Cabbage

Dwarf Blue Scotch kale is a compact and hardy variety, prized for its finely curly blue-green leaves and high cold tolerance. Its low, dense growth habit forms a well-structured rosette, ideal for vegetable gardens of all sizes, including container gardening.

This variety is distinguished by the quality of its leaves, which are thick yet tender when harvested young. With the arrival of cooler temperatures, their flavor mellows and deepens, making it a particularly prized leafy green at the end of the season. Its steady growth allows for leaf-by-leaf harvesting, extending production over several months.

In the garden, Dwarf Blue Scotch adapts well to cool to temperate weather conditions. It prefers rich, well-drained soil and consistent moisture. Its hardiness makes it an excellent choice for gardeners seeking a reliable crop that is relatively unaffected by climatic variations.

Shanghai pak choi is a variety of Chinese cabbage prized for its delicate texture and rapid growth. It forms a compact rosette of light green leaves, borne on short, fleshy, and very tender petioles. Its bright and neat appearance makes it a vegetable that is as pleasant to grow as it is to cook.

This variety is distinguished by its mildness and delicate texture, both in taste and feel. Unlike other, more robust pak choi varieties, Shanghai develops thinner stems and supple leaves, ideal for early harvests. It is particularly well-suited to cooler growing seasons, where it fully expresses its quality without bolting too quickly.

In the garden, Shanghai pak choi is a crop of precision and timing. It prefers cool, rich, and well-drained soil, as well as steady growth. Successive sowings allow for staggered harvests and maintain consistent quality throughout the season.

Originating in Northern Europe, the 'Copenhagen' cabbage is an old variety particularly prized for its earliness and hardiness , well-suited to cool climates. Its dense, tightly closed head of a bright, light green color makes it a reliable and generous vegetable, sought after as much for its consistency as for its flavor.

In organic gardens , this cabbage stands out for its natural vigor and its ability to provide a nourishing harvest in early to mid-autumn . Its compact, well-structured head captures the freshness of shorter days and becomes a staple of winter cuisine , both raw and cooked.

Sturdy, consistent, and easy to grow, 'Copenhagen' is a perfect fit for a diverse vegetable garden . It brings structure, abundance, and resilience , while integrating harmoniously into a food crop based on natural cycles.

Probably originating from southern Europe , this mixed kohlrabi brings together up to five varieties in a range of hues , from tender green to deep purple , creating a vegetable garden that is as colorful as it is bountiful . Its swollen part, emerging from the stem, forms a fleshy head that sits just above the ground, while its vigorous foliage can also be harvested.

A hardy, quick-maturing biennial plant, kohlrabi adapts well to short growing seasons . Its compact shape , early growth , and discreet flowering make it an ideal crop from spring to autumn , particularly in communal and shared gardens .

At Jardins de l'écoumène , this blend is carefully produced despite the challenges of seed production in cold climates. Each seed is the fruit of patience nurtured by a passion for life.

Originating in Central Europe , the Red Kalibos red cabbage is distinguished by its elegant conical shape , its intense purplish-red color , and its natural hardiness . Its compact head with thick, finely veined leaves evokes a true garden jewel , bringing structure and brilliance to the heart of autumn crops.

In the garden, Red Kalibos stands out for its upright habit , vigor , and good cold tolerance, making it a reliable ally in cooler climates . It integrates easily into crop rotations and pairs well with other autumn-flowering brassicas.

Originating in Italy, Lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan black kale , cavolo nero , or kale palm, is an old variety prized as much for its beauty as for its flavor. Its long, narrow, dark blue-green leaves, deeply textured , give it a unique, serrated appearance that is both rustic and elegant.

In the kitchen, it is prized for its rich, mild flavor , less bitter than that of classic kale, with vegetal notes reminiscent of hazelnut or green tea. It is central to many traditional Tuscan recipes, such as ribollita , and is easy to prepare: sautéed, braised, in soup, or even as crispy oven-baked chips.

In the garden, Lacinato stands out for its remarkable cold hardiness —its leaves become tender and soft after the first frosts. Its upright, narrow rosette growth habit allows for dense plantings, ideal for compact gardens or close rows . Productive, vigorous, and undemanding, it offers a harvest spread over several months , making it a reliable and nourishing ally for cooler seasons and winter gardens.

Originating from the alpine regions of Savoy , the 'Winter King' cabbage is a traditional, hardy variety , renowned for its remarkable resistance to cold . Its large, dense head , enveloped in fleshy, finely blistered leaves , testifies to an exceptional adaptation to harsh climates and prolonged winters .

In the garden, it stands out for its vigorous growth , robust habit , and ability to remain in the ground until the first hard frosts without losing quality. This late-maturing variety is a cornerstone of autumn and winter vegetable gardens , cultivated as much for its storage capacity as for its long-lasting nutritional value .

'Winter King' cabbage fits naturally into ecological rotations and associated crops , offering a stable, generous and structuring presence at the heart of the garden in the cold season.

The Early Violet kohlrabi of Vienna is an old variety renowned for its earliness and the delicate texture of its flesh. Its spherical bulb, a luminous purple on the outside, encloses a white flesh that is juicy and delicately sweet when harvested young.

The plant develops upright and elegant foliage, borne on slender stems that give the kohlrabi a light and well-structured appearance. This variety is particularly valued for its consistency and its ability to quickly produce tender kohlrabi that does not become fibrous if harvested at the right time.

In the garden, the Early Violet of Vienna thrives in cool to temperate conditions. It prefers rich, well-loosened soil that is kept consistently moist. Its rapid growth allows for staggered sowings, providing continuous harvests for much of the season.

Native to Asia, Tatsoi cabbage unfurls its leaves in a star-shaped rosette, a deep, glossy green, reminiscent of a delicate little bouquet. Prized for its cold hardiness and mild, slightly nutty flavor, it is perfectly suited to organic vegetable gardens in temperate climates.

In the garden, this variety stands out for its rapid growth and ease of cultivation. Its tender, crisp foliage lends itself to a multitude of culinary uses, while its hardiness makes it an excellent companion for extending the harvest season when the first frosts approach.

The Tatsoi also contributes its generosity to local biodiversity, serving as a refuge and food source for certain beneficial insects, thus naturally integrating into the cycle of the living garden.

Originating from the cooler regions of Europe , Red Ursa kale stands out in the garden as a true purple jewel . Its finely curled leaves, with their shades of deep red and bluish-green , capture the winter light and bring a vibrant touch as soon as the first frosts arrive.

In the vegetable garden, this variety stands out for its generosity and resilience : it withstands cold admirably and produces dense foliage that protects the soil and limits evaporation , thus promoting a fertile and vibrant ecosystem. Red Ursa perfectly embodies the spirit of the sustainable food garden , where beauty, abundance, and vitality go hand in hand.

Its vigorous growth habit and long harvest period make it a valuable ally for autumn and winter gardeners , keen to cultivate health, diversity… and a touch of wonder.

Native to East Asia, the Prize pak choi is a variety of Chinese cabbage known for its rapid growth and hardiness in the garden. This plant is distinguished by its large, slightly wavy, light green leaves, whose crisp texture delights the palate in cooking.

In the garden, the Prize pak choi stands out as a compact and easy-to-grow vegetable, particularly appreciated in organic vegetable gardens where it fits easily into short crop rotations. Its earliness makes it a valuable ally for short growing seasons, especially in cool temperate climates like that of Quebec.

This variety lends itself to culinary diversity, offering delicious salads, stir-fries, or soups with a mild and fresh flavor. Prize pak choi is also a generous plant that adds a touch of greenery to the edges of cultivated fields, contributing to soil health and the balance of neighboring plants.

The Milan cabbage from Pontoise is an old variety prized for its well-formed head and finely blistered leaves, characteristic of Milan cabbages. Its supple leaves, ranging from a soft to medium green, envelop a dense yet not tough head, offering a beautiful balance between texture and tenderness.

In the garden, this variety is distinguished by its uniformity and its good adaptation to cool to temperate climates. Its growth is gradual, requiring consistency rather than speed. When properly managed, it forms uniform heads that withstand early frosts well, making it an excellent late-season cabbage.

The Pontoise kite thrives in rich, well-structured soils and with consistent moisture. Its relative hardiness allows for staggered harvests, as needed, without compromising quality. Harvested at peak ripeness, it offers tender, flavorful flesh, particularly prized in cooking.

In the local area, this cabbage is seen as a plant of patience and stability. It illustrates the slow but sure rhythm of traditional vegetable gardening, where time and consistency shape the quality of the harvest.

Collard cabbage , also known as collard greens or rosette cabbage , is one of the oldest members of the large Brassicaceae family. The 'Morris Heading' variety, introduced in 1919 by the Morris Plant Farm in North Carolina, is now recognized as a traditional North American variety , robust, prolific, and well-suited to temperate climates.

This leafy vegetable is distinguished by its large, thick, blue-green, slightly crinkled leaves , rich in antioxidants, fiber, and micronutrients . It forms semi-compact heads reminiscent of a loose cabbage, while retaining the tiered structure of collard greens. Cold-resistant , it tolerates cooler seasons very well and improves after the first frosts, which soften its texture and enhance its slightly sweet flavor .

Originating from the windswept shores of Brittany , the 'Lily White' sea kale is a rare, traditional variety , remarkable for its ability to withstand salt spray and sea winds. It is one of the few perennial Brassicaceae , making it a valuable curiosity as well as a long-lasting ally for gardens in cooler climates .

Cultivated for generations in coastal vegetable gardens, it elegantly complements fish, shellfish, and seafood dishes , thanks to its mild, slightly sweet and salty flavor . Its presence in Breton cuisine testifies to a long-standing connection between the sea and the nourishing garden .

The young, broad, tender leaves , pale green and almost white in the center, form a compact and luminous head . Its hardiness and vigor make it a generous, resilient plant, perfectly adapted to harsh conditions.

In an ecological garden, Lily White brings diversity, structure, and permanence . It captivates with its understated beauty, its robustness, and its nourishing role season after season , for those who cultivate in harmony with the rhythm of life.