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Autumn/Winter Cabbages

Hello. I hope everyone is having a great day, dreary here!

So I already have my spring cabbages in the garden- Cour Di Bue, Greyhound, and Early Flat Dutch. I'm expecting those to crop throughout June based on their DTM. I have a question relating to autumn cabbages however. Many people recommend to start autumn cabbages in July, transplanting in August for a harvest before the first autumn frost, here mid October. These are generally the standard cabbage varieties you would grow in spring.

Many OTHERS recommend to start a very late season cabbage (Premium late flat Dutch for example, 100+ dtm) in late spring, say May or June, and to let them grow all summer long to crop before the first fall frost.

I would very much like to do the latter, as the late season varieties, as I'm told, are often better for storage, and also much bigger (some measuring in 10-16#). This is ideal to me, being a big cabbage eater.

My question is, would this be possible with our summer heat here in Arkansas? I can normally get cool weather crops to continue until after the summer solstice or early July before the heat really gets to them (as in 90+ degree days the normal, triple digits not uncommon). The heat usually persists through August. It sounds like a lot, but the cabbages wouldn't likely head until the end of August or early Sept., and normally heavy rains aren't really common then to split heads, and the weather is beginning to cool significantly by then.

About the autumn equinox our garden begins to get very shaded, though not enough to have an impact on growth until early Oct. I would like to aim to have harvestable cabbages by Sept. 26, which seems a good date considering the end of Sept. is when chances of frost begin and the garden shade (though late Sept. frosts are rare.), and the weather cooling. I've also read to wind the dtm back a couple weeks before the average first frost for autumn crops due to lessening day length and cooler weather, so again an ideal date all things considering.

Is this a good idea? If the heat is too much I can always use a shade cloth.



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