Cabbage Container Soil Mix
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
Cool-season brassica that forms tight heads in a fertile, moisture-retentive, near-neutral mix.
- Container:
- 5 gal fabric, one head per pot
- pH:
- 6–7
- EC:
- 1.5–2.5 mS/cm
- Sun:
- 6–8 hr
- Light:
- Full sun
Components
Percentages by volume. Quantities scaled for a 5-gallon container (US units).
| Component | % | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Quality potting mix Base structure, initial nutrients | 40% | 8 qt |
| Aged compost Microbial diversity | 25% | 5 qt |
| Vermicompost / Worm castings Nutrients, microbes, growth hormones | 15% | 3 qt |
| Coco coir (low-EC, buffered) CEC, moisture buffering | 10% | 2 qt |
| Perlite Drainage, aeration | 10% | 2 qt |
Per-container amendments
Scaled linearly to your container size. Apply at transplant or as side-dress per the notes on each line.
- Balanced organic fertilizer (4-4-4 / 5-5-5) Mix in at planting; side-dress at 4 inches and at head formation.3–5 tbsp
- Garden lime Lime to 6.5-7.0 if mix is acidic; clubroot suppression.1–2 tbsp
- Bone meal Slow phosphorus + calcium for solid heads.2–3 tbsp
Growing notes
- Start indoors at 60-70 F; higher start temps yield weak seedlings.
- 1 inch water per week is the target — sudden moisture surges split heads.
- Side-dress at ~4 inches tall and again as heads begin to form.
- Lean pH alkaline (6.5-7.0) to suppress clubroot; lime if base mix is acidic.
- Tolerates below-freezing temps late in growth; harvest before splitting.
- Rotate cabbage family out of the same container soil for 4 years.
Want to scale this to a different container size, save it to a plot plant, or track applied dates? Open it in the interactive calculator.
References
- Growing cabbage in home gardens — University of Minnesota Extension . University of Minnesota Extension
- Cabbage & Chinese Cabbage — Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC . Clemson HGIC