Cabbage Red Acre is a stunning, deep purple-red heirloom cabbage, forming dense, round heads with crisp, flavoursome hearts. It is the kind of cabbage that delivers outstanding colour to both plate and plot, standing out in the vegetable garden long before it ever reaches the kitchen. Excellent cold tolerance is one of this variety's real strengths, letting it hold up well through cooler weather when many other crops are struggling or finished for the season. That hardiness, paired with a reliable and versatile growth habit, makes Red Acre a dependable choice across a good part of the year. Beyond its garden good looks, this heirloom also stores exceptionally well once harvested, so a single planting can keep providing crisp, flavoursome cabbage for cooking well beyond the day it is cut. Whether shredded raw into a slaw for that vivid purple-red colour, or cooked down into a warming winter dish, Red Acre brings both flavour and visual impact to the table. With two separate sowing windows across the year, spring and again into late summer, Red Acre gives New Zealand gardeners real flexibility in when to plant, making it easy to fit a crop of this striking cabbage into the growing calendar more than once a year. Sowing Cabbage Red Acre Sow from September to October, and again from February to April, either direct or raised in trays for transplanting. Maintain a temperature of 10-25°C for germination, which typically takes 5-10 days. Once seedlings are established, transplant into fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny position, spacing plants 45cm apart within the row and 45cm between rows. Caring for Cabbage Red Acre Keep the soil consistently moist as heads begin to form, since dry conditions can affect head density and quality. Keep beds weeded and watch for common brassica pests, taking action early if caterpillars or aphids appear, as a dense, developing head can be harder to treat once fully formed. Harvesting Cabbage Red Acre Heads are ready 60-90 days from transplanting. Harvest once heads feel firm and dense when gently squeezed, cutting at the base and leaving outer leaves on the stump, which can sometimes produce smaller secondary heads later in the season.
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