Hi there,

I’m so glad you’re journeying into the world of growing your own vegetables! I promise this to be an everlasting rabbit hole of learning :)

Hot weather can absolutely cause cabbage heads to be stunted. (You can still eat them!) This can sometimes be overcome with heavier watering. If this happens again next summer, try watering more deeply, with longer intervals between watering.

You also want to make sure you are planting your cabbage with enough space for them to grow. Crowding can sometimes affect head growth. You can plant them close together, but as they grow, thin them out to about 18 inches apart.

There are also some fungal diseases that can affect the roots and cause stunted growth, but if you are growing some now in the same spot that look fine, that’s not likely the cause, as the fungus lives in the soil and would affect other cabbage (and broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, etc. – the other veggies in the Brassica family) in the same way.

Cauliflower will want similar care to cabbage, in terms of planting timing and spacing. Here is a link to our comprehensive publication called Growing Your Own – which has heaps of fabulous information for a new gardener, including planting dates for various types of veggies: https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/em9027.pdf

If you’d like a paper copy, or have further questions, please feel free to stop by the Wasco County Extension office.