Was this thru the Bonnie Plants program? Just asking because when my daughter was in grade school, I got her teacher to sign up for the free cabbage plant contest thru Bonnie Plants. I believe they got OH Cross variety?

I have grown Late Flat Dutch for years and other varieties also. How big a cabbage gets will depend on variety, nutrients and pest control. Variety is the biggest factor. No matter how hard you try, you will not get a BIG cabbage on a small variety (Golden Acre). Nor a big cabbage on a small plant.

Cabbage is a heavy feeder of nitrogen. If your soil is poor in nitrogen you will know. Commercially cabbage in the field is almost a blue-green color in appearance. Feed them with some sort of fertilizer for best growth results.

You say you got the plant a couple of months ago? I do hope you planted it out and it is not still in the pot it arrived in and thus rootbound.

Please do watch for insect issues (cabbage looper, imported cabbage worm). Children loose interest in a cabbage contest when their cabbage looks like swiss cheese if full of holes from these chewing pests. Bt (Thuricide, Dipel) works wonders for control and is very safe since it is a dead bacteria in suspension. When growing just a few cabbage, you could mix it in a mister bottle and mist the leaves once a week and you will get good control against these pests.

Have fun with the contest and I hope your son wins the prize!

Thank you! How do I know when it's at its biggest to cut and take pictures?

Do you have to cut it? Why not take pictures while it is in the ground? Cabbages will grow for many months and flower the following spring.

Many cabbage varieties will split if grown too long. Often the best way for me to tell is when they do not seem to be growing bigger in size, the leaf color starts to go to a lighter green and the lower branches are drooping . Not so scientific but it works for me. Cabbage can be picked over a long period of time so the harvest window is long (except for golden acre and a few others that split as soon as they reach their full size).

large late season cabbages such as you have can be grown well into fall before harvesting. I have set out Late Flat Dutch plants that I grew in the cold frame and harvested in September for a full 30 days (as needed).

I often wish I had cabbage for October, but plants I line out in May are always done before then. I suppose I should just direct seed some in the garden in mid- late June for a later fall crop.

O S Cross is a midseason (80day). Flat Dutch like most of the late season storage types need over a 100 days. When the head gets quite hard it will cease growing. O S Cross resists splitting, but since it matures in summer, it will rot or staring sprouting side heads when overmature.

Farmer dill also in Alaska (I lived there) is ideal for Cole crops and peas because the days that go above 80 are few