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Cole Crops

What are Cole Crops?

Cole crops include brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and kale. All belong to the Brassica, or mustard, family, and are descendants of wild cabbage. As a group, cole crops are usually nutritional powerhouses and packed with vitamins and minerals.

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Cole Crop Seeds for Sale from Gurney's

Cole crops are rewarding to grow in the home garden. At Gurney's, we are always on the lookout for the best varieties of cole plants like cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale and cabbage for home gardeners. Every year, we grow cole crops in our test gardens and select the varieties that represent the best in garden performance, disease resistance, yields and flavor.

Choosing the Right Cole Plants

Cole crops are cool season crops often grown in the spring and fall gardens. They're packed with vitamins and minerals and considered nutritional powerhouses. When choosing cole crops to grow in your garden, first consider your garden space. Like other vegetable plants, they like well-drained soil rich in organic matter and full sun, or 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. Their space requirements vary greatly. For instance, Brussels sprouts require 3-4 ft. between plants while cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower need up to 2 ft. Kale and kohlrabi plants do not take up as much space. Finally, consider what cole crops you like to eat! It's always more fun to grow vegetables you really love to eat.

Cole Crop Seed Packets: Getting the Most out of Your Purchase

Because cole crops do not grow particularly well in hot weather, timing when you plant cole crops is key. Your cole crop seed packets will have instructions on when to plant and the days to harvest on it. Use this information and a calendar to plan your planting.

  • When Should You Plant Cole Crops?

    Cole crops thrive in cooler weather and are often planted in the spring and fall gardens. Most can withstand a light frost. Some cole crops, like cabbage seeds, broccoli seeds, kohlrabi seeds and kale seeds, are well-suited for planting in both spring and fall gardens. Because the flavor of Brussels sprouts improves with a light frost, Brussels sprouts seeds, along with cabbage seeds, are usually planted for the fall harvest.

  • Where Should You Plant Cole Crop Seeds?

    Cole crops like cabbage seed, Brussels sprouts seed, broccoli seed and cauliflower seed are often started indoors and transplanted to the garden. Kohlrabi seed and kale seed are often sown directly into the garden. Choose a sunny location in the garden where cole crops haven't grown for the past few years. Like other vegetables, cole crops perform best in well-drained soil.

  • How do You Grow and Care for Cole Crops?

    Mulching around the cole crop plants and between rows helps suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil. Most cole crops have shallow roots that can be damaged if cultivated too closely to the plants.

  • Cabbageworms are usually the biggest pest threat to cole crops. To prevent major damage, monitor your plants closely and treat plants when the worms are small. Green Step II Caterpillar Control can be used on cole crop plants up to the day of harvest.

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