Best Brassicas to Grow in North Dakota
North Dakota sits in USDA Hardiness Zone 4. These 49 brassica varieties are suited to North Dakota's 135-day growing season with last frost around May 10 and first frost around September 25.
Varieties
49
for North Dakota
USDA Zone
4
135-day season
Beginner
32
easy to grow
Heirloom
34
heritage varieties
North Dakota in USDA Zone 4
North Dakota is primarily in Zone 4. Varieties that thrive in this zone will typically grow well across the state, though local microclimates vary.
When to Plant Brassicas in North Dakota
Growing Brassicas in North Dakota
Zone 4's short but intense growing season is actually a blessing for brassica lovers. The cool spring and fall temperatures that define this climate zone create perfect conditions for these cold-weather crops, while the shorter summer heat period means less bolting stress on your plants. Your main challenge isn't the cold – it's maximizing that precious 135-day window between frosts to get multiple harvests.
When selecting brassicas for Zone 4, prioritize varieties with shorter maturity dates and excellent cold tolerance. Look for cultivars that can handle temperature swings and won't panic-bolt during unexpected warm spells in late spring. The varieties listed here have been selected specifically for their ability to thrive in your climate zone, offering reliable harvests even when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate. From ultra-hardy kales that sweeten after frost to quick-maturing cabbages that beat the fall freeze, these picks will keep your table supplied with fresh brassicas from late spring through early winter.
Variety Comparison
Variety Details
Arugula 'Rocket'
This fast-growing salad green delivers a peppery, nutty punch that transforms ordinary salads into gourmet experiences. The deeply lobed leaves are ready to harvest in just weeks, making it perfect for succession planting and continuous fresh salads. Cool weather brings out the best flavor, while hot weather intensifies the spiciness for those who love bold, peppery greens.
Black Magic Kale
Black Magic is a well-maintained selection of Toscano kale with long, narrow leaves for attractive and tall, straight bunches. Dark blue-green leaves with beautiful savoy. Lacinato or "dinosaur" type kale.
Bok Choy 'Joi Choi'
An All-America Selections winner that produces beautiful, uniform heads with crisp white stems and dark green leaves. This hybrid variety is slow to bolt and performs exceptionally well in both spring and fall gardens. Joi Choi's tender texture and mild flavor make it perfect for both raw and cooked applications.
Brussels Sprouts 'Long Island Improved'
A reliable heirloom Brussels sprouts variety that produces abundant harvests of sweet, compact sprouts along tall, sturdy stalks. This cold-hardy variety actually improves in flavor after frost, developing a nutty sweetness that makes it perfect for roasting. An excellent choice for gardeners wanting to grow their own fresh Brussels sprouts without the bitterness often found in store-bought varieties.
Burpee Hybrid Broccoli
A reliable hybrid broccoli that produces large, tight heads with excellent uniformity and heat tolerance. This variety is prized for its ability to produce substantial side shoots after the main head is harvested, extending the harvest season significantly.
Cabbage 'Red Express'
A compact, early-maturing hybrid that produces perfectly round, deep red-purple heads in just 76 days. This space-saving variety is ideal for small gardens and containers while delivering the crisp texture and peppery-sweet flavor that makes red cabbage a kitchen favorite. The uniform heads resist splitting and store exceptionally well.
Cabbage '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.
Calabrese Broccoli
The classic Italian heirloom that gave us the broccoli we know today, originating from the Calabria region. This traditional variety produces medium-sized blue-green heads with excellent flavor and reliable side shoot production after the main head is harvested. A must-grow for gardeners seeking authentic Italian flavor and continuous harvests.
Champion Collards
A heat and cold tolerant hybrid collard that produces large, smooth, blue-green leaves perfect for traditional Southern cooking. This variety is exceptionally slow to bolt and continues producing tender leaves through both summer heat and winter cold, making it ideal for year-round harvests in mild climates.
Cherry Belle Radish
The quintessential beginner radish and All-America Selections winner that's been delighting gardeners since 1949. These perfectly round, bright red radishes with crisp white flesh mature incredibly quickly and have a mild, sweet flavor that even kids love. Perfect for successive plantings and container growing.
Collard Greens 'Georgia Southern'
The quintessential Southern collard green variety, prized for its large, blue-green leaves that become sweet and tender after cooking. This heat-tolerant heirloom thrives in hot summers when other greens bolt, and actually improves in flavor after frost. A must-have for traditional Southern cooking and an excellent source of nutrition for the home garden year-round.
Contender Green Beans
A reliable bush bean that's perfect for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. This hardy variety produces abundant yields of tender, stringless pods even in cool weather conditions. Contender's compact growth habit and disease resistance make it an excellent choice for home gardens with limited space.
Copenhagen Market Cabbage
A classic early-maturing cabbage that's been a gardener favorite since 1909, prized for its reliability and compact growth habit. This Danish heirloom produces perfectly round, solid heads with crisp, sweet leaves that are ideal for fresh eating or quick cooking. Its ability to mature quickly while maintaining excellent quality makes it perfect for successive plantings.
De Cicco Broccoli
A traditional Italian heirloom variety producing small, avg. 3-4", main heads projected well above the foliage followed by a large yield of side-shoot spears. Nonuniform in maturity, resulting in a long harvest period. Grow as later succession to BC1611. Longer harvest period than other sprouting broccoli varieties, with more variation in shoot size. For spring or fall production. Pinching recommended to encourage heavier side-shoot production. Unsized seed. USDA Certified Organic.
Detroit Dark Red
A classic heirloom cabbage prized for its deep burgundy-red color and exceptional storage capabilities. This reliable variety produces dense, round heads with crisp texture and sweet flavor that intensifies after light frosts. Perfect for both fresh eating and traditional fermented preparations like sauerkraut.
Dinosaur Kale
Larger, rounded blossom end with a narrow neck and slightly bulbed stem end. Harvest when the smooth, greenish rind turns white or starts to brown. Dry for crafting into durable bottles, birdhouses, etc. Trellis vines for consistent fruit shape. Avg. weight: 10-12 lb.
Dwarf Blue Curled Kale
A compact heirloom kale variety dating back to the 1860s, prized for its intensely curled blue-green leaves and sweet flavor that improves with frost. This space-saving variety is perfect for small gardens and containers while still providing abundant harvests of tender, flavorful leaves. The attractive, heavily ruffled foliage also makes it an excellent ornamental edible.
Early Flat Dutch Cabbage
A classic heirloom cabbage dating back to the 1840s, prized for its large, flattened heads that can weigh 10-15 pounds. This reliable variety produces solid, sweet heads with excellent storage qualities and is perfect for making sauerkraut or coleslaw.
Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage
A treasured heirloom dating back to the 1840s, this variety produces compact, conical heads that are perfect for small gardens and early harvests. Known for its sweet, tender leaves and reliable performance, it's an excellent choice for gardeners wanting to try a piece of American agricultural history. The pointed heads are distinctively attractive and space-efficient.
Easter Egg Radish
Make beautiful bunches with this mix of red, purple, pink, and white round radishes. Maturing over an extended period of time, they stay crisp and mild even when large. Great fun for children and adults alike.
French Breakfast Radish
A well-maintained strain of this market staple. Longer than Nelson, with more white on the tip. Large healthy tops. After trying many strains we found this to be the best. NOTE: For longer, straighter roots, sow 15-20% more seeds per row 1/2 to 1 cm deeper, and do not irrigate unless absolutely necessary.
Golden Acre Cabbage
A compact, early-maturing cabbage that's perfect for small gardens and beginning gardeners seeking reliable results. This variety produces perfectly round, solid heads with sweet, crisp leaves and has the advantage of maturing quickly without taking up excessive garden space. An excellent choice for succession planting and container growing.
Green Goliath Broccoli
A hybrid powerhouse that produces massive 6-8 inch heads on sturdy plants that tower over other broccoli varieties. Green Goliath lives up to its name with exceptional heat tolerance and the ability to produce substantial side shoots after the main head is harvested, extending your harvest season significantly.
Kale 'Winterbor F1'
The ultimate winter kale that actually improves in flavor after frost exposure, becoming sweeter and more tender. This vigorous hybrid produces masses of deeply curled, blue-green leaves that can withstand temperatures down to 10°F while continuing to grow. It's the go-to variety for gardeners wanting fresh greens throughout winter.
Kohlrabi 'Early White Vienna'
This unique vegetable produces crisp, sweet bulbs that taste like a cross between cabbage and turnip, with a delightful apple-like crunch. The pale green bulbs are best harvested young and tender, offering a refreshing addition to salads or excellent roasted as a side dish. Easy to grow and fast-maturing, this heirloom variety is perfect for gardeners wanting to try something new and delicious.
Lacinato Kale
Also known as 'Dinosaur Kale' or 'Tuscan Kale', this Italian heirloom features distinctive dark blue-green leaves with a pebbled texture resembling reptilian skin. The narrow, strap-like leaves have a sweeter, more tender flavor than curly kale and become incredibly sweet after frost exposure. An absolute must-have for the health-conscious gardener seeking both nutrition and gourmet flavor.
Mizuna
Traditional brassica green of Japanese origin prized for its quick growth, productivity, mild flavor, and recognizable, serrated leaf shape. USDA Certified Organic.
Mustard Greens 'Southern Giant Curled'
A beloved heirloom variety that's been a Southern garden staple for over 100 years, producing massive yields of deeply frilled, bright green leaves. This heat-tolerant variety grows vigorously in conditions that would stress other greens, making it perfect for extending the harvest season. The young leaves are mild enough for salads, while mature leaves develop the characteristic peppery bite that makes them perfect for traditional Southern cooking.
Napa Cabbage 'Michihili'
This classic Chinese cabbage produces tall, cylindrical heads with tender, sweet leaves perfect for Asian cuisine and fresh salads. The pale green leaves have crisp white ribs and a delicate flavor that's much milder than regular cabbage. Fast-growing and heat-tolerant, 'Michihili' is ideal for gardeners wanting to add authentic Asian vegetables to their garden repertoire.
Osaka Purple Mustard
A stunning Japanese mustard green with deep purple leaves and bright green stems that creates an eye-catching contrast in any garden bed or salad bowl. This fast-growing beauty offers a mild mustard flavor when young that intensifies as leaves mature, giving you versatility from baby greens to cooking greens.
Premium Crop Broccoli
An award-winning F1 hybrid that produces large, dense blue-green heads with exceptional flavor and texture. This reliable variety offers excellent heat tolerance and produces abundant side shoots after the main head is harvested. A favorite among both home gardeners and commercial growers for its consistent performance.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli 'Early Purple Sprouting'
A stunning heirloom variety that produces abundant purple flower heads over an extended harvest period. Unlike regular broccoli, this cold-hardy gem overwinters and provides fresh spears when little else is growing in the garden. The purple heads turn green when cooked and offer a sweet, nutty flavor that's considered superior to regular broccoli.
Purple Top Turnip
A Chinese specialty also known as Kailaan. The young plants produce quantities of long, pencil-thin, red-purple, budded flower stems. Pleasing, mild mustard taste for use raw in salads or lightly cooked in stir-fries or soups. For multiple harvesting of tender stems and leaves. Can be spring sown, but yields best when sown June through October for harvest from mid summer through winter (in mild areas). Hand harvest 8-10" long shoots by snapping them. Shoots that do not easily snap are overmature.
Purple Vienna Kohlrabi
An eye-catching heirloom kohlrabi with striking purple-red skin and crisp white interior that tastes like a cross between cabbage and turnip. This unique vegetable is perfect for gardeners wanting to try something different, and it's surprisingly easy to grow with a sweet, mild flavor when harvested young.
Radish 'Daikon 'Miyashige'
A premium Japanese daikon variety prized for its exceptionally sweet, crisp flesh and smooth white skin. These impressively large roots can reach 14-18 inches long while maintaining perfect tenderness throughout. This variety is particularly valued for its ability to stay mild and juicy even when large, making it perfect for fresh eating and traditional Asian preparations.
Red Acre Cabbage
An early-maturing red cabbage that forms compact, baseball-sized heads perfect for small families and succession planting. This reliable variety produces gorgeous deep purple-red heads that hold their color beautifully when cooked and adds stunning visual appeal to any garden or plate.
Red Giant Mustard
A stunning Asian green with large, bronze-red leaves that add dramatic color to both the garden and the dinner plate. This vigorous heirloom variety provides continuous harvests of spicy, peppery leaves that mellow when cooked. Red Giant's bold appearance and robust flavor make it a favorite among adventurous gardeners and chefs.
Red Russian Kale
Stems are purple; leaves are flat and toothed with purple veins. Mature plants are medium-tall and leaves are tender compared to other kales. For salads and light cooking. Sized seed. Also available in organic seed.
Romanesco
A colorful mix in shades of green, orange, yellow, and white with a unique daisy pattern on the stem end of the fruit. Developed by Larry Eckler of Niles, MI. Performs best with 24" in-row spacing. Avg. weight: 5-8 oz.
Ruby Perfection Cabbage
The #1 mid-late red cabbage. The heads are medium-size and dense with a uniform high-round shape and good wrapper leaves. Good field-holding ability. Matures just in time for late summer crops or fall harvest for medium-term storage. Avg. weight: 3 1/2 lb. Resistant to thrips. Unsized seed.
Scarlet Queen Turnip
A Chinese specialty also known as Kailaan. The young plants produce quantities of long, pencil-thin, red-purple, budded flower stems. Pleasing, mild mustard taste for use raw in salads or lightly cooked in stir-fries or soups. For multiple harvesting of tender stems and leaves. Can be spring sown, but yields best when sown June through October for harvest from mid summer through winter (in mild areas). Hand harvest 8-10" long shoots by snapping them. Shoots that do not easily snap are overmature.
Snowball Y Improved Cauliflower
The gold standard for home gardeners seeking reliable, pure white cauliflower heads with exceptional flavor and texture. This improved variety produces dense, creamy white 6-8 inch heads that hold their quality longer than older varieties and resist yellowing. It's more heat tolerant than traditional Snowball types while maintaining that classic sweet, nutty cauliflower taste.
Tatsoi
Round, gently cupped green leaves with light green and white stems. Mild flavor. Crunchy, juicy stems. Fastest tatsoi to bolt. USDA Certified Organic.
Tokyo Bekana
This one-of-a-kind blonde leaf with ruffled texture adds loft and a pop of color to salad mixes. A non-heading Chinese cabbage that has buttery leaves with a crunchy rib and mild flavor. At full size, softly curled leaves on narrow, white petioles can be sold as bunched greens. Thin to 4-8" for full-size heads for bunching. Also available in organic seed.
Vates Dwarf Blue Curled Kale
A compact, cold-hardy kale variety that was specifically bred for both home gardens and commercial production, winning an AAS award for its reliability. The tightly curled, blue-green leaves pack incredible nutrition into a space-saving plant that actually improves in flavor after frost touches the leaves.
Waltham 29 Broccoli
Developed at the University of Massachusetts, this cold-hardy broccoli variety was specifically bred to extend the growing season well into winter in northern climates. It produces medium-sized, deep blue-green heads followed by an abundance of tender side shoots that can be harvested for weeks. This reliable performer is perfect for gardeners wanting fresh broccoli through the fall and early winter months.
Watermelon Radish
Large 2" blossoms in bright, clear colors of red, purple, mauve, pink, blue, and white. Blooms over a long period with exceptional fragrance. Can be spelled either as sweet pea or sweetpea. Attracts hummingbirds.
White Hot Cauliflower
A heat-tolerant F1 hybrid that produces pure white, dense heads even in challenging summer conditions where other cauliflowers fail. This variety is perfect for gardeners in warmer climates or those wanting extended harvest seasons. The self-blanching heads stay white without tying, making it both beautiful and low-maintenance.
Winterbor Kale
Plants are tall, with excellent yield and good cold hardiness. The ruffled blue-green leaves have an attractive curl. Vigorous, productive plants.
Zone 4 Growing Tips for North Dakota
Start your spring brassica seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date (so early to mid-March for Zone 4). This gives you transplants ready to go out in mid to late April when soil can be worked. Don't worry about light frosts – most brassicas can handle temperatures down to 28°F once established. For fall crops, start seeds in mid-June to early July for transplanting in August, giving them time to mature before hard frosts arrive.
Succession planting is crucial in Zone 4's compressed season. Start new rounds of quick-maturing crops like arugula and radishes every 2-3 weeks through summer. Use row covers or cold frames to extend both ends of the season – I've harvested kale and Brussels sprouts well into November this way. Pay attention to soil temperature too; brassicas prefer soil temps between 60-65°F for germination, so consider using black plastic mulch in early spring to warm beds faster.