Ricky Jordan, age 13, of Colorado Springs, Colo., for his question

DO CABBAGES COME FROM SEEDS?

Although lots of home farmers buy small cabbage plants in nurseries, they very definitely do grow from seeds.

Under normal conditions, the plants are biennial ¬that is, farmers grow them one year and leave them in the ground during the winter. In the spring the plants can produce seed. Plants that have been subjected to cool weather sometimes are left in the ground to produce seeds rather than harvested early as marketable heads. Many plants that are biennial will show this response to cold weather.

Cabbage seeds are small and look like those of broccoli or cauliflower. Most farmers prefer to plant the seed directly into the field, rather than to first plant them in shallow greenhouse boxes.