Practical planning tools for short growing seasons.
Climate-based cabbage planting guide for La Ronge, Saskatchewan
When to Plant Cabbage in La Ronge
In La Ronge, cabbage is usually a strong local fit. Most gardeners have some room to work with this crop rather than feeling close to the edge.
Typical Planting Window
Strong fit in this climate
Use the planting dates below for cabbage in La Ronge.
Start indoors
April 20
Typical planting windowJune 1 – June 15
MethodTransplant
Typical days to maturity70–90
Cabbage is usually started indoors around April 20 and planted outdoors during the normal local window of June 1 to June 15.
Most varieties need about 70–90 days to reach maturity once they are in the garden.
Cabbage is usually a dependable choice in La Ronge. The season is supportive enough that gardeners usually have options instead of feeling pushed into only the quickest path.
What stronger local margin really changes is that gardeners can wait for a better-finished crop instead of harvesting defensively.
Best local strategy:
Use the normal transplant window and prioritize healthy early growth, spacing, and even moisture.
Can Cabbage Mature in La Ronge?
Growing degree days measure how much useful warmth typically accumulates during the season. For cabbage, this helps estimate whether local heat accumulation is usually enough for the crop to reach maturity on time.
Available GDD (base 40)1936
Typical crop GDD target1000
Heat margin+936
From the usual planting window, La Ronge typically provides about 1936 growing degree days for cabbage. With a typical crop target of 1000, that leaves a heat margin of +936. That heat margin usually gives the crop a dependable buffer, so gardeners have some flexibility in planting date and variety choice without pushing the crop close to the edge.
When Is It Too Late to Plant?
If planting later than usual, this table shows how much growing degree day heat is still available from each point in the season. It is most useful for judging how much flexibility you still have before the crop starts losing margin.
Checkpoint
Remaining GDD
Heat margin
Fit vs typical target
Apr 15
2333
+1333
Comfortable
May 1
2332
+1332
Comfortable
May 15
2275
+1275
Comfortable
Jun 1
2085
+1085
Comfortable
Jun 15
1863
+863
Comfortable
Jul 1
1552
+552
Comfortable
How Different Cabbage Varieties Affect Results
In La Ronge, most cabbage varieties are usually realistic choices. Gardeners can often choose across the maturity range without giving up much day-to-day reliability.
Varieties that often fit well here include:
Golden Acre
— a classic early cabbage with strong practical fit in shorter seasons
Early Jersey Wakefield
— an early pointed cabbage that is useful when speed and spring harvests matter more than storage
Stonehead
— reliable and approachable, especially where gardeners want a firm early head
Red Express
— a faster red cabbage option for gardeners who want color without moving all the way into long-season storage types
Cheers
— productive and strong where the season offers a comfortable cool run
Storage No. 4
— better suited where the growing window gives longer room for finishing
Best Cabbage Varieties for La Ronge
Cabbage variety choice in La Ronge is mostly about head size, storage quality, compactness, and how much time you want to give the crop before harvest.
June 15
local season starts
September 2
frost pressure returns
Less heat used1936 GDD available
Hover or tap the dots to see which recommended varieties use that much local heat.
For La Ronge, start with Stonehead and Red Express for cabbage when you want reliable early cabbage or a faster red cabbage option.
Choose Early Jersey Wakefield and Golden Acre when you want early pointed spring cabbage or early compact cabbage heads.
Look at Storage No. 4 and Cheers when you specifically want storage cabbage or productive main-season cabbage.
Compare each variety’s heat need and maturity timing against the local frost-free window before choosing what to grow.
Recommended starting point
StoneheadEarly
900 GDD needed1936 available before frost
June 15September 2
Comfortable fit
Why this fit?
Local season fit:
Stonehead leaves about 1036 GDD cushion against the normal La Ronge crop heat estimate.
Best for: reliable early cabbage.
A dependable cabbage that is especially useful when gardeners want a firm early head.
Tradeoff: More about dependable heading than maximum size.
Red ExpressEarly
900 GDD needed1936 available before frost
June 15September 2
Comfortable fit
Why this fit?
Local season fit:
Red Express leaves about 1036 GDD cushion against the normal La Ronge crop heat estimate.
Best for: faster red cabbage.
A useful red cabbage option when gardeners want color without moving all the way into slow storage types.
Tradeoff: Chosen for color as much as storage or size.
Fastest / most cushion
Early Jersey WakefieldVery early
800 GDD needed1936 available before frost
June 15September 2
Comfortable fit
Why this fit?
Local season fit:
Early Jersey Wakefield leaves about 1136 GDD cushion against the normal La Ronge crop heat estimate.
Best for: early pointed cabbage.
A quick pointed cabbage that is useful when speed and spring harvests matter more than storage.
Tradeoff: Not a storage-focused cabbage.
Golden AcreVery early
800 GDD needed1936 available before frost
June 15September 2
Comfortable fit
Why this fit?
Local season fit:
Golden Acre leaves about 1136 GDD cushion against the normal La Ronge crop heat estimate.
Best for: early compact heads.
A classic early cabbage that gives gardeners a practical short-season path to firm heads.
Tradeoff: Not the biggest or best storage cabbage.
Also realistic
Storage No. 4Late
1150 GDD needed1936 available before frost
June 15September 2
Comfortable fit
Why this fit?
Local season fit:
Storage No. 4 leaves about 786 GDD cushion against the normal La Ronge crop heat estimate.
Best for: storage cabbage.
A longer-season cabbage better suited to places with enough room for a full finish.
Tradeoff: Needs a longer finish than early cabbage.
CheersMid-season
1000 GDD needed1936 available before frost
June 15September 2
Comfortable fit
Why this fit?
Local season fit:
Cheers leaves about 936 GDD cushion against the normal La Ronge crop heat estimate.
Best for: productive main-season cabbage.
A strong cabbage choice where the season offers a comfortable cool run.
Tradeoff: Needs more room than compact early cabbage.
GDD comparisons are a planning shortcut, not a guarantee. Soil, watering, sowing depth, pests, transplant quality, and harvest goals still affect the final result.
Variety class
Typical days to maturity
Typical GDD need
Local fit
Very early
60–70
800
Good fit
Early
70–80
900
Good fit
Mid-season
80–95
1000
Good fit
Late
95–110
1150
Good fit
Main risk: The usual setback here is giving away seasonal margin through late planting, slow early growth, or slower variety choice than the crop really needs.
How Frost Affects Planting Dates for Cabbage in La Ronge
La Ronge usually has about 79 frost-free days, with a typical last spring frost around June 15 and a typical first fall frost around September 2.
Typical last spring frostJune 15
Typical first fall frostSeptember 2
Typical frost-free days79
Minimum safe temperature28°F /
-2
°C
Cabbage is generally
somewhat frost tolerant
and temperatures below about 28°F (
-2
°C) can slow growth or damage plants.
Cabbage is usually tolerant enough of cool conditions that light frost is not the main concern. The more useful question is how early planting affects establishment and overall crop quality.
Problems here usually come from giving up part of the season through late planting, weak early growth, or slower variety choice than the crop really needs.
In La Ronge, cabbage already has plenty of seasonal room when planted around May 25. In practical terms, the best spots are usually south-facing walls, raised beds, sheltered backyards, and urban heat pockets. Cooler spots like open windy yards, low frost pockets, and exposed sites that lose heat quickly are more likely to stay cooler and be less forgiving. For cabbage, warmer local sites usually help the crop get established earlier and grow a little more steadily.
Set up cabbage for steady growth and pest protection
The better results usually come from steady growth, pest protection, and avoiding early setbacks.
Transplant support
Strong young plants help avoid slow starts and uneven sizing.