Cabbage 'Stonehead'
Brassica oleracea capitata 'Stonehead'
An award-winning hybrid that produces perfectly round, compact heads with exceptional storage quality. This reliable variety forms dense, 3-4 pound heads that resist splitting and maintain their quality in the garden longer than most cabbages. Stonehead's consistent performance and excellent flavor make it a top choice for home gardeners seeking reliability.
Harvest
70-80d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Zones
6–9
USDA hardiness
Height
10-24 inches
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Cabbage 'Stonehead' in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 brassica →Zone Map
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Cabbage 'Stonehead' · Zones 6–9
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | March – April | May – June | May – June | July – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | May – June | April – June | July – October |
| Zone 5 | February – March | April – May | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 6 | February – March | April – May | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 7 | February – March | April – May | March – May | June – November |
| Zone 8 | January – February | March – April | March – April | May – December |
| Zone 9 | January – January | February – March | February – March | April – December |
| Zone 10 | January – January | February – March | January – March | April – December |
Complete Growing Guide
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Soil: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 0 ft. 10 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 12 inches-3 feet. Growth rate: Medium. Maintenance: Medium. Propagation: Seed, Stem Cutting. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
The fruits dry and split when ripe.
Color: Brown/Copper, Green. Type: Siliqua. Length: > 3 inches.
Garden value: Edible
Harvest time: Fall, Summer
Bloom time: Spring, Summer
Edibility: The foliage is edible raw or cooked but when cooked can emit an unpleasant odor.
Storage & Preservation
Fresh Stonehead heads store exceptionally well due to their dense structure and natural disease resistance. Remove loose outer leaves and store unwashed heads in perforated plastic bags in the refrigerator at 32-40°F with high humidity. Properly stored Stonehead maintains quality for 3-4 months, significantly longer than most cabbage varieties.
For longer preservation, Stonehead's firm texture makes it ideal for sauerkraut—its natural sugars ferment beautifully, creating complex flavors. The variety also freezes well when blanched for 3 minutes and shocked in ice water, though the texture becomes softer. Core and chop before blanching for best results.
For root cellaring, Stonehead excels when stored at 32-35°F with 90-95% humidity. Wrap individual heads in newspaper and store on wooden shelves, checking monthly and removing any that show soft spots. This method can extend storage to 5-6 months in ideal conditions.
History & Origin
Stonehead was developed in the 1960s by Ferry-Morse Seeds as part of their premium hybrid cabbage program, specifically bred to address the home gardener's twin challenges of splitting and poor storage life. The variety emerged from crossing European storage cabbages with American fresh-market types, combining the density and keeping quality of traditional storage varieties with the sweet flavor preferred by American palates.
The breeding program focused on creating a cabbage that could withstand both field stress and long-term storage without losing quality—hence the name 'Stonehead,' referring to the exceptionally dense, rock-hard heads the variety produces. Ferry-Morse's breeding work took nearly a decade, with extensive field trials across different climate zones to ensure consistent performance.
Stonehead earned an All-America Selections award in 1969, recognizing its superior performance across diverse growing conditions. This recognition helped establish it as a standard variety in American gardens, particularly valued by gardeners in areas with challenging weather patterns where splitting-resistant varieties were essential for reliable harvests.
Advantages
- +Attracts: The foliage is edible raw or cooked but when cooked can emit an unpleasant odor.
- +Wildlife value: It serves as a host plant for butterflies, moths, flies, sawflies and beetles.
- +Edible: The foliage is edible raw or cooked but when cooked can emit an unpleasant odor.
Companion Plants
Plant Together
Dill
Attracts beneficial insects like parasitic wasps that control cabbage worms
Onions
Repel cabbage root fly, aphids, and other brassica pests with strong scent
Nasturtiums
Act as trap crop for aphids and flea beetles, drawing pests away from cabbage
Marigolds
Repel nematodes and various garden pests while attracting beneficial insects
Celery
Improves growth and flavor of cabbage while repelling cabbage white butterflies
Lettuce
Provides living mulch, conserves soil moisture, and doesn't compete for nutrients
Garlic
Natural fungicide properties help prevent clubroot and other soil-borne diseases
Carrots
Deep roots complement shallow cabbage roots without competing for space
Keep Apart
Tomatoes
Compete for similar nutrients and may stunt cabbage growth through allelopathy
Strawberries
Both are heavy feeders that compete for nutrients, leading to poor growth
Pole Beans
Can shade cabbage and compete for nitrogen, reducing head formation
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #169975)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Resistance
Good resistance to splitting and yellows disease
Common Pests
Cabbage worms, aphids, flea beetles, cutworms, cabbage root maggot
Diseases
Clubroot, black rot, fusarium yellows, downy mildew