Crop type: Cabbages
Brassica oleracea (Capitata Group) ‘Candisa’
Common name: Cabbage ‘Candisa’
Crop slug: cabbages
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile. Check the source and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Candisa’ is a leafy biennial cultivated as an annual summer vegetable. It forms compact, round green heads and matures early, producing sweet-flavoured leaves. Resistance to splitting and bolting helps the heads remain useful as summer conditions fluctuate.
The live profile also records the alternate common name cabbage (summer) ‘Candissa’. Its compact, clump-forming habit makes it a practical choice where a full-sized winter cabbage would occupy too much space.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Time to ultimate size
- 1 year
This small height and spread suit closer planting than large winter types, while still leaving enough room for light and airflow around each round head.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Chalk, clay, loam and sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Soil pH
- Neutral or alkaline
‘Candisa’ accepts all four common soil textures, provided the ground is fertile, firm and does not remain waterlogged. Neutral or alkaline soil also reduces the risk associated with clubroot in acidic ground.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- South- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed or sheltered
- Hardiness
- H2 — tolerant of cool conditions but not freezing, consistent with growing and harvesting it as a summer annual
Choose an open, sunny bed. The profile accepts both exposed and sheltered positions, but reliable moisture and secure pest protection remain important during warm weather.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
| Season | Flowers | Foliage | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | — | Green | — |
| Summer | — | Green | — |
| Autumn | — | Green | — |
| Winter | — | — | — |
Green foliage is recorded from spring through autumn. The edible round head is formed from those leaves rather than being a fruit. An em dash means the profile supplies no colour for that field and season.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Clump-forming
- Name status
- Accepted
Genus
Brassica includes upright annual, biennial and perennial plants with alternate, often glaucous leaves, long taproots and clusters of cross-shaped yellow or white flowers. Many members have been selected as food crops, including cabbages, turnips, mustards and oilseed rape.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Grow ‘Candisa’ in firm, fertile soil in an open, sunny position. Rotate cabbages and other brassicas rather than growing them in the same ground every year, reducing the build-up of persistent soil-borne disease.
Propagation
Propagate by seed, raised in modules or a seedbed before transplanting, or sown at final spacing.
Pruning
No pruning is required. Remove only faded or badly damaged outer leaves to maintain airflow.
Pests
Possible pests are cabbage root fly, cabbage caterpillars, cabbage whitefly and mealy cabbage aphid, along with damage by birds. Fine insect-proof mesh fitted securely over the crop excludes several of these threats.
Diseases
The cultivar may be susceptible to clubroot, particularly in acidic soil. Use crop rotation, sound drainage, suitable soil pH and clean transplants to reduce risk.