Help! Growing oversized cabbage

My son came home from school yesterday with a cabbage plant. Specifically, an O.S. Cross cabbage plant.

His school participates in the Bonnie Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program, in which each 3rd grader is given a cabbage plant to take home and grow.

The kids plant the cabbage, then record growth on a spreadsheet. After it matures, they turn in the sheet along with a photo of their cabbage. One winner from each state is selected to win a college scholarship.

Now, this thing gets huge - up to 40 pounds for a single head. It's whopper and it requires a 4 sq. ft. growing space.

In other words, you could make a whole lot of slaw out of this thing!

Anyway, last year my oldest son brought one of these things home. We planted it and it did well for a while, then it just rotted from the inside.

It was nasty. REALLY nasty.

So, I need your help.

Have any of you ever successfully grown one of these monsters? Or cabbage in general?

What's the best way to go about trying to grow one of these?

What's the most successful way to keep the bugs away?

I'm not looking to grow a grand champion plant or anything, just one that survives to maturity without rotting.

My son "Tater" and I appreciate any advice you'd care to share.

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