The best varieties of cabbage

More than 400 varieties and hybrids are listed in the State Register of Breeding Achievements. The choice is large, it is important to take into account a lot of nuances. For example, the ripening period – the purpose of cabbage often depends on this: early and mid-ripening ones usually go for cabbage soup or sourdough, and later ones are intended for winter storage.

It is also important to pay attention to the resistance of heads of cabbage to cracking and disease. Yes, and the region of admission should be considered.

Rating of the top 20 best varieties of cabbage according to KP 

We divided all varieties of cabbage according to the main criterion – the ripening period.

Super food

Ultra-early cabbage is especially useful immediately from the garden. It can be eaten already at the end of May – beginning of June, if you sow the seeds on the site in a hotbed under the film literally, as soon as the snow melts or even on the thaw. After all, cabbage is cold-resistant. There are not so many similar varieties and hybrids; they are harvested after 65-100 days from germination (1). They are not processed, stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

1. Garden head

Domestic variety. Ripens 85 – 100 days. Heads of cabbage are round, dense, yellowish on the cut, weighing 1,1 – 1,5 kg, good taste (2). Productivity – 2,1 – 3,4 kg 1 sq. m. 

Recommended for the Central region.

2. Express

Domestic, relatively new hybrid. Ripens 60 – 95 days. Heads are small, round, medium density, whitish on the cut, weighing 0,9 – 1,3 kg, excellent taste (2). The stem is short. Productivity – 3,3 – 3,9 kg per 1 sq. m.  

Suitable for the Central and Central Black Earth regions.

3. June

Domestic variety, and quite old – it was bred in 1967. And the name was given to him not by chance – young cabbages can be plucked for food at the end of June, if you grow cabbage through seedlings – they ripen 92 – 100 days. Heads are dense, rounded, weighing 0,9 – 2,4 kg, good taste (2). Stump of medium length. Productivity – 3,6 – 6,4 kg per 1 sq. m. 

Suitable for all regions.

4. Transfer

domestic hybrid. Ripens 96 – 100 days. The head of cabbage is dense, rounded, greenish-white on the cut, weighing 0,8 – 1,5 kg, good taste (2). The stem is short. Recommended for eating fresh. Productivity – 2,2 – 3,8 kg per 1 sq. m. 

Suitable for all regions except the North.

Early

This cabbage is eaten fresh in salads, less often stewed and put in soup. It should also be sown for seedlings in the spring, in March-April, so that it is ready in the summer. Heads of cabbage are removed on 101 – 120 days after full shoots (1). 

5. Parel

Dutch hybrid. Ripens 92 – 116 days. Its leaves are slightly wrinkled. Heads are round, dense, weighing 0,7 – 1,5 kg, light green in color, good taste (2). The stem is short. Productivity – 1,6 – 4,6 kg per 1 sq. m. 

Suitable for all regions, except for the Middle Volga and Lower Volga.

6. Golden hectare 1432

Domestic old variety – it was included in the State Register in 1947. Ripens 102 – 109 days. Heads are round, small and medium, loose, weighing 1,6 – 3,3 kg (2). The stem is short. Productivity 5,0 – 8,5 kg per 1 sq. m. 

Suitable for all regions except the North Caucasus and West Siberian.

7. Cossack

domestic hybrid. Ripens 95 – 110 days. Heads of cabbage are dense, rounded, weighing 0,8 – 1,2 kg, excellent taste (2). Contains a lot of ascorbic acid. The stem is short. Productivity – 3,2 – 4,6 kg per 1 sq. m. 

The hybrid is resistant to slimy bacteriosis and blackleg, moderately resistant to keel and vascular bacteriosis. 

Recommended for all regions.

The middle-ripening

In general, heads of cabbage of any ripening time are suitable for eating fresh, they are also good for salads, main courses and soups. If you choose vegetables for fermentation, it is better to stop at mid-ripening varieties and hybrids that ripen 121 – 145 days from germination (1). They just give the most juicy, crispy, delicious sauerkraut.

8. Slava 1305

A very old domestic variety – it was included in the register in 1940. But it is still considered one of the best and gardeners love it very much. Ripens 100 – 130 days. Heads of cabbage are medium and large, rounded, dense, tasty, weighing 2,4 – 4,5 kg, excellent taste (2). Productivity – 5,7 – 9,3 kg per 1 sq. m. 

Suitable for all regions.

9. Hope

Domestic variety. Ripens 120 – 125 days. Heads of cabbage are round and round-flat, tasty, medium-sized, dense, weighing 2,4 – 3,4 kg, excellent taste. Productivity – 7,0 – 11,1 kg per 1 sq. m.

Suitable for all regions except the North Caucasus and North. 

10. Rinda

Dutch hybrid. Ripens 123 – 140 days. Heads of cabbage, rounded, dense, yellowish-white on the cut, weighing 3,2 – 3,7 kg, excellent taste. Productivity – 9,0 – 9,1 kg per 1 sq. m.

Recommended for the Central and Volga-Vyatka regions.

11. Moscow late 15

Domestic old variety – it was bred in 1937. Despite the name, it actually belongs to mid-season varieties, because it ripens 125 – 150 days. Heads of cabbage are rounded and rounded flat, large, dense, weighing 3,3 – 4,5 kg, very tasty. The stem is short. Productivity – 6,0 – 8,9 kg per 1 sq. m.

Recommended for the North-Western, Central, Volga-Vyatka and Far Eastern regions.

Mid-late

These varieties and hybrids are also mainly used for pickling, canning and fresh salads, as well as side dishes and soups. Ripening period 146 – 160 days from germination (1).

12. Megaton

Dutch hybrid. Ripens 136 – 168 days. Heads are dense, rounded, smooth, weighing 3,2 – 4,1 kg, excellent taste (2). The stem is short. Covering leaves with a purple tint – they contain a lot of ascorbic acid and a useful anthocyanin pigment that slows down aging. Productivity 5,9 – 9,34 kg per 1 sq. m.  

The hybrid is moderately resistant to keel and gray rot, does not suffer from Fusarium wilt. 

Suitable for the Central region.

13. Gift

Domestic variety, very old – it has been in the State Register since 1961. Ripens 114 – 134 days. Heads of medium size, round-flat, dense, weighing 2,6 – 4,4 kg, excellent taste, with a large amount of ascorbic acid (2). Productivity – 5,8 – 9,1 kg per 1 sq. m. 

Suitable for all regions.

14. Atria

Dutch hybrid. Ripens 137 – 147 days. Heads of cabbage are rounded or rounded-flat, dense, weighing 1,5 – 3,7 kg, excellent taste (2). Productivity 3,5 – 10,5 kg per 1 square. m.

Weakly affected by gray rot. 

Suitable for all regions, except for the Northern, Lower Volga, Far Eastern, North Caucasian and Central regions.

15. Blizzard

Domestic variety. Ripens 140 – 160 days. Heads of cabbage are rounded, dense, white-yellow on the cut, weighing 1,8 – 3,3 kg, excellent taste. The stem is short. Productivity – 5,1 – 6,7 kg per 1 sq. m. 

Suitable for all regions, except for the Urals, Middle Volga, Lower Volga, Northern and North Caucasus.

16. Snow White

domestic hybrid. Ripens 145 – 160 days. Heads of cabbage are round and round-flat, dense, weighing 2,5 – 3,9 kg. Productivity – 4,7 – 7,5 kg per 1 sq. m.

Suitable for all regions.

17. Three heroes

Domestic young variety. Ripens 145 – 160 days. Heads of cabbage are round or round-flat, very large, weighing 10-15 kg. Do not crack. Productivity rolls over – 40 kg per 1 sq. m. 

Suitable for all regions.

Late

The longest ripening cabbage. But it is the most delicious and healthy, as it manages to accumulate a maximum of valuable substances and vitamins. It can be eaten fresh, canned and fermented. And its main property is excellent keeping quality. The maturation period of these varieties is up to 161 – 175 days (1).

18. Amager 611

The domestic old variety has been in the State Register since 1947. Ripens 117 – 148 days. Heads of cabbage are round-flat, dense, weighing 2,6 – 3,6 kg, good taste, and the longer they lie, the tastier they become (2). Productivity 3,5 – 6,0 per 1 sq. m.

The variety is resistant to cracking heads. However, there are also disadvantages. It is susceptible to vascular bacteriosis and Fusarium wilt. During storage, it is affected by gray mold and punctate necrosis.

Suitable for all regions except Northern, West Siberian and East Siberian.

19. Gingerbread Man

domestic hybrid. Ripens 160 – 170 days. Heads of cabbage are rounded, dense, weighing 4,2 kg, whitish on the cut, excellent taste (2). Productivity – 8,7 – 10,1 kg per 1 sq. m.

Suitable for all regions.

20. Extra

domestic hybrid. Ripens 154 – 170 days. Heads are round-flat, very dense, smooth, weighing 2,5 – 2,8 kg, white-yellow in section, good taste (2). They have a lot of ascorbic acid. Productivity – 4,0 – 4,2 per 1 sq. m. 

Resistant to bacteriosis, gray mold and Fusarium wilt. 

Suitable for all regions except the North.

How to choose a variety of cabbage

If the plot is small, one bed of cabbage is enough, because even if all household members adore it, it is not difficult to buy a head of cabbage on the market. Therefore, for sowing, it is better to dwell on such varieties that you cannot find on sale, but you can grow them, since there are seeds. 

Interesting, for example, conical cabbage – Caraflex F1 (76 days from germination), Regency F1 (60 – 65 days), Sonsma F1 (45 – 55 days) and others. They are small, tasty and look impressive in the garden, like gnomes in the ranks.

For summer residents, the early-ripening white cabbage is out of competition, because these are the freshest vegetables, definitely not stuffed with pesticides and have not lost vitamins, 

In addition to conical, there are also traditional rounded sprinters – June, Express F1. Let them have small heads of cabbage, and the yield is low, but it is they who will support and strengthen health just when it is especially needed – in the beginning and middle of summer. 

If you like to pickle cabbage, it makes sense to stop at mid-season varieties recommended specifically for your region – they will give the maximum yield. 

Late varieties and hybrids, also selected for a certain climatic zone, are stored for a long time. However, some of them can be fermented.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about white cabbage with candidate of agricultural Sciences Alexander Kulenkamp.

Sources of

1. Morozova M.S., Pylneva E.V. Cabbage: A guide for amateur gardeners // M .: Niola-Press Publishing House, Union Public Publishing House, 2007.
2. State Register of Breeding Achievements

   https://reestr.gossortrf.ru/