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It is difficult to imagine the diet of the average Russian without cabbage. This vegetable has been grown in Europe for a long time, and in Russia, at the beginning of the 19th century, more than 20 varieties of cabbage were known. It is believed that ordinary white cabbage is unpretentious and is quite easy to grow. In fact, a gardener may encounter a lot of difficulties and ultimately lose the entire harvest or a significant part of it.
When to plant cabbage in the ground, what determines the timing of planting, and how to grow a decent harvest of a healthy vegetable - this is what the article is about.
What determines the timing of planting cabbage?
To find out how to properly plant cabbage in open ground, you first need to decide on the variety and variety of this vegetable.
Cabbage belongs to the cruciferous family; today there are more than a dozen varieties of vegetables that are commonly eaten. The most popular types of cabbage in Russia are:
- White cabbage - the most common variety in domestic gardens. The fruit of this species is a dense head of cabbage, which is used for preparing fresh salads, pickling and adding to various dishes.
- Red cabbage contains even more useful substances than the usual garden variety. Outwardly, it is similar to the previous species, only the heads are painted in a dark red-violet hue. Delicious salads are prepared from this vegetable.
- IN cauliflower Peduncles collected in elastic brushes are edible. The bush of this vegetable looks like a white head surrounded by greenery, consisting of many underdeveloped flowers. This type of cabbage is very healthy and tasty; the fruits of this cabbage can be stewed or fried.
- Broccoli similar to cauliflower, but its inflorescences are green or purple. It is rich in mineral salts and antioxidants.
- Brussels the variety is a thick, long stem on which there are many miniature heads that look like ordinary white cabbage. Such “babies” contain, for example, more vitamin C than oranges and lemons. Therefore, the vegetable is very healthy and nutritious.
- Savoy cabbage very similar to cabbage, only its leaves are corrugated and its head is less dense. This vegetable is used to make fresh salads rich in vitamins and microelements.
- IN kohlrabi contains many vitamins, calcium and glucose. The stems of this variety are spherical and long leaves on tall petioles grow from it.
- Chinese cabbage Today it is especially popular; in recent years, summer residents have begun to sow it on their plots. The fiber of the heads of cabbage is very tender, and the leaves are corrugated; delicious salads are made from this species. But this type of vegetable does not last long.
- Chinese cabbage outwardly resembles lettuce leaves, because the plant does not have a head or ovaries. But its taste and nutritional qualities correspond to cabbage.
Having decided on the type of cabbage, you can start growing it. Regardless of the type, it is recommended to plant cabbage in open ground no earlier than two true leaves appear on its seedlings. But the seedlings should not outgrow either - such seedlings do not acclimatize well and do not produce good harvests.
So, cauliflower and broccoli They are considered the most heat-loving, so they are planted in the ground later than others. The Savoy variety, on the contrary, is able to tolerate cold and even frosts - cabbage seedlings can be transferred to open ground already in mid-spring.
Most often, Russians grow white cabbage, and more attention should be paid to this species. So, depending on the timing of ripening, they distinguish:
- Early ripening white cabbage. Its distinctive feature is smaller heads with delicate and not very elastic leaves; its color is often not white, but greenish. This vegetable is used for preparing fresh salads and seasonal dishes, but early cabbage is not suitable for long-term storage, which is why it is not canned, pickled or salted.
- Mid-season the varieties already have some shelf life. They make quite tasty and nutritious salads; you can salt or preserve such cabbage; it is quite possible that the heads of cabbage will last until next spring.
- If you need a variety for long-term winter storage, choose late-ripening cabbage Its heads are tight, large and elastic, often painted white.
A simple question will help you decide on the variety: “For what purpose does a summer resident or gardener need cabbage?” But at this same stage it is necessary to take into account the climate of the region in which the garden is located – in Siberia or the Urals, for example, it is better not to plant late-ripening varieties; they may not ripen in short summer conditions. But in the southern regions of Russia, many gardeners harvest two crops of early-ripening vegetables per season, while still managing to grow late varieties for winter storage.
How to determine the timing of planting cabbage seedlings in the ground
First of all, the timing of planting depends on the early maturity of the variety (as discussed above). The second important factor is the climate zone in which the gardener’s plot is located.
In most of the country, early ripening white cabbage is planted in the soil around mid-May. Mid-season and late varieties are planted here at the end of the month.
Residents of the North and the Urals will have to shift the indicated dates by 1-2 weeks, but in the southern part of Russia, seedlings can be taken out into the garden 10-12 days earlier than the standard dates.
Many summer residents today are guided by the lunar calendar, however? this is not very convenient, because there may be only two or three days favorable from this point of view for the whole month. It is difficult to compare your own schedule and the state of the seedlings with the recommendations of astrologers.
The generally accepted rules of the lunar calendar are:
- you should plant seedlings and sow seeds when the moon is in its waxing phase;
- on new and full moons all plantings are prohibited;
- cabbage does not like to be “disturbed” on Thursdays;
- You should not plant anything on Wednesday and Friday.
Well, the main rule is that you should plant any plants only with positive thoughts and a good mood.
To plant cabbage seedlings in the ground, it is better to choose a cloudy day, or even better if there is a light drizzle. When it is hot outside and there are no clouds in the sky, seedlings are planted in the evening, closer to sunset.
When figuring out when it is most favorable to plant cabbage seedlings, it is important not to lose sight of the condition of the seedlings themselves. Ideally, cabbage seedlings during this period should:
- be strong and healthy;
- have a formed root system;
- undergo hardening;
- have at least 4-5 true leaves (early ripening varieties - 7-8 leaves each);
- reach a height of 15-20 cm.
For such results, at least 45 days must pass from the day of sowing cabbage seeds to seedlings. With proper care, timely feeding, additional lighting and sufficient watering, the seedlings will be ready for transplanting into the ground on the 45-55th day after sowing.
How to plant cabbage seedlings
Planting seedlings always begins with preparing the seeds and soil. Cabbage seeds are quite large - they are balls, about 2-3 mm in diameter, dark brown in color. Experienced gardeners recommend not immediately sowing cabbage seeds in cups with soil, but first preparing them for germination.
Preparation of cabbage seeds is as follows:
- they are placed in hot water, the temperature of which does not exceed 50 degrees. This is necessary to disinfect seed material, which often contains viruses and bacteria that are dangerous to cabbage seedlings;
- to stimulate the seeds and enhance the growth of seedlings, the material is soaked for a couple of hours in special stimulating solutions for seedlings (such as “Epin”);
- after the seeds have been soaked in warm water or solution, they need to be dipped in very cold water for five minutes - this will harden the seedlings in the future.
The soil for cabbage seedlings should be loose and nutritious - these are the main conditions. Its acidity should be neutral; if the soil is acidic, lime or chalk is added to it.
It is better to prepare a substrate for seedlings in the fall, because in early spring it is not always possible to collect the necessary components from the garden - the ground may be wet, sometimes there is still snow on the site at this time (after all, seedlings are planted in March).
Cabbage seedlings in open ground will feel better if the seeds are first sown in a substrate containing soil from the same area of the garden. A substrate is prepared from part of the humus and part of the turf soil; a little wood ash is added to loosen and disinfect it.
Such plots must have a rest from cabbage crops for at least three years.
The soil poured into the container must be watered generously with warm water - after this, watering is stopped until the cotyledon leaves appear on the seedlings.
Seeds are placed in depressions of about 1 cm and sprinkled with loose soil. Containers with seedlings are covered with film and placed in a warm place - the temperature should be kept at 20 degrees.
After 4-5 days, the first leaves should appear. The film needs to be removed, and the seedlings themselves should be placed in a cooler place with a temperature of 6-8 degrees. The cabbage will remain here until the first true leaf forms.
When the leaf has appeared, the containers are lifted onto window sills or placed in another place where the temperature during the day remains at 16-18 degrees, and at night drops several thermometer divisions.
At the same time, you can carry out the first fertilizing of cabbage seedlings. To avoid burning tender plants, the soil between them is pre-watered. The seedlings are spilled on top with a liquid solution of slurry, herbal infusion or other organic fertilizer.
Feeding is repeated when the 6-7th leaf is formed, and the seedlings themselves are ready to be transferred to a permanent place in the garden. To do this, use a composition of ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride and superphosphate.
Seedlings should be watered regularly, but it is important to ensure that the soil does not become waterlogged - the vegetable often suffers from fungal infections (blackleg, for example). The soil between the plants should be carefully loosened, because the roots of the seedlings need oxygen.
When the seedlings have 1-2 true leaves, they need to be planted in individual containers. But this stage can be avoided if you immediately sow the seeds in pots or peat glasses. Before planting, the seedlings are watered abundantly, the plants are transferred together with a ball of earth, and the root is pinched to a third of its length.
You can start hardening off seedlings immediately after the formation of true leaves - this crop is in dire need of fresh air.
However, you should avoid drafts and severe hypothermia of the cabbage - this will stop its growth.
In order for the seedlings not to stretch out, to be squat and strong, they need a lot of sunlight.In March, unfortunately, the sun may not be enough, so the pots with seedlings are illuminated with phyto- or fluorescent lamps - the plants need to be illuminated for 12-15 hours a day.
How to transfer cabbage seedlings to open ground
We have already found out when to plant cabbage in the garden. How to do this correctly to get a good harvest?
You should plant seedlings in the ground no earlier than they have warmed up thoroughly. The soil temperature should be at least 10-15 degrees. It’s easy to check the readiness of the ground - just sit on it. If a person is comfortable sitting in a garden bed without bedding, then cabbage seedlings will like it there too.
The beds for cabbage seedlings are prepared in advance by digging up the soil onto the bayonet of a shovel and removing weeds. Cow manure is added before winter. In spring, holes are prepared for seedlings. Their depth should be slightly greater than the length of the roots of the seedlings - it is approximately 15 cm. The distance between the holes should be sufficient - the planting pattern for most varieties of cabbage is 50x50 cm.
This is due to the culture’s love for the sun and the need to ventilate the seedlings and the ground beneath them.
Cabbage relates well to its “neighbors” with a shallow root system; such plants additionally loosen and nourish the soil and protect the leaves of the crop from the scorching rays of the sun.
Cabbage seedlings are planted as follows:
- Make holes for seedlings.
- Nutrients are poured into the bottom of each hole. This could be manure, nitrophoska, or other mineral fertilizers.Add wood ash near a matchbox, a little peat and sand if the soil in the area is too dense. All this is mixed and covered with a thin layer of earth so as not to burn the roots of the seedlings.
- The seedlings are removed from the pot or box, their roots are examined and dipped in a growth stimulator.
- Deepen the seedlings into the hole up to the cotyledon leaves.
- Sprinkle the cabbage seedlings with slightly damp soil and tamp lightly.
Only planted seedlings do not tolerate extreme heat very well, so the bushes need to be shaded for about a week with newspapers or agrofibre. Seedlings also need to be covered when there is a chance of frost.
How to properly care for cabbage
The fact that the cabbage has acclimatized will be signaled by the appearance of the buds of new leaves. The plants are now strong enough to withstand the sun and cold at night.
Cabbage loves water very much - it needs to be watered often and abundantly, otherwise the heads of cabbage will be small and not crispy. About 10 liters of water should be poured under each bush every 2-3 days. Seedlings are watered a little less often only in cloudy or rainy weather.
Cabbage is loved by pests, and it is also often susceptible to fungal infections. Therefore, plants must be inspected regularly to identify hazards at an early stage. Experienced gardeners recommend mulching cabbage beds to prevent weeds from growing. After all, they do not allow the cabbage to ventilate properly, attract insect pests, and cause fungal diseases.
Peat or chopped grass can be used as mulch. To protect cabbage from whitefly butterflies and aphids, strong-smelling plants such as marigold, lemon balm, basil or thyme.Slugs can be lured out if you place a plate of beer between the seedling beds - overnight all the pests will crawl out to feast on alcohol, and they can simply be destroyed.
Fungal infections of cabbage seedlings are the most difficult to combat; they are easier to prevent. To do this, plants must be well ventilated and well-lit by the sun. It is very important to follow the schedule for watering the seedlings and loosen the soil between the rows.
Compliance with all rules and requirements guarantees stable vegetable yields. All that remains is to wait for the heads to form and cut off the cabbage heads for storage.
