During the last couple of weeks the tops started turning and fell over. Its been pretty wet here for about a week or so and two of the 15 or so that I planted had started rotting so I dug all of them this morning. It was probably a little early but most had formed heads, not as big as I would have liked but heads anyway.

1. What is a good variety for my area and should they be planted in the fall or spring? Our longest days are almost 15 hrs long in the summer (not sure if that matters) and we are in zone 6a.

You can plant in October, November, or December with no problems here in Kentucky.

If you plant too early, though, they tend to sprout rather high before going through their cold dormancy period. I've pretty much settled on Thanksgiving for planting, which seems to create a good balance.

As to varieties, virtually any will grow. My experience has been that softnecks do better than hardnecks, however. But I still grow hardnecks, because as a class they taste better.