Cabbage Golden Acre
Golden Acre is the quintessential summer cabbage. From a spring sowing, it produces tight round heads by mid-summer, that are equally at home in coleslaw or autumnal roast.
Do bear in mind that they are a magnet for cabbage white butterflies in the summer so it's essential to protect them with netting.
Time from seed to plate: 16 weeks
Sowing Calendar
Sow
Sow seeds in march or april - the earlier the better. Gutters filled with compost are a very convenient way of sowing, because they warm up quickly, encouraging speedy germination, but a seed bed also works well.
Create a groove about 1/2 inch deep in gutter/seed bed and sow the seeds leaving 1-2 inches between each one. Cover with compost/soil, firm and water gently. When seedlings emerge thin them to leave 3 inches between each plant.
Sowing method: Gutters
Grow
Move the seedlings to their final growing positions about one month after sowing. Gently dig up seed bed sown plants or separate out gutter sown plants with a trowel and plant individually in your plot leaving 2ft between plants.
Use some organic slug killer to deter slugs/snails, and remove any caterpillars when you see them.
Harvest
Harvest from July onwards once your cabbages look well formed. Cut them off with a sharp knife.
Cut carefully and you can get a bonus crop of 'spring greens' from your plants as well. Just cut the main stem a little higher, so a few of the outer leaves are left on it and cut a cross into the exposed part of the stem.