We Ignored Plant Spacing Rules, Here's What Happened

You also don't have to harvest them all at once if you're planting tighter. Harvest the biggest for whatever you need and leave the rest to size up more.

Another thing to consider: Would you rather have 2 huge cabbages or 4 smaller ones? Me? I'd rather have more smaller ones. Huge cabbages are difficult to use up. There's only so much sauerkraut or cole slaw that one or 2 people can use. I also have a big problem with cabbage worms in my garden. Every time I see those white butterflies start coming around, my brassica rage gets activated.

Plant spacing recommendations work well for those with lots of land. For the rest of us, the "cramming" method is more commonly used 😂

Last year I threw all caution to the wind and if there was bare dirt, I planted something. In each raised bed I had tons of bush beans lining the outside that flipped over the outside, then I packed the inside of the bed with flowers, peppers, lettuce, squash and herbs. Squash grew up the arch trellis. All the plants did so well, harvests were insane, no weed issues, and I had almost no issues with pests.

I'm not growing for display, I'm growing for food. The larger heads are nice, but when they are chopped up no one will notice. The 12in spacing yields the most slaw and kimchi, so it's the winner in my book.

Truthfully, I am just impressed that you got 9 fully formed cabbage heads. They're gorgeous. This is a vegetable that still eludes me. Between weather and pests, I have never been able to get a cabbage to head before it dies or bolts. I do keep trying. BUT - spacing: for the most part, I am a big fan of denser planting. I'd rather pin my hopes of getting "something" from possibly smaller "per fruit yield" - than risk "null" if something happens to only 1 or two plants spaced a little farther apart. Great experiment - please keep them coming.

High intensity (smaller) spacing will help prevent weeds, too, since those weeds will struggle to find space to grow themselves

I don't plan on growing cabbage, but appreciate the work the goes into videos like this. Literally months in the making for our information and entertainment.

As someone who grows for home consumption, the tighter planting just seems to clearly be the best option. That's 10 lbs, almost 5 kilos, more food to prep and eat on the one veggie alone. If the results are consistent across all plants (maybe a future test?), not just cabbage, you could potentially be seeing 100+ lbs, 45 kilos, a year more food by planting tighter.

What the experiment tells me? If you're going for food, pack tight. If you're going for the county fair records, give space.