Variety field guide
What to expect from Kogane Seeds
Kogane develops a generous, loosely folded head with crumpled green outer leaves and a warm yellow center.
Read the complete product descriptionTraits, flavor, garden use, variety notes, and the full catalog record
Kogane develops a generous, loosely folded head with crumpled green outer leaves and a warm yellow center. Its name means gold in Japanese, a fitting description of the tender inner foliage. Grow it for mild greens in stir-fries, soups and pickles, or harvest younger leaves to brighten a mixed salad. Given steady moisture and cool growing weather, this leafy cabbage develops much more substance than a quick baby-green cutting.
Golden-centered heads for generous harvests and pickling.
Growing facts
- Botanical name: Brassica rapa
- Maturity or display: 70-80 days
- Mature size: Loose leafy rosette; size varies with harvest stage
- Spacing: 18 in between plants; rows 24 in
About the variety
Kogane is an open-pollinated Japanese Chinese cabbage selection in the Kitazawa catalog. Its name means gold, referring to the yellow interior. The supplier reports mature heads can reach about 8 lb under favorable conditions; that is a potential size, not an expected yield from every plant.
Starting seed
Sow 1/4-1/2 in. deep for mild spring weather or late-summer planting. Keep moist at 60-70 F; allow about 4-10 days to sprout. Thin to 18 in. apart, rows 24 in. apart. Use sun and fertile soil; prolonged cold or heat may trigger bolting.
Care through the season
Maintain even moisture and remove weeds while small. Rotate brassica beds and use insect netting before flea beetles or caterpillars arrive. Grow for a cool harvest; extended cold on young plants can induce flowering, and summer heat can reduce leaf quality. Fall sowings often avoid spring cold followed by heat.
Harvest and use
Allow about 70-80 days from sowing for developed heads; young leaves can be taken sooner. Cut at the base before bolting. Refrigerate or pickle using a tested recipe. For seed, isolate flowering plants from other Brassica rapa and collect fully dry pods.
Saving seed
These open-pollinated brassicas are insect-pollinated. Keep several healthy, typical plants for seed and prevent crossing with other flowering varieties of the same species. Some plants need a cold period before flowering. Let pods mature, then cut and dry them under cover before they shatter; clean, label and store seed cool and dry.
Common problems
Check young leaves for flea beetle holes, aphids and caterpillars. Use row covers early, inspect regularly, and remove badly diseased plants. Crop rotation, drainage and steady watering help limit root disease and stress. A flowering stem means the leafy harvest is ending; use the leaves promptly.
Frequently asked questions
Does it form a tight head?
Kogane develops a generous, loosely folded head with crumpled green outer leaves and a warm yellow center.
When should I harvest?
Allow about 70-80 days from sowing for developed heads; young leaves can be taken sooner. Cut at the base before bolting. Refrigerate or pickle using a tested recipe. For seed, isolate flowering plants from other Brassica rapa and collect fully dry pods.
Why is it flowering early?
Maintain even moisture and remove weeds while small. Rotate brassica beds and use insect netting before flea beetles or caterpillars arrive. Grow for a cool harvest; extended cold on young plants can induce flowering, and summer heat can reduce leaf quality. Fall sowings often avoid spring cold followed by heat.
