(Cabbage, Stonehead Cabbage)

Aptly named for its solid interior, 'Stonehead' is a 1969 All-America Selections winning cabbage that is early to mature and compact. Plants are ideal for small garden spaces, and the firm, leafy heads are decorative and delicious either cooked or raw. Maturing only 55 days after planting from seedlings, 'Stonehead' forms volleyball-sized heads with upright, leathery, blue-green outer leaves and tightly packed, whitish yellow-green inner leaves. Flavor is robust and sweet. Expect each mature cabbage...

(Red Cabbage, Super Red Cabbage)

A relatively early-maturing large red cabbage that resists splitting, this highly regarded variety bears dense spherical heads of crisp, colorful leaves that are decorative and delicious either cooked or raw. Typically grown as an annual, cabbage is a cool season vegetable that traces its ancestry to Brassica oleracea, a fleshy-leaved, short-lived perennial from coastal areas of western and southern Europe.

Maturing some 75 days after sowing, 'Super Red' forms volleyball-sized heads...

(Kohlrabi)

This is one monster of a kohlrabi! The extra large bulbs of 'Superschmelz' reach 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters) in diameter! And despite their size, they are supposed to remain crunchy, fiberless and non-woody. Bulbs are ready for harvest 60 days after planting outdoors from transplants. Kohlrabi is a cool season crop, and 'Superschmelz' achieves its best size and flavor if grown in the cool days of fall or in winter where winters are mild and frost-free.

Grown for its sweet, crunchy,...

(Cabbage, Vertus Savoy Cabbage)

The very thin, large, ruffled and blistered leaves of 'Vertus Savory' are more delicately flavored than those of most standard cabbage varieties. This large heirloom cabbage is ideal as a fall, winter or spring growing as it is quite tolerant of subfreezing temperatures and light snow. The leafy heads are decorative and delicious eaten cooked or raw. Maturing 95 to 120 days after planting from seedlings, 'Vertus Savoy' forms a 4- to 6-pound (2- to 3- kilogram) head nestled in the center of large...

(Broccoli)

Compact, adaptable, and relatively early-maturing, the broccoli variety 'Waltham 29' is an excellent choice for the garden. Typically grown as an annual, broccoli is a cool season vegetable that traces its ancestry to Brassica oleracea, a fleshy-leaved, short-lived perennial from coastal areas of western and southern Europe. It is grown for its fleshy heads of flower buds, which are harvested and eaten before the flowers open.

Introduced in 1954, 'Waltham 29' produces a large central...

(Cauliflower, White Cloud Cauliflower)

Creating a large white bud head, 'White Cloud' is an excellent cauliflower variety for the cool-season vegetable garden. It has stronger tolerance to frosty temperatures in early spring and mid-autumn than other cauliflower varieties. From sowing 'White Cloud' takes 65 to 75 days to fully mature. It is a cool season vegetable that performs best when grown in the cool fall or winter, where winters are mild and frost-free.

Grown as an annual, it traces its ancestry to Brassica oleracea,...

(Broccoli)

Relatively early and heat-resistant, the broccoli variety 'Windsor' is an excellent choice for the garden. Typically grown as an annual, broccoli is a cool season vegetable that traces its ancestry to Brassica oleracea, a fleshy-leaved, short-lived perennial from coastal areas of western and southern Europe. It is grown for its fleshy heads of flower buds, which are harvested and eaten before the flowers open.

Approximately 75 days after sowing, 'Windsor' produces a large central head...

(Cabbage, Winningstadt Cabbage)

The extra firm, pointy cabbages of 'Winningstadt' are moderately compact but spreading. This heirloom variety was introduced in 1866 by James J.H Gregory & Sons of Marblehead, Massachusetts and is ideal as a fall, winter or spring crop. The pointed, hard, leafy heads are decorative and delicious eaten cooked or raw. Maturing 80 to 90 days after planting from seedlings, 'Winningstadt' forms 9 inch (23 centimeter) heads that are 7 inches (18 centimeters) wide. The thick, leathery, dark blue-green outer...

(Kale, Winterbor Kale)

A showy, tasty, and exceptionally cold-hardy kale, 'Winterbor' has tightly ruffled foliage that comes into its glory in cool weather. Typically grown as an annual, kale is a cool season vegetable tracing its ancestry to Brassica oleracea, a fleshy-leaved, short-lived perennial from coastal areas of western and southern Europe.

This cultivar bears short-stemmed rosettes of long-stalked, heavily curled, blue-green leaves. In cool weather the foliage deepens in color while becoming more...

(Collard Greens, Kale, Ornamental Kale)

As beautiful as they are delicious, kale, collards, flowering cabbage, and the other vegetables in this group derive from Brassica oleracea, a fleshy-leaved short-lived perennial from the coastal areas of western and southern Europe. They are typically grown as annuals.

Plants in this group have open rosettes (rather than closed heads) of large, fleshy, waxy, edible leaves. Ornamental kales and ornamental cabbages bear many-leaved, chrysanthemum-like rosettes on short stems, whereas...