Hello Mid-Ohio Valley Farmers and Gardeners. Summer is here, if only for a few days. This second week of April feels more like June. It’s been a beautiful week as we look forward to the growing season for 2026. I see many gardeners preparing the soil as we get closer to Mother’s Day and the last chance of frost for our area which is around May 12.

If you’re completely new to vegetable gardening and want to enjoy your own homegrown produce this year, there are several things you can do to make your garden more successful. Choose raised beds and containers if you have clay soils. If you use containers, you can garden in any location and move the containers for optimal conditions. Select a site where your plants will get at least eight hours of sunlight.

Get a soil test. Soil testing is a free service here in West Virginia and the WVU Soils lab is open and ready to serve the people of the Mountain State. A soil test will tell you if your soil has deficiencies and if it is too acidic or alkaline.

Build organic matter with compost to correct many deficiencies. Start a compost heap with two parts “brown” materials such as leaves, straw, paper, sawdust to one part “green” materials such as vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, grass clippings and animal manures.

Choose easy-to-grow vegetables that your family enjoys. Five vegetables that thrive in cool conditions are radishes, peas, leaf lettuce, carrots and spinach. Heat-loving veggies that should be planted in warm soil are bush beans, summer squash and tomatoes.

Choose high-quality seed for your vegetable garden. Germination rates on the package should be 65 to 80 percent. The package also will tell you when to plant seeds, how long it will take them to germinate, depth of planting and spacing. Transplants are best for tomatoes, basil, eggplant and peppers. Check that they are stocky, deep green and not root bound in their container.

This week I want to discuss cabbage. Sauerkraut (German for soured cabbage) has been a staple for many generations in Europe and actually traces its roots to China. Remember folks, we survived for thousands of years before refrigeration.

Cabbage is from the family Cruciferae. The name comes from the Latin word meaning “cross”, because the flowers are cross shaped. The term “cole” is derived from the Latin word “caulis,” meaning stem or cabbage. This Latin root is also seen in the word “cauliflower,” which literally means “cabbage flower.”

Over time, the term “cole” became associated with any plant in the Brassica genus that resembled cabbage or had edible leaves, stems, or flowers.

Cabbage is a great addition to the spring garden. It loves cool weather and is tolerant of late spring frosts. This cool season vegetable is a cole crop and related to broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, kale and kohlrabi. It grows best with average temperatures between 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to the USDA, cabbage is the second most economical cooked vegetable in terms of price per edible cup (and a cup only has 24 calories). Only potatoes came out slightly less expensive.

Cabbage contains numerous flavonoids phenols which have demonstrated antioxidant activity. This is a major reason why research has linked cabbage intake to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Red and purple varieties of cabbage are available and contain event more phytonutrients. However, they take a little longer to mature and are usually shredded into salads or pickled.

Cabbage thrives in fertile, well-drained, moist soils with plenty of organic matter. Mulching around plants will help keep the ground cool and moist. It has a shallow root system so provide consistent and adequate water when needed; about 1 inch per week.

Soil pH should be maintained between 6.0 and 6.8 for optimum growth. This range of soil pH will maximize nutrient availability and discourage clubroot, a disease that occurs most often when cabbage is grown in more acidic soils with a pH lower than 6.0.

Direct seeding in the garden is not recommended for cabbage. Purchase disease free, strong and healthy transplants or start seeds indoors about 6 weeks before setting out in the garden. Space plants 12-16 inches apart in the row with 30 inches between rows. The closer the spacing, the smaller the heads.

Cabbage can easily be grown in containers or raised beds will mature in about 70 days. There are dozens of varieties available to gardeners. ‘Cheers’, ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ and ‘King Cole’ are some disease resistant varieties to select for the home garden.

The first line of defense against all insect pests and diseases of cole crops is crop rotation. Do not plant any cole crops in a spot occupied the previous year by the same family. Two or three-year rotations are even better.

Flea beetles and root maggots can cause serious damage to cole crops, chewing away the roots of young seedlings so they wilt and die. Covering beds or rows with floating row covers of spun-bonded polyester for the first month or more of growth will prevent attacks by both these pests. Clubroot is a soil-borne disease causing stunted plants which wilt even in moist soil. Raise the pH to 7.0 to 7.2 if this disease is a problem.

Insects including aphids and worms can be especially harmful to cool-season crops. Control them as they appear.

As cabbage heads mature, they become prone to splitting in response to heavy rainfall. To minimize head splitting, avoid late-season fertilization, provide adequate water throughout the growing season, and harvest heads as soon as they are firm.

Contact me with questions at the WVU Extension Office at 304 424 1960 or at jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu. Good Luck and until next time, Happy Gardening!

Question of the Week: Is it too soon to plant tomatoes?

Yes. Tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, squash and half runner beans (and other beans such as pole beans) are all warm season crops and should be planted after the frost-free date in our area.

That date is May 12th for the Mid-Ohio Valley, and I use Mother’s Day as a rule of thumb as the first day to set out transplants. You can still start seeds indoors for our warm season crops, especially if you want to plant a special variety of tomatoes or pepper not usually available in our local nurseries.