Cabbage is a two-colored vegetable that can be used, prepared and cooked in different ways. This plant can bloom green or purple and has been cultivated for around 4,000 years. In just three months to grow, cabbage will produce more edible vegetables than any other plant per acre. Additionally, cabbage has been used in scientific research that has linked it to cancer prevention. This creates a valuable supply and demand market in the United States. Brassica oleracea capitata is the scientific name for cabbage. “Its scientific name comes from brassica. . .the classic Latin name for cabbage” (Quattrochi, 349). The common name, chou, refers to the word of French origin, Caboche, which also means round or head. Cabbage was first domesticated around 1000 BC by the Celts who brought the plant to Europe from Asia. Many botanists and plant scientists, including: Cato, Pliny, Columella, Dioscorides and Theophrastus, have described cabbage for different uses, both as a culinary and medicinal plant. Cabbage was introduced to the West by French navigator Jacques Cartier when he arrived in America in 1536. Planting cabbage is fairly simple with few rules to follow to ensure production is up to par. When direct sowing, place seeds 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep in the soil. Irrigation should occur every three days until the plants are established. Precision seeding reduces or eliminates the need and cost of thinning. Place seeds every 6 to 10 inches in the row. Also remember that the cabbage must be strictly alternated. Never grow cabbage or related crops on the same soil more than once every 3 years. (Allen 48) This will help control various root rots. When using fertilizer on cabbage, lime and f...... middle of paper ...... should be applied, China is the world leader in cabbage production, followed by the United States in eighth place. The United States is also known for importing and exporting cabbage worth almost $20 million. Again, on average, cabbage brings $15.30 per hundredweight. Today, cabbage is primarily enjoyed as a fresh market vegetable, although research continues into the value of medicinal actives that have been shown to be useful in cancer prevention. While the demand for cabbage may now be average among other vegetables, the value of Brassica oleracea capitata will definitely increase if a deadly disease is to be stopped. Works Cited Allen, Charles Linnaeus. 1901. Cabbage, cauliflower and allied vegetables. Apple wood books. Bedford, Massachusetts.Quatrocchi, Umberto. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Volume I AC. London: CRC Press. 2000.