak timba berisi air tepi pasu, kemudian sambungkan ke pasu dengan tali guni. Air meresap slowly ke pasu. Lebih kurang macam pelita raya je.
    4. Guna pam dan timer.... mini fertigasi. Kalau nak kita boleh supply....

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  8. Read yr comment to maria "kalau nak kita bole supply"...hehe, saya pulak yg rasa berminat..

    I started experimenting with vege plants about 3-4 months before (i was inspired by you, hehe)...tp hasilnya kurang memberangsangkan..mungkin kurang jagaan yg sempurna as u did with all yr vege plants..i think i need a helper; mini fertigation...saya selalu miss siram pokok, bagi baja, jadi pokok2 saya not as healthy as yours..its time for me to be innovative pulak..hehe, i like all yr entry..always provide me with some ideas :)

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  9. The cabbages look like ornamental plant! SO big and beautiful! My first try with cabbage was not big as urs!
    30 seedling? wow!

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  10. So nice to see healthy cabbage plants. I have not had much success with them, but now I'll follow your method.

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  11. Looks like you are getting a great start.

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  12. ~AyuKirana
    About mini fertigation, we are working on a new product. It will be introduced to the public in conjunction to IGEM 2011 (International Greentech and Eco-products Malaysia)to be held at KLCC 7-10 September 2011. You can get it there....

    ~Malar
    Congratulations for having a go at growing cabbage. It's satisfying to see the end result, regardless of the size.
    What's in our garden right now is 4 as shown, and 30 new seedlings.

    ~lotusleaf
    Good luck to cabbage growing. It would be best to have lot of seedlings and put them in pots at various location just to understand their likings and dislikes.


    ~Comeca Jones
    So far so good, hopefully they stay healthy til harvest.

    Cheers, happy gardening.
    ~bangchik and kakdah - Tanah Merah Kelantan

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  13. We seem to have some pretty determined worms that love cabbage around here.

    But I still love fresh cabbage.

    Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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  14. Too pretty to eat! What is your favorite cabbage recipe?

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  15. ~Muddy Boot Dreams
    No worms the last time we grew cabbage in Putrajaya. I hope Tanah Merah is alright too...

    ~Bootjack Gardener
    Fried version is Kakdah's favourite. Another local delicacy is "masak lemak". We seldom take cabbage fresh as salad...

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  16. Your cabbage looks bug free. Which is good.

    I need to find a way to keep my spinach from being so holy(?)

    Wholey..like holes in them kind of wholey.

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  17. Great Effort! We too grow cabbages n cauliflowers during the winter months here. They seem to flourish. We have to ensure that monkeys stay away n don't eat them during that time.

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  18. ~ZZ
    Keep veggies close to the house, pests wont come near...


    ~Ever Green Tree
    I am glad we dont have monkeys nearby.

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  19. I visited Kota Baru last Saturday, and passed by Tanah Merah.

    I told my, " I have a friend staying here."

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  20. Bangchik, you have inspired me to start growing cabbage again! I have failed miserably before, will try again soon! Hope your cabbages will grow healthy and big!

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  21. Not difficult to grow for green fingers. Not me- what colour are my fingers? haha.
    Oh they all look very healthy.

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  22. ~rainfield61
    You should have given me a tinkle, as soon as you pass through "gertak panje Tanah Merah".

    ~kitchen flavours
    Good luck with the next attempt with cabbage.

    ~milka
    Keep trying milka, who knows the next attempt will give you the biggest cabbage! Anyway, it's four month from seeds to harvest.

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  23. Okay..thank you.

    Next time I try and grow some stuff I will keep that in mind.

    Someone mentioned to me once about cayenne pepper. Like an organic way to keep the bugs away.

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  24. bang chik, kat mana Maria bole rujuk tentang mini fertigasi tu... kos mahal tak... nak tau juga... sbb klu ikut cadangan Bang Chik utk no.1 dan no.2... mmg tak buat la... no.3 Maria pernah guna tapi bila balik tengok tali guni tu kering je... terus tak paham kenapa kaedah tu tak berjaya...
    mini fertigasi mmg tak tahu langsung info dia... so mmg kena cari...

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  25. ZZ ~ I have not tried pepper as deterrent yet. I suppose, its pepper spray yea?

    ejaMaria ~ tunggu 7-10 September waktu IGEM 2011 (International Greentech and Eco-product Malaysia 2011 di KLCC. Ada produk yang Maria sedang cari disana. Bangchik ada disana juga nanti.

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  26. No not pepper spray. Like cayenne pepper. For some reason, I was told that it keeps bugs away..or maybe it was slugs.

    It keeps bad pests away organically.

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  27. zz
    ~ ok, you are suggesting pepper as companion to veggies. That sounds good, but over here chili plants themselves are easy preys to aphids and "kutu terip". I guess when you said pepper, it refers to chili.. yea?

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  28. No, not pepper. cayenne pepper is like salt and pepper. like to flavor your food.

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  29. ZZ
    ~ ok, understood. I never grow pepper. May start soon...

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