Chinese cabbage

When to plant/sow in zone:

Requirements: Full sun position, soil temperatures between 10 and 20 degrees celsius

Soil: Prepare soil by weeding, and digging through compost and well-rotted manure. Add lime or dolomite if pH is less than 6.5.

How to start: SEED: Sow direct in the ground, 6mm deep. Keep moist. Germinates in 7-21 days. SEEDLING: Space seedlings 40cm apart, in rows 60cm apart. Water in and mulch with straw.

How to grow: Keep moist and mulched with straw. Water consistently and deeply, particularly when fruit are forming. Keep mulched. Apply seaweed solution or liquid fertiliser fortnightly. Apply organic fertiliser pellets monthly. Apply sulfate of potash when flowers start appearing. Plants will need supporting with stakes or a trellis. Protect plants with shadecloth in warmer weather.

When to harvest: Harvest from 8-10 weeks after sowing. Harvest outside leaves from non-heading varieties by cutting at ground level with a sharp knive. Allow heading varieties to fully develop before cutting the entire plant at ground level.

Troubleshooting: Cabbage white butterfly; cabbage moth; aphids; slugs and snails; bolting