[samuria]

 never grown these before so any tips or ideas
will be most helpful.
 we bought some cheap from asda and they lasted weeks...

[New shoot]

Do you mean the pointed shaped ones like Dutchman and Heart ?

I find they do best as an early summer crop.  I will be sowing some seeds soon in the cold greenhouse.  They get hardened off and planted under a net tunnel on the plot much like any other cabbage, with a handful or two of pelleted chicken manure in and around the planting holes.  Then you just need to keep them watered if we have a dry spell.

I do another sowing of sweet tender cabbage a few weeks on for late summer and autumn, but I find the round headed ones do better for me and are a bit hardier so stand quite well at the end of the season.

[greenjay]

I have never had any success in growing tight, firm white cabbage heads.
Maybe my soil is not firm enough!

[mumofstig]

Minicole makes a nice small, firm, white heart to carry on from the early cabbage.

[New shoot]

I grew one called Sarmarsh last year, which is a Japanese style flat cabbage.  They were very sweet and tasty to eat raw, but they do get a bit more ‘family sized’ than minicole.

Good if you like your coleslaw though