When to Plant Cabbage in Durango

Can Cabbage Mature in Durango?

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.

From the usual planting window, Durango typically provides about 1570 growing degree days for cabbage. With a typical crop target of 1000, that leaves a heat margin of +570. 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.

How Different Cabbage Varieties Affect Results

Most cabbage varieties can succeed in Durango in a typical year. That gives gardeners room to choose for the kind of harvest they want, not just for minimum maturity speed.

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

Main risk: The most common problems here are practical ones: planting too late, losing momentum early, or choosing varieties that ask for more season than necessary.

How Frost Affects Planting Dates for Cabbage in Durango

Durango usually has about 125 frost-free days, with a typical last spring frost around May 28 and a typical first fall frost around September 30.

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.

The most common setbacks here are practical: planting too late, losing momentum early, or choosing varieties that ask for more season than necessary.

In Durango, cabbage usually has a solid seasonal margin when planted around May 7. The warmest garden spots are usually south-facing walls, sheltered gardens, raised beds, and sunnier urban lots. Cooler spots like low spots, exposed sites, and shadier yards tend to warm up later and usually provide less heat. For cabbage, warmer garden spots usually improve early growth and can make timing a little more forgiving.