Black cabbage is also known as palm cabbage in many places. Here you will learn everything from planting to caring for and harvesting that special cabbage.
Black Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia) is becoming more and more popular. And rightly so: it is easy to grow at home, its leaves not only taste good but also look very good and it is also a real superfood. Good reasons, then, to grow black cabbage in your garden. With us you will learn everything you need to know about the origin, choice of variety, cultivation, care, harvest and use of the bluish-green super cabbage.
Black cabbage - also called palm cabbage - is actually a vegetable of its own. Because of its close relationship to kale (Brassica oleracea convar. sabellica), it is often referred to as cabbage. Both belong to the cruciferous family (Brassicaceae). In the garden, black cabbage is a popular autumn vegetable with many great ingredients such as iron, various vitamins and minerals. Due to the beautiful and large leaves, it is also often used as an ornamental plant or placed in the perennial border. And the black cabbage is not only good for eating or for decoration: In the past, even the woody shoots of the plant are said to have been used for walking sticks.
Black cabbage: origin and properties
Although many like to conflate black cabbage and kale, black cabbage is probably the older of the two and even the ancestor of kale and Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera). Palm cabbage was already cultivated in Roman times and cabbage is still enjoyed today, especially in Italy. Traditionally, this type of cabbage is grown in northern Italy - especially in Tuscany. Black cabbage has been forgotten more and more over the years and has only recently regained popularity.
The biennial plant can grow up to three meters high and usually blooms in the second year from May to August with light yellow flowers. In our climate, however, this is extremeRare. Unlike kale, black cabbage is not frost hardy. Its leaves are reminiscent of savoy cabbage (Brassica oleracea convar. capitata var. sabauda), are 60 - 80 centimeters long and dark to black-green. They are slightly rolled down and are therefore vaguely reminiscent of the leaves of palm trees, which is probably where the name palm cabbage comes from. Because of its origin, it is also called Italian cabbage, Tuscan cabbage or Cavolo Nero.
Black cabbage varieties
The different types of black cabbage differ mainly in the time of harvest and in taste. The classic palm cabbage varieties are:
- 'Nero di Toscana': This variety is characterized above all by its mild taste. The leaves are blue to black-green.
- 'Negro Romano': Translated the "Black Roman". This variety is frost hardy and is used more as an ornamental plant.
- 'Palmizio Senza Testa': This Italian variety can be harvested particularly quickly.
- 'Black Magic': This hybrid variety trumps with its particularly high yield.
You can read more about the variety of black cabbage in our special article.
Buy black cabbage: you should pay attention to this
When buying black cabbage, you have to decide whether you want to use seeds or save yourself the trouble of growing them yourself and buy young plants that have already been grown. Seeds are slightly cheaper, but also involve more work and risk. No matter what you choose, you should definitely choose the variety of palm cabbage consciously. Because this determines the appearance, cultivation and harvest time of your black cabbage. In the case of young plants, you should also pay attention to the he alth of the plantlets. These must not show any frost damage or other signs of pests or diseases. Seeds and young plants for black cabbage can be found in hardware stores, in garden centers or nurseries and of course also on the Internet.
Grow black cabbage
When growing your own palm cabbage, there are a few things to consider so that your efforts are rewarded with a rich harvest. We'll tell you everything about the right time to sow seeds, the ideal location and the correct procedure for sowing and planting black cabbage.
When to sow black cabbage?
The time to sow black cabbage depends on whether you want to sow it directly in the bed or prefer small plants in the warmer weather.
DecideIf you decide to sow directly in the garden, you must wait until it is certain that there is no more frost. The rule of thumb here is to wait until after the ice saints in mid-May.
Pull your palm cabbage in the cold frame under glass, in the greenhouse or on the windowsill so you can start earlier. The best time to do this is from March. Black cabbage starts to germinate at temperatures above 2 °C, the optimal germination temperature is 16 °C.
The last possible time to sow palm cabbage before winter is at the beginning of July. Then you can be sure of being able to harvest black cabbage before winter.
An overview of the ideal time for sowing black cabbage:
- In the cold frame/on the windowsill from March
- In the garden bed from mid-May
- Germination temperature 2 °C
- Last possible sowing date: beginning of July
The perfect location for growing black cabbage
Black cabbage likes a partially shaded to full sun location, which should also be sheltered from the wind. The soil for growing palm cabbage should be rich in nutrients and deep. Black cabbage thrives best at a neutral to slightly alkaline pH, between 6.5 and 8.
"Location requirements of black cabbage at a glance:
- Semi-shady to sunny
- Sheltered
- Nutrient-rich and deep soil pH value: 6.5 - 8
Tip: To avoid diseases such as clubroot, it is advisable to wait three to four years before growing cabbage at the same location again.
Procedure for growing black cabbage
Black cabbage is a heavy feeder and is particularly happy about a lot of nutrients in the soil. Therefore, it is advisable to enrich the soil with compost or organic slow-release fertilizer before growing palm cabbage. For this we recommend our Plantura organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effect. If your soil is rather acidic, it can also be useful to work lime into the soil during preparation to raise the pH value. If you prefer your black cabbage, then it is pricked out at the dicot stage and placed in small pots. You can then plant the young plants in the bed after four to six weeks.
Draw seed furrows one and a half centimeters deep when sowing directly in the bed. The planting distance should be about 50 x 50 centimeters. This means you may need to thin out your palm cabbage seedlings after they have sprouted.
Black cabbage can also be grown as a container plant or in raised beds. As a container plant, the palm cabbage is mobile and also has a high ornamental value due to its unusual leaves.
Procedure for growing black cabbage:
- Enrich soil with compost or organic slow-release fertilizer
- Lime if necessary
- Prick out early plants and plant out after 4 - 6 weeks
- Direct sowing in the bed at 1.5 cm seeding depth
- Planting distance 50 x 50 cm
- Cast on
- If necessary, thin out after rising
Tip: Plant your black cabbage in mixed cultivation. The following rule applies: do not plant black cabbage at the same time as other cabbage in the immediate vicinity, as this encourages pests. Suitable bed neighbors for palm cabbage are spinach (Spinacia oleracea), Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris ) or celery (Apium graveolens). Another good mixed culture is black cabbage with a clover undersown.
You can find more information about growing black cabbage in the garden here.
Care for Black Cabbage
Although palm cabbage is considered to be fairly easy to care for, there are still a few things you can do to support your black cabbage. The first thing to do is to water it regularly. In addition, the bed should be kept free of weeds. Regular hoeing in the bed stimulates mineralization and loosens the soil. You can also pile up the soil around the cabbage plants to protect the stems from pests. Plant protection nets can be attached as further protection against unwanted pests, such as the cabbage fly.
As a heavy feeder, black cabbage is also dependent on regular fertilizer application. We recommend an organic fertilizer that is environmentally friendly and resource-friendly. For example, our Plantura organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effect provides optimal nutrients for the palm cabbage.
If you want to overwinter your black cabbage, frost protection is essential. In contrast to kale, palm kale is not hardy and must therefore be protected from the cold. To do this, it is best to cover it with fleece.
Harvesting and storing black cabbage
Black cabbage grows very quickly and is ready for harvest just two months after sowing. It is always harvested from the bottom up. So break off the largest leaves at the bottom of the cabbage stalk.The top rosette of leaves remains. This means that the harvest can be carried out regularly and the cabbage keeps growing. Palm cabbage does not need frost to develop its full aroma. So you can harvest it all summer long into early winter.
After harvesting, it is best to keep the black cabbage in the refrigerator. There it stays fresh for a few days. Alternatively, you can blanch the fresh palm cabbage and then freeze it. Another method of preserving black cabbage is drying. Refined with spices and oil, delicious cabbage chips are created.
Black cabbage: uses and ingredients
Black cabbage can be used in the kitchen in a similar way to savoy cabbage. Young leaves are also great raw in salads or green smoothies. Palm cabbage is also popular in Tuscan winter stews. It is also an ingredient in the famous Portuguese soup Caldo Verde.
Black cabbage is a true local superfood: it is full of protein, iron and fibre. In addition, the vegetables have a very good amino acid composition that is comparable to that of meat. Black cabbage is also full of good vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A and C, calcium and potassium, and iron.
If you would like to delve even deeper into the colorful world of cabbage, then you can read on here about how multifaceted cabbage can be.