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Bok choy plants growing in a garden bed

When to plant · 9 plants

Cabbage family

Kale, broccoli and their cousins. Many get sweeter after frost. Pick one for its dates in your town and how to grow it.

Planting order

When each one first goes in around Portland, starting indoors where that comes first. Colder towns run later.

Late winter
Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Bok choy, Kohlrabi, Collards
Early spring
Mustard greens

Planting windows at a glance

Main planting window in five reference towns. Each plant's page has every town.

PlantPortlandSeattle and TacomaBend and RedmondSpokaneBoise and Meridian
KaleMar 15 – Apr 26Mar 15 – Apr 26May 12 – Jun 23Apr 15 – May 27Apr 1 – May 13
BroccoliMar 15 – Apr 19Mar 15 – Apr 19May 12 – Jun 16Apr 15 – May 20Apr 1 – May 6
CabbageMar 15 – Apr 19Mar 15 – Apr 19May 12 – Jun 16Apr 15 – May 20Apr 1 – May 6
CauliflowerMar 15 – Apr 12Mar 15 – Apr 12May 12 – Jun 9Apr 15 – May 13Apr 1–29
Brussels sproutsMar 15 – Apr 26Mar 15 – Apr 26May 12 – Jun 23Apr 15 – May 27Apr 1 – May 13
Bok choyMar 1 – Apr 5Mar 1 – Apr 5Apr 28 – Jun 2Apr 1 – May 6Mar 20 – Apr 24
KohlrabiMar 15 – Apr 26Mar 15 – Apr 26May 12 – Jun 23Apr 15 – May 27Apr 1 – May 13
CollardsMar 15 – Apr 26Mar 15 – Apr 26May 12 – Jun 23Apr 15 – May 27Apr 1 – May 13
Mustard greensMar 1 – Apr 12Mar 1 – Apr 12Apr 28 – Jun 9Apr 1 – May 13Mar 20 – May 1

Growing cabbage family in the Northwest

Kale, broccoli, cabbage and their relatives are the backbone of a Northwest vegetable garden. They like cool weather, tolerate frost, and several of them taste sweeter after a cold snap, which makes them ideal for the region's long, mild fall.

Most gardeners plant them twice. Spring plantings go out as young plants a few weeks before the last frost; fall and winter plantings are set out in mid to late summer so they size up before the days get short. A plant that isn't close to full size by mid-October will mostly sit still until spring, so the summer planting date matters more than it seems.

Cabbage worms (the green caterpillars of the white butterflies you see in summer) and aphids are the usual trouble. A lightweight row cover laid over the plants at planting keeps the butterflies off entirely. Kale is the easiest to start with: it's the most cold-hardy of the group and you pick leaves for months rather than waiting for a single head.

Common questions

When should I plant broccoli and cabbage in the Northwest?

Set out young plants in early spring, a few weeks before your last frost, and again in midsummer for fall harvests. The fall crop is often the better one west of the Cascades, because cool weather suits these plants.

How do I keep cabbage worms off my kale?

Cover plants with row cover or fine insect netting from the day you plant, so the white cabbage moths can't lay eggs. Pick off the green caterpillars you find, and check under the leaves weekly.

Does frost hurt kale?

No. Kale, collards and Brussels sprouts handle hard frost, and the cold turns their starches to sugars, so leaves picked after a frost taste sweeter.

Other plant types

Plants for your conditions