Minuet Chinese Cabbage is a compact F1 hybrid that delivers full-flavored heads in just 48 days, making it the fastest route to homegrown Asian greens. This mini variety from Johnny's Selected Seeds is bred specifically for gardeners who want tender, crisp cabbage without the sprawling space demands of standard types. It thrives in the cool-season window of late summer and early fall, though spring planting is possible with careful bolting prevention. With its modest 6-inch spacing requirement and frost tolerance, Minuet fits easily into small gardens, containers, and succession plantings.
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Moderate
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Moderate
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Johnny's calls this the best mini variety available, and the speed tells the story: 48 days from seed to harvest in a compact footprint. The frost tolerance means you can push plantings into shoulder seasons when other crops have faded, while the moderate water needs keep it low-maintenance. Most gardeners find this variety thrives in late-summer plantings when day length naturally shortens and temperatures cool, creating ideal conditions for crisp, sweet heads without the bolting pressure of spring.
Minuet's small, compact heads are perfect for fresh eating straight from the garden, adding crisp texture and subtle cabbage flavor to salads and slaws. The quick maturity makes it ideal for succession planting, so you can sow new batches every few weeks and have a continuous harvest through fall. Its size also suits smaller households where a full-sized cabbage would go to waste, and the tender leaves work beautifully in stir-fries or as a light cooking green.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow 2 seeds per cell 1/4 inch deep in 72-cell plug trays. Keep soil temperatures above 75°F (24°C) until germination, then maintain air temperature at 60-70°F (16-21°C). Transplant out in 3-5 weeks, ideally around the last frost date for spring crops, or in mid-to-late June for summer/fall crops. Handle seedlings gently to avoid disturbing roots, and water in after transplanting.
Transplant spring-planted crops around the last frost date, and transplant summer/fall-started seedlings (begun mid-to-late June) after proper hardening off. Space plants 6 inches apart with 18 inches between rows. Avoid transplanting in cold conditions; young plants exposed to frost or more than a week of sub-50°F (10°C) nights may bolt to seed prematurely.
Direct seed from late May to mid-July for summer and fall crops. Sow at the same depth as transplanted seed (1/4 inch) and thin seedlings to 6-inch spacing once they emerge.
Harvest Minuet heads 48 days after sowing when they reach their compact, mature size. Cut heads at the base with a sharp knife. The compact growth habit means heads will be noticeably smaller than standard cabbage varieties, but this is the variety's strength for portion-controlled harvests.
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