Brassica
Red Cabbage
Brassica oleracea (Capitata, Rubra)
Glossy purple drum — slaws, sauerkraut and Christmas red cabbage.
Full sun
Regular
Rich, firm
Easy
Yes
Head
Biennial
Hardy
15 L
25 cm
Herb
Chives
Chives deter cabbage moths, flea beetles, and diamondback moths that devastate red cabbage crops.
Allium
Garlic
Garlic's allicin compounds repel cabbage moths, flea beetles, and root maggots that devastate red cabbage crops.
Herb
Rosemary
Rosemary's volatile oils repel cabbage moths and other brassica pests while its deep roots avoid competing with cabbage's shallow nutrient uptake.
Situations where this plant is a reliable fit — from someone's kitchen sill to a wind-blown rooftop.
Balcony
A few pots on a flat outdoor perch — some sun, some wind.
Grow bag
Cheap flexible bag, 20–40 L — hungry crops with big roots love these.
Reused bucket
A salvaged 10–20 L bucket with drainage holes — a proper productive pot for very little cost.
Raised bed
A traditional plot or timber-sided bed — deepest root run, widest planting choice.
Water jar
A jam jar of water on the sill — no soil at all. Regrow from kitchen scraps.
Root in water, transfer to soil
14 days
★★☆☆☆
Yes
How to do it
Same as cabbage — water-root the core.
What to expect
Pretty purple-tinged loose leaves; no head.
Honest note
Visually the most striking of the cabbage regrows.
Where to source
Get growing in United Kingdom
Shop local first
The best plants come from a real nursery, and the best trowel comes from the old-fashioned ironmonger down the road — people who know their stock and can advise. Try local first, both for the plant and the kit. It keeps small growers and small hardware shops alive.
Searching near London
For pots, compost, seed trays, twine and other kit — Amazon has the essentials if the local option isn't right. Not a plant nursery; use the local map above for the plant itself.
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