Hybrid

Minuet

Brassica rapa var. pekinensis

Wikimedia Commons

Harvest

48d

Days to harvest

📅

Sun

Full sun to part shade

☀️

Zones

5–9

USDA hardiness

🗺️

Height

3 feet

📏

Planting Timeline

Zone:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Start Indoors

Transplant

Direct Sow

Harvest

Start Indoors

Transplant

Direct Sow

Harvest

Showing dates for Minuet in USDA Zone 7

All Zone 7 brassica →

Zone Map

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Minuet · Zones 5–9

What grows well in Zone 7? →

Growing Details

Difficulty

Easy

Spacing12 inches

SoilWell-drained loam, pH 6.0-7.5, amended with compost

WaterHigh — consistent moisture needed

SeasonWarm season annual

FlavorLight, sweet, subtle flavor without the earthiness or sulfur undertones of larger storage varieties

ColorDark green outer leaves with yellow interior

Size9"

Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar

Zone	Indoor Start	Transplant	Direct Sow	Harvest
Zone 3	March – April	May – June	May – June	June – October
Zone 4	March – April	May – June	April – June	June – October
Zone 5	February – March	April – May	April – May	June – November
Zone 6	February – March	April – May	April – May	May – November
Zone 7	February – March	April – May	March – May	May – November
Zone 8	January – February	March – April	March – April	April – December
Zone 9	January – January	February – March	February – March	March – December
Zone 10	January – January	February – March	January – March	March – December
Zone 1	April – May	June – July	June – July	July – September
Zone 2	April – May	June – July	May – July	July – September
Zone 11	January – January	January – February	January – February	February – December
Zone 12	January – January	January – February	January – February	February – December
Zone 13	January – January	January – February	January – February	February – December

Succession Planting

Direct sow or transplant Minuet on a 3-week cadence starting in late March and running through early May for a spring run. At 48 days to harvest, a March 15 sowing gets you to the table by early May; a May 1 sowing gets you to late June before summer heat becomes a real problem — napa-type brassicas stall and bolt once daytime highs are consistently above 85°F. Pick up again in late July or early August for fall, targeting harvest well ahead of a hard frost.

Don't sow more than you can eat in a 10-day stretch. Minuet heads up and holds reasonably well in the field, but once it's ready it moves fast. Three or four heads per sowing is plenty for a household; scale up if you're selling at market.

Complete Growing Guide

9" tall heads with dark green outer leaves and an attractive yellow interior. Light, sweet taste. Space 12" apart for high yields of upright, dense heads. Slow to bolt. Tolerant to bottom rot and black speck. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Minuet is 48 days to maturity, annual, hybrid (f1). Disease resistance includes Downy Mildew. Notable features: Easy Choice.

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

Minuet reaches harvest at 48 days from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. Expect 9" at peak. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.

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

Minuet heads should be harvested when firm and refrigerated immediately at 32–40°F in a perforated plastic bag, maintaining 95% humidity. Under these conditions, expect 3–4 weeks of fresh storage before quality declines. For longer preservation, blanch whole heads or chopped leaves for 3 minutes, then freeze in airtight containers for up to 10 months. Fermentation works well with Minuet's tender leaves—pack shredded cabbage with 2% salt by weight and let sit 1–3 weeks at room temperature for a tangy preserve. Dehydration is also viable; slice thinly and dry at 140°F until brittle. Because of its compact head size and thin leaves, Minuet ferments faster than larger varieties, typically reaching peak flavor in just 10–14 days rather than the standard three weeks.

History & Origin

Minuet is an F1 hybrid developed through controlled cross-pollination. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.

Brassica is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, mustard plants, or simply brassicas. Crops from this genus are sometimes called cole crops—derived from the Latin caulis, denoting the stem or stalk of a plant.

Advantages

+Quick 48-day maturity fits well into succession planting schedules
+Compact 9-inch heads perfect for small spaces and containers
+Disease-resistant to bottom rot and black speck reduces fungicide sprays
+Sweet, light flavor appeals to fresh eating and salad uses
+Slow bolting trait extends harvest window during warm seasons

Considerations

-Requires consistent 12-inch spacing reducing plants per bed area
-Yellow interior may discolor if exposed to excessive direct sunlight
-Prefers cool conditions; heat stress can trigger early bolting
-Relatively small heads limit yield compared to standard Napa cabbage

Companion Plants

Nasturtiums and marigolds are the two companions most worth planting near Minuet, and the reasoning is practical. NC State Extension's IPM chapter notes that interplanting unrelated species dilutes the scent signals that pest insects — imported cabbageworm moths, in particular — use to locate a preferred host. It doesn't eliminate damage, but it slows the spread and buys you time to respond. Marigolds also suppress soil nematodes through thiophene compounds in their roots, which is useful if brassicas have struggled in that bed before. Tuck them at the row edges, 12 inches apart, same spacing as the Minuet.

Dill and thyme pull different weight: they attract parasitic wasps (Braconidae and Ichneumonidae) that parasitize cabbageworm larvae. Let dill go slightly leggy rather than harvesting it hard — the flat flower heads are what the wasps actually need. Onions and celery round out the picture by occupying different vertical space and breaking up the monoculture effect that lets pest pressure build fast across a whole bed.

Keep tomatoes well away. They're heavy nitrogen feeders and their canopy competes directly for the airflow Minuet needs to stay clean — crowded plantings increase humidity, which is exactly the condition that invites foliar problems. Fennel is a different kind of problem: its root exudates are allelopathic to a wide range of vegetables, and it has no business near anything in a tight growing space.

Plant Together

Nasturtiums

Act as trap crops for aphids and flea beetles, protecting brassicas

Marigolds

Repel cabbage worms, aphids, and other brassica pests with strong scent

Dill

Attracts beneficial wasps that parasitize cabbage worms and loopers

Onions

Repel cabbage maggots and aphids with sulfur compounds

Lettuce

Provides ground cover and efficient space use without competing for nutrients

Celery

Repels cabbage white butterflies and improves growth of brassicas

Carrots

Different root depths prevent competition while carrots benefit from brassica soil conditioning

Thyme

Repels cabbage worms and flea beetles with aromatic oils

Keep Apart

Tomatoes

Compete for similar nutrients and may stunt brassica growth

Strawberries

Inhibit brassica growth and attract slugs that damage both crops

Fennel

Releases allelopathic compounds that inhibit brassica germination and growth

Nutrition Facts

Calories

31kcal(2%)

Protein

2.57g(5%)

Fiber

2.4g(9%)

Carbs

6.27g(2%)

Fat

0.34g(0%)

Vitamin C

91.3mg(101%)

Vitamin A

8mcg(1%)

Vitamin K

102mcg(85%)

Iron

0.69mg(4%)

Calcium

46mg(4%)

Potassium

303mg(6%)

Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #747447)

Pests & Disease Resistance

Resistance

Downy Mildew (High)

Common Pests

Imported cabbageworm, cabbage moths, flea beetles

Diseases

Downy mildew (resistant), bottom rot (resistant), black speck (resistant)

Troubleshooting Minuet

What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.

Tiny, irregular holes punched through leaves on young seedlings, especially in warm, dry spells

Likely Causes

Flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) — adults overwinter in soil and leaf litter, emerging when temperatures climb above 50°F
Seedlings under heat or drought stress, which makes leaf tissue more attractive to feeding

What to Do

1.Cover transplants immediately with row cover (Agribon AG-19 or similar) and seal the edges — flea beetles are fast and will find any gap
2.Keep soil consistently moist; stressed plants get hit harder and recover slower
3.For heavy infestations, spinosad-based sprays are effective and lower-impact than broad-spectrum insecticides

Ragged holes chewed through outer leaves, sometimes down to the midrib, with green frass visible on or around the plant

Likely Causes

Imported cabbageworm (Pieris rapae) — the pale green caterpillar of the white butterfly you'll see fluttering around the bed
Cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni), which moves with a distinctive inchworm hump and feeds similarly

What to Do

1.Spray Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki) every 5–7 days while caterpillars are small — it stops working once they're large, so don't wait
2.Hand-pick any caterpillars you spot, especially on the undersides of leaves where eggs are laid
3.Breaking up a solid block of brassicas with dill or nasturtiums slows how fast moths zero in on the planting — NC State Extension's IPM chapter notes that mixing unrelated families dilutes the attractive odor of the preferred crop

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Minuet cabbage take to grow?▼

Minuet matures in 48 days from transplanting, making it one of the fastest-maturing cabbage varieties available. If you start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before your target planting date, you can harvest just 10-12 weeks from seed sowing. This rapid turnaround allows multiple successions within a single growing season.

Can you grow Minuet cabbage in containers?▼

Yes, Minuet is excellent for container growing due to its 9-inch compact stature. Use a container at least 12 inches deep with quality potting soil. Space one plant per 12-inch pot (or cluster 3 plants in a 36-inch container). Containers dry faster than in-ground beds, so monitor moisture closely—consistent watering is essential for tight head formation. Grow in full sun to part shade.

What does Minuet cabbage taste like?▼

Minuet has a light, sweet flavor quite different from larger storage cabbage varieties, which tend toward earthiness or sulfur undertones. The delicate taste makes it ideal for raw preparations like slaws, salads, and slicing into coleslaws where you want the vegetable's subtle sweetness to dominate. It's also excellent braised or quick-cooked to retain its tender texture.

Is Minuet cabbage good for beginners?▼

Absolutely. Minuet's forgiving nature, fast maturity, and built-in disease resistance to common brassica problems make it one of the best cabbage choices for inexperienced gardeners. Its only requirement is consistent watering and properly spaced planting; beyond that, it virtually grows itself. Even gardeners in challenging climates find it reliable.

How much space does Minuet cabbage need?▼

Space plants exactly 12 inches apart—this density is critical to achieving the tight heads and high yields Minuet is bred for. Tighter spacing reduces air circulation and risks fungal disease; wider spacing wastes bed space without improving individual head quality. For rows, allow 18-24 inches between rows to accommodate harvesting and pest monitoring.

Can you succession plant Minuet cabbage?▼

Yes—in fact, succession planting is ideal for this variety. Sow or transplant every 2 weeks from early spring through mid-summer (depending on your climate) to ensure continuous harvest. Minuet's slow-bolting nature means each planting provides a 2-3 week harvest window, preventing the feast-or-famine cycle you'd face with single plantings of larger varieties.