How spacing affects cabbage head size and yield

Intra-row spacing in conjunction with variety will influence the health of the cabbage, its head size, and the overall yield

- Bill Kerr

Although different cabbage varieties will produce different-sized heads, spacing can also affect head size.

When I started farming, I conducted trials to see for myself the effects of different spacing. I found that, although the overall yield was affected in certain cases, it was the head size that differed most markedly at various spacings.

Even if you have a market for large heads, there is a threshold size beyond which overall yield will be reduced.

In one trial, I kept the inter-row spacing at 60cm. Within the row, I had spacings of 20cm, 25cm and 30cm respectively. I harvested twice in each land. In the first cutting, the 20cm intra-row spacing, I harvested 52%, in the 25cm spacing I got 65%, and the 30cm spacing, I got 76%. This shows that the wider spacing advanced maturity.