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Cabbage is usually grown by every gardener who is passionate about his work. And if there are sometimes difficulties with early varieties, since not everyone has the time and conditions for sowing cabbage for seedlings and then caring for it, then late varieties of cabbage can be sown directly into the ground or under cover. This makes working in the garden much easier. In addition, it is the late varieties of cabbage that are intended for long-term storage. This means that their harvest will determine how much you can stock up on cabbage for the winter.
Typically, late varieties of cabbage are used for both storage and fermentation. But there is a variety that is not recommended to be fermented for the winter, because immediately after harvest its leaves are too hard. But it keeps well until late spring and even into the summer months. This is Amager 611 cabbage. Interestingly, after several months of storage, its taste characteristics only improve.
Description of the variety
Amager 611 is considered one of the oldest varieties of white cabbage known in our country. It was bred back in the 20s of the last century from seeds that were originally from Switzerland. And it entered the USSR state register at the very height of the war, in 1943.This cabbage was zoned throughout the entire territory of the former Soviet Union, excluding only the Northern and East Siberian regions. In these areas, due to harsh climatic conditions, plants would not have time to ripen.
Plant Characteristics
- The rosette of cabbage is medium-sized, semi-spreading, its diameter can be from 70 to 110 cm. The leaves are raised above the ground. The stalk length is about 20-30 cm.
- The leaves are gray-green in color and have a pronounced waxy coating. The shape of the leaf blade is broadly ovate, concave. The surface of the leaves is slightly wrinkled.
- The petioles have an average size of about 11-14 cm.
- The head of cabbage has a flat-round shape and is characterized by high density. Its weight can reach 3-4 kg.
Characteristics of the variety
The Amager 611 variety is characterized by high productivity; up to 6 kg of cabbage can be harvested from one square meter. With industrial cultivation, marketable yield can be 40-65 tons per hectare.
These features of the Amager variety will be especially attractive to farmers.
The Amager cabbage variety is late-ripening in terms of ripening. From sowing of seedlings to the technical ripening of heads of cabbage, an average of about 130-140 days pass.
The taste of cabbage leaves when harvested is slightly bitter, but during winter storage the taste characteristics improve, the bitterness goes away, and the cabbage becomes very juicy.
The disadvantages of the Amager variety include its weak resistance to Fusarium wilt and vascular bacteriosis. During storage, heads of cabbage can also be affected by gray rot and spot necrosis.
But this variety has much more advantages:
- High and stable yield;
- Increased cold resistance and even frost resistance;
- Resistance to cracking of heads of cabbage;
- Increased shelf life and good transportability.
Growing cabbage
Since Amager cabbage belongs to the late-ripening varieties, it can be grown either by sowing seedlings or directly in a permanent place in the garden. In the northern regions, due to the short summer, the first growing method is preferable. Due to the susceptibility of this variety to various diseases, the seeds require disinfection before planting. The best solution for these purposes is a solution of phytosporin, in which the seeds are soaked for 8-12 hours. After drying a little, they can be sown. The soil for sowing is also disinfected with a phytosporin solution one day before sowing the seeds.
When thinking about when to plant Amager cabbage seedlings, you need to proceed from the climatic characteristics of your region. It is necessary to take into account the timing of possible harvesting, on the one hand, and the estimated dates of planting seedlings in the ground, on the other. Typically, late cabbage varieties are sown during April. The Amager variety can be sown in a permanent place in the middle zone in early May, using additional film covers on the arches.
At a temperature of about +20°C, cabbage shoots appear in 2-5 days.
If this is not done, then the seedlings will stretch and will subsequently die. The best place for growing cabbage seedlings is a greenhouse or greenhouse, where the necessary conditions can be maintained without difficulty.Two weeks after emergence, the seedlings are planted in separate containers, buried up to the cotyledon leaves. After picking, it is advisable to soak the Amager cabbage again with a solution of phytosporin.
Cabbage seedlings can be planted in a permanent place of growth in open ground in the second half of May. During planting, at least 50-60 cm are left between plants, while the row spacing should be about 60-70 cm. Immediately after planting, all the ground around the bushes is sprinkled with a mixture of tobacco dust and wood ash. This will help repel pests and serve as additional feeding.
In the future, caring for cabbage consists of weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizing and watering. Amager cabbage needs abundant watering in July - August during the formation of heads of cabbage. A month before harvest, watering should be reduced to a minimum. Due to the susceptibility of this cabbage variety to diseases, it is advisable to carry out several more treatments with phytosporin during the summer.
Reviews from gardeners
Reviews and photos of those who planted Amager cabbage can be found below.
Reviews from gardeners about Amager cabbage are only good. However, this is not surprising considering how many years this variety has already existed without losing its popularity at all.
