January King Cabbage

Brassica oleracea (Capitata Group) 'January King'

vegetable

January King is a traditional overwintering cabbage with handsome, slightly savoyed blue-green outer leaves flushed with rose-purple, wrapped around a dense, well-flavored head. Bred to stand in the garden through the depths of winter, it is extremely cold hardy, and a touch of frost actually improves it, sweetening the leaves. Sown in spring and left to mature slowly through the season, it provides crisp, fresh cabbage for harvest from late fall right through winter, long after summer cabbages are gone - a beautiful and practical crop for extending the homegrown season into the cold months.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Nasturtium — Trap crop that pulls aphids and cabbage pests off the developing heads
• Dill — Draws parasitic wasps and hoverflies that prey on cabbage caterpillars
• Garden Sage — Aromatic companion traditionally used to confuse and deter cabbage pests
• Detroit Dark Red Beet — A non-brassica that shares the bed without competing for the same soilborne diseases

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Cabbage worms →

  Cover plants with insect netting, hand-pick caterpillars, and apply Bt if they take hold

• Cabbage loopers →

  Inspect leaf undersides, remove larvae, and use netting and Bt as for cabbage worms

• Aphids →

  Wash colonies from the leaves and crevices and support ladybugs and lacewings

• Clubroot →

  Lime to near-neutral pH, improve drainage, and practice a long brassica rotation to avoid this persistent soil disease

🌾 Harvest & storage

Cut January King heads as needed from late fall onward, once they feel firm and solid when squeezed; a light frost beforehand sweetens the flavor. Slice the head from the stalk with a sharp knife, leaving the outer leaves and roots in place - the plant may form small secondary sprouts you can also use. The standing heads hold in the garden for weeks in cold weather, acting as living storage, so harvest as you need them rather than all at once. They also keep for several weeks in a cool place once cut.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Cabbage is an excellent low-calorie source of vitamins C and K, fiber, and beneficial glucosinolate compounds, and the purple-tinged leaves of January King add extra anthocyanin antioxidants. Crisp and well-flavored, it is used raw in slaws and salads, cooked in soups, braises, and stir-fries, or fermented into sauerkraut and kimchi. Its standout trait is seasonal - supplying fresh, frost-sweetened cabbage through late fall and winter.