Growing cabbage in zone 1
Start transplants indoors and set them out around a month before last frost — cabbage needs to finish before summer heat. For fall crops, start seed in midsummer and transplant 6–8 weeks before first frost.
Zone 1 covers interior and Arctic Alaska — extremely short season — most crops need transplants, season extension, or a greenhouse. Zone dates are medians: frost timing varies within a zone with elevation and terrain, so treat these windows as a solid default and refine them with your own city’s dates below.
Make it local
These windows use zone 1's typical frost dates (last frost ~Jun 15, first frost ~Aug 25). For windows computed from your frost dates, run the ZIP code frost lookup and open the planting calendar — it remembers your city. The seed starting scheduler turns the whole seed rack into one printable, date-sorted list.
Frequently asked questions
When do I plant cabbage in zone 1?
Transplant May 18 – Jun 1, counted from zone 1's typical last frost around Jun 15. As a hardy crop it tolerates the light frosts on either side of that window.
When should I start seeds indoors for cabbage in zone 1?
Sow indoors Apr 20 – May 4 — that's 8 to 6 weeks before the typical Jun 15 last frost, giving sturdy transplants exactly when the garden is ready for them.
Can I direct sow cabbage in zone 1?
Not usefully in zone 1 — cabbage needs more growing time than direct sowing allows, which is why it's raised from transplants started indoors Apr 20 – May 4.
Can I plant cabbage for a fall harvest in zone 1?
Yes — sow May 19 – Jun 2, counted back from the typical Aug 25 first frost so plants mature before serious cold. Light fall frosts improve flavor rather than ending the crop.