Cruciferous Vegetables Guide: What You Need To Know Before Growing These Cool Crops

Have you ever heard the terms cruciferous vegetables, Brassica vegetables, and cole crops used interchangeably and wondered “What the heck?” You’re not alone. I’ve also been slightly flummoxed by their use for the same vegetable.

There is, it turns out, a reason for the confusion. But I'm here to clarify exactly what cruciferous vegetables are and how to grow these cold weather vegetables successfully in your garden.

Is It a Cole Crop, Brassica or Cruciferous Veggie?

It turns out that all the members of these groups are all the same species, so why the different names? No, no one is deliberately trying to confuse you (or me), it just has to do with an advancement in historical classifications.

At one point, the members of this species were all categorized under the family name Cruciferae. This family contains 372 genera and 4,060 different species. Within this large family reside cruciferous veggies such as Brassica oleracea which includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, and kale. Other Brassicaceae members also have a place within the Cruciferae family.

Because the Cruciferae family is so large and diverse, scientists decided to subdivide it and make Brassica members their own family. The genus name (Brassicaceae) comes from the Latin for cruciferous vegetables. The older nomenclature, Cruciferae, means “cross-bearing” and is a reference to the four cross shaped petals of mustard blooms.

What about cole crops? Cole crop is an older term for these same Brassica or cruciferous vegetables used primarily in the agricultural trade.

What Are Cruciferous Vegetables?

Hopefully that enlightened rather than confused anyone. Suffice it to say a Brassica is a cruciferous vegetable and vice versa.

That said, there is yet room for confusion since which crops are considered to be in this family varies depending upon what cruciferous vegetable list you consult.

Brassica or cruciferous veggies (cole crops) come in an array of shapes, sizes, and colors to the extent that it seems as if they have nothing in common which isn’t true. All Brassica are cool season veggies. Most bear flowers that are made up of four petals resembling a cross. While they may be cultivated for leaves, flower buds or even roots, Brassica are all nutrient rich and high in fiber.

Also, while over time, Brassica veggies have evolved they do have a common ancestor; wild cabbage.

Broadly, cruciferous vegetables belong to the Cruciferae family, which mostly contains the Brassica genus, but does include a few other genuses. In general, cruciferous vegetables are cool weather vegetables and have flowers that have four petals so that they resemble a cross.

In most cases, the leaves or flower buds of cruciferous vegetables are eaten, but there are a few where either the roots or seeds are also eaten.

List of Cruciferous Vegetables

Below you will find a list of cruciferous vegetables. While you may not have heard the term cruciferous vegetable before, it's likely that you have grown many of them in your garden.

Compiling a list of cruciferous veggies is a bit of a struggle since the lists vary according to the source. This isn’t a complete list and the list may change depending upon who or what is consulted, but general cruciferous vegetables include:

• Arugula
• Bok choy
• Broccoli
• Broccoli rabe
• Broccoli romanesco
• Brussel sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Chinese broccoli
• Chinese cabbage
• Collard greens
• Daikon
• Garden cress
• Horseradish
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Komatsuna
• Land cress
• Mizuna
• Mustard - seeds and leaves
• Radish
• Rutabaga
• Tatsoi
• Turnips - root and greens
• Wasabi
• Watercress

How to Care for Cruciferous Vegetables

As mentioned, Brassica are cool season veggies. They should be planted in well-draining soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6., in full sun. Enrich the soil with compost if need be; cruciferous veggies are heavy feeders. Keep soil consistently moist.

Start plants inside early before the last frost in your area for later transplant or direct sow as soil temperatures warm in the spring. A second crop can be started in the later summer for a fall harvest.

Since these vegetables belong to the same family, they tend to be susceptible to the same diseases and pests. Cruciferous vegetable diseases can include:

• Anthracnose
• Bacterial leaf spot
• Black leaf spot
• Black rot
• Downy mildew
• Peppery leaf spot
• Root-knot
• White spot fungus
• White rust

Cruciferous vegetable pests can include:

• Aphids
• Beet armyworm
• Cabbage looper
• Cabbage maggot
• Corn earworm
• Cross-striped cabbageworm
• Cutworms
• Diamondback moth
• Flea beetles
• Imported cabbageworm
• Nematodes (which cause root-knot)
• Slugs and snails

Since the cruciferous family of vegetables are susceptible to the same diseases and pests, it's best to make sure that you rotate the location of all cruciferous vegetables in your garden each year. In other words, don't plant a cruciferous vegetable where a cruciferous vegetable was planted last year. This will help to protect them from diseases and pests that can overwinter in the soil.

Frequently Asked Questions

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• Try a classic Brassica in your veggie garden. Castle Dome Hybrid Broccoli is a fast-growing cultivar that can handle heat, so you can enjoy it all the way into summer.
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