Growing cabbage in zone 6
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 6 covers mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley, Kansas, inland Pacific Northwest — nearly 200 frost-free days — almost everything grows, and fall gardens are easy. 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 6's typical frost dates (last frost ~Apr 10, first frost ~Oct 22). 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 6?
Transplant Mar 13 – Mar 27, counted from zone 6's typical last frost around Apr 10. 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 6?
Sow indoors Feb 13 – Feb 27 — that's 8 to 6 weeks before the typical Apr 10 last frost, giving sturdy transplants exactly when the garden is ready for them.
Can I direct sow cabbage in zone 6?
Not usefully in zone 6 — cabbage needs more growing time than direct sowing allows, which is why it's raised from transplants started indoors Feb 13 – Feb 27.
Can I plant cabbage for a fall harvest in zone 6?
Yes — sow Jul 16 – Jul 30, counted back from the typical Oct 22 first frost so plants mature before serious cold. Light fall frosts improve flavor rather than ending the crop.