Which are the best cabbage varieties in Kenya

Hybrid cabbage seed varieties in Kenya

Are you looking for the best types of cabbage seeds in Kenya? In this post, we give you a comparison of various cabbage varieties available from seed companies operating in Kenya. Hybrid or the F1 cabbage are the best to grow for their many commercial and nutritional benefits. In comparison with the open pollinated types. They include the most popular and in demand cabbage choices for consumers and traders. They include the Baraka F1, Gloria F1 and the Pruktor F1 among others.

Advantages of growing F1 cabbage varieties

  • They have shorter maturity periods
  • Hybrid cabbages have heavier weight on average per head
  • F1 cabbages have higher yield potential per acre compared to open pollinated varieties.

Cabbage is a popular vegetable of the Brassicaceae or Cruciferous family. It is the headed type among kales, broccoli, cauliflowers and radishes. The vegetable has many health and nutrition benefits. It contains Calcium, Iron, Vitamins A, C and E. others are Riboflavin, Nicotinamide and Ascorbic Acid. Minerals and high contents of Sulphur and chlorine contents.

There are three main types of cabbage seeds for sale available in Kenya and Uganda for commercial and home use. The green, Red and Savoy cabbage varieties. Green has a higher demand in the domestic markets. Farmers farming to export prefer the other two types.

Have you Read? How Profitable is cabbage farming in Kenya?

A list of hybrid Cabbage varieties in Kenya

VarietyMaturity (days)Head weight (kg)Yield
(t/Ha)
Amigo F1 90-100 4-6 45-68
Baraka F1 75 4-6 40-50
Blue Dynasty F1 80-85 4-5 45- 68
Copenhagen Market 65-70 2-2.5 20-30
Gloria F1 90 3 30-50
Green Challenger F1 60 2.5- 3 40- 50
Michelle F1 80 3-5 40-74
Pruktor F1 80 5-6 50-60
Queen F1 85   30
Riana F1 90-100 1.5-2.5 15-30
Winner F1 75-80   40-75
A list of cabbage seed varieties by maturity period and yield per acre

Given its high demand, seed companies have many hybrid seed varieties or F1 seed choices in the market. In this post, we compare the best hybrid types using their maturity period, spacing in cm, plant population, the average weight per head and total yield potential per acre.

Gloria F1

Cabbage Gloria f1
Gloria F1 cabbage characteristics

Gloria F1 is the most grown cabbage variety in Kenya. You can grow around 11,111 cabbage plants in an acre considering a spacing of 60 cm by 60 cm.

The Gloria F1 cabbage has a maturity period of 3 months (90 days) from the day of transplanting. The yield potential of Gloria f1 cabbage is 30-50 tons per hectare. It is tolerant to black rot and fusarium yellows diseases. Besides, it can withstand splitting after maturity. Gloria F1 has a solid blue to green color heads that are covered by a thick waxy layer. The heads average 3 kg and is one of the best variety for storing.

Amigo F1

This cabbage variety matures in 90-100 days after transplanting. It can yield between 45-68 tons of cabbage. It has a recommended spacing of 60 cm by 60 cm giving you 11,111 plans in an acre. The variety is tolerant to the Black Rot and Diamondback Moth (DBM) diseases. Amigo F1 seeds does best in warm to cool areas. Its heads are Green and semi-round. It can weight between 4 and 6 kg.

Varietyspacing (cm)Seed rate/acre
Amigo F1 60 x 60 11,111
Baraka F1 60 x 45 14,800
Blue Dynasty F1 60 x 60 11,111
Copenhagen Market 60 x 45 14,800
Gloria F1 60 x 60 11,111
Green Challenger F1 30 x 30 or
60 x 60
44, 444 or
11,111
Michelle F1 60 x 45 or
60 x 60
14,800 or
11,111
Pruktor F1 60 x 60 11,111
Queen F1 60 x 45 14,800
Riana F1 60 x 60 11,111
Winner F1 60 x 60 11,111
Spacing in cm & crop population for cabbage varieties in Kenya

Blue Dynasty F1

The cabbage variety matures in 80-85 days from transplanting. Plant the Blue dynasty F1 cabbage at a spacing of 60 cm x 60 cm. It has round heads with a compact shape. Its average weight is 4-5 kg per head. You will plant 11,111 seeds in acre. This cabbage yield per acre is 45-68 tons per acre. It is best suited for warm areas and it is tolerant to black rot, ring spot, DBM and fusarium Yellows.

Baraka F1

Cabbage Baraka F1
Baraka F1 cabbage variety features

Baraka F1 is the most popular cabbage variety among cabbage commercial farmers. It has bluish-greenheads that can weigh 4-6 kg when fully mature. It is a fast growing type taking 75 days to mature after transplanting. To plant Baraka F1, observe a spacing of 60 cm by 45 cm. You will get around 40 – 50 tons from the 14,800 heads in an acre. Baraka is tolerant to black rot, ring spot and cabbage yellows diseases.

Copenhagen Market

The Copenhagen market cabbage variety mature in 65-70 days. Its heads weigh 2-2.5 kilograms. The recommended spacing for this cabbage variety in Kenya is 60cm x 45 cm. An acre will hold 14,800 heads of the Copenhagen market cabbage variety. Its yield per acre is 20-30 tons of cabbage per acre.

Green Challenger F1

The Green challenger F1 is the only fast maturing cabbage variety in Kenya. It takes only 2 months or 60 days to mature after transplanting. It has round shape with compact size heads. They weight an average of 2.5-3 kilograms when fully mature. The heads are blue green while its internal color is creamy. It is resistant to DBM, Black rot and Fusarium Yellows. The variety’s yield potential is 40-50 tons of cabbage per acre. It has a recommended spacing of 30 cm by 30 cm or 60 cm by 60 cm depending on rainfall and soil features of your area.

Michelle F1

Michelle F1 matures in 80 days from transplanting. It will give you 40-74 tons of cabbage per acre given its yield potential. Each mature cabbage head weigh between 3 to 5 kg. The variety’s recommended spacing is 60 cm x 45-60 cm.

Pruktor F1

Pruktor F1
Pruktoor F1 cabbage variety

Pruktor F1 has a sweet flavor and its know for its tolerance against low night temperatures. It has a recommended spacing of 60 cm x 60 cm. Pruktor F1 has a yield potential of 50 -60 tons per acre. It will take around 80 days to mature from transplanting.

Queen F1

Queen F1 mature in 85 day after transplanting. Its yield potential is 30 tons of cabbage per acre. the seeds recommended spacing is 60 cm x 45 cm or 14,800 cabbage heads per acre.

Riana F1

The cabbage seed variety is tolerant to heat, cold. black rot and tip burns. The mature heads are round and compact with blue green heads. the internal color is clean white. Riana F1 is late maturing variety as it will mature in 90-100 days. Its recommended spacing is 60 cm x 60 cm. Its average weight is 1.5-2.5 kg per head and will give you low yields of 15-30 tons of cabbage per acre.

Winner F1

This cabbage variety matures in 75-80 days from transplanting date. An acre will give you 40 to 75 tons of cabbage if you observe good crop management. It has a recommended spacing of 60 cm x 60 cm

Read Next : How profitable is cabbage farming in Kenya?

The article compares 11 hybrid cabbage seed varieties you can grow in Kenya. It compares them on yield per acre, spacing in cm, tolerance to diseases and pests among other features like color and flavor.

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2 Comments

  • What about the inputs

    26 October - 2022 at 12:00 PM
    Lamech Kipruto Reply
    • Hi Lamech, see the following article on costs and benefits of commercial cabbage farming.

      03 November - 2022 at 08:26 AM
      Agcenture Reply