Savoy Cabbage
Violaceo Di Verona is a stunning heirloom cabbage from northern Italy that transforms your garden into a living palette of violet and green. Its lightly savoyed leaves deepen in color as temperatures drop, creating heads that are as beautiful as they are delicious. Maturing in 95 to 120 days from seed, this frost-hardy variety thrives in cool weather and rewards patient gardeners with a cabbage that has survived centuries because Italian families refused to let it disappear. The combination of impressive cold tolerance and vibrant appearance makes it a treasure worth the wait.
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Moderate
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Perennial
Moderate
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Violaceo Di Verona's stunning violet and green leaves become increasingly vibrant as the season cools, rewarding fall gardeners with color that deepens rather than fades. Italian farmers have preserved this heirloom since antiquity, keeping it alive through a genuine love of traditional cuisine rather than commercial demand. Its frost-hardy nature means it actually improves in flavor and visual appeal as temperatures drop, making it one of the few cabbages that thrives when other vegetables are struggling.
As a culinary cabbage, Violaceo Di Verona is used fresh in slaws and salads where its striking coloring makes it as visually appealing as it is nutritious, and cooked in Italian preparations where its traditional role in regional cuisine comes through. The firm heads store well, making it suitable for preservation, pickling, and extended kitchen use.
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost, or 8 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost for a fall crop. Maintain soil temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for reliable germination. Transplant seedlings to larger containers once they develop their first true leaves.
Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days before transplanting outdoors. Set transplants in the garden when soil has warmed to at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit, spacing them 18 inches apart. Fall transplanting can occur well into late summer for a cool-season harvest.
Harvest heads when they feel firm and dense to the touch, typically 95 to 120 days after planting from seed. Cut the entire head at the base using a sharp knife, leaving the stem and roots in the ground if you want to encourage secondary smaller heads. Fall-grown cabbages can be harvested after the first light frost, when their flavor will be at its peak.
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“This cabbage's story is one of cultural devotion. Originating in the Verona region of northern Italy, Violaceo Di Verona has been continuously grown and saved by Italian families for centuries, preserved not by seed companies but by home gardeners who understood its value to their tables and traditions. In an era when industrial agriculture has dramatically shrunk seed diversity, this heirloom survives because Italians chose to keep it alive. Its journey from Italian kitchen gardens to contemporary seed catalogs represents a quiet triumph of biodiversity: a variety maintained through genuine appreciation rather than commercial viability.”