My cabbage has been growing and growing -- dominating more than its alotted square foot in my raised bed -- but it hasn't been looking like cabbage. I was wondering if maybe I planted a non-heading variety. And then I happened upon a post over at Modern Victory Garden that said her savoyed cabbage has large exterior whorl leaves that are just turning inward to become heads.
And I thought two things: "I didn't plant the wrong type of cabbage" and "I have savoyed cabbage." Well, one out of two isn't bad ... I planted the right cabbage but it isn't savoyed. Apparently savoyed refers to the crinkled leaves found on winter cabbages.
I looked up my seeds online. My parel cabbages have blue green wrapper leaves (check) that protect the white-leaved head core (not yet.) My cabbages are growing slowly -- as I am pretty sure they are getting close to the 50 days advertised on the packet. Maybe it is the cool weather.
Or maybe it is my spacing. When I read that they produced 6 inch heads I thought: "I can put 4 in a square foot." I knew nothing of wrapper leaves or how a cabbage grows. I think in the future I will give my 6 inch cabbage a full foot to grow in. Right now three are duking it out for growing rights -- and the nearby marigolds, beets, and spinach are trying not to be overwhelmed.
