Brassica oleracea (Capitata Group) 'Rookie'

RHS Plant Profile
cabbage (red) 'Rookie'

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Brassica oleracea (Capitata Group) 'Rookie'?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
Award of Garden Merit
Annual Biennial
Buy this from Plant Nurseries
2 Suppliers

A leafy biennial grown as an annual vegetable. This reliable cultivar is a red cabbage producing dense, round heads of very dark purple-red, well-flavoured leaves. It is very slow to bolt, and one of the earliest red cabbages to mature in mid- to late summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H3

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Brassicaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Genus
Brassicas can be annual, biennial or perennial plants, most are upright with alternate, often glaucous leaves, long taproots and clusters of cross-shaped, yellow or white flowers. The genus includes a number of species bred to produce food crops, such as cabbages, turnips, mustards and oilseed rape, as well as others grown for their ornamental value
Name Status
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in firm, fertile soil in an open, sunny spot. Where possible, avoid growing brassicas in the same soil year on year, to prevent the build up of soil-borne diseases. See Cabbages (Grow your own)

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to cabbage root fly, cabbage caterpillars, cabbage whitefly, mealy cabbage aphid and damage by birds

Diseases

May be susceptible to club root, particularly in acidic soil