Chinese Cabbage Seeds,
Golden Beauty

Golden Beauty should be planted in cool spring or fall conditions. For a spring crop, start seed indoors 4-6 weeks before your last frost and set plants out after frost, once nights are reliably above 50 F; young plants chilled below about 50 F for a week or more will bolt instead of heading. For a fall harvest, sow in late summer so the heads fill as the weather cools. This cabbage variety typically takes about 55 days to mature, depending on the growing conditions. It grows best in temperatures ranging from 60 F to 80 F. If you're not sure how to find your first and last frost dates, consult our blog post 'Our Experts Answer Questions, Share Resources.'

Sow seeds directly in the garden about 1/4 inch deep and space them 4-6 inches apart. Once seedlings have grown 4-5 inches tall, thin them to 12-15 inches apart to give each plant enough space to develop. If starting seeds indoors, use biodegradable pots to minimize root disturbance when transplanting​. Carefully transplant when the seedlings are 4 weeks old.

Water the cabbage regularly to keep the soil evenly moist but avoid waterlogging, which can lead to root rot. A balanced fertilizer can be applied when planting and then every 3-4 weeks during the growing season. Pests such as aphids, cabbage worms, and slugs may affect the plants, so it's important to monitor them regularly and take control measures as needed. Using row covers can protect young plants from pests and unexpected temperature drops.

• Select your best plants to keep for seed and leave them to flower and go to seed.
• Leave plants in the ground over winter, with heavy mulch and a row cover in harsh winter areas.
• In the second season, the plant will send up flower stalks from the head, and as they mature they will become seed pods.
• Once the seed stalks/pods are brown and dry, cut the seed stalks off, and break open the seed pods with your hands or a rolling pin over a container such as a bowl or plate, and separate and extract the seeds.