Content
Many gardeners are engaged in growing various varieties and varieties of cabbage. Vegetables from your own garden are valued for their environmental friendliness. After all, it’s no secret that when growing cabbage, large farms use a lot of fertilizers, as well as chemicals to combat diseases and pests.
Choosing a variety for summer residents is an important point, because high-yielding and disease-resistant plants are required. White cabbage Megaton meets all the requirements and does not cause any particular difficulties in care. You will find a description, characteristics of the variety and interesting photos in our article.
Excursion into history
The first to describe the Megaton cabbage variety were its creators - Dutch breeders from the seed company Bejo Zaden. They managed to obtain a hybrid of white cabbage that combines the requirements of many agricultural producers in its characteristics:
- large and elastic heads of cabbage;
- high immunity to diseases and pests;
- ability to withstand adverse weather conditions;
- average ripening time;
- the ability to preserve the harvest for a long time.
In Russia, the variety has been permitted for cultivation since 1996, after being included in the State Register.Cabbage variety Megaton is not recommended for cultivation in some regions of the Middle Volga region:
- Republic of Mordovia;
- Tatarstan;
- Penza region;
- Samara region;
- Ulyanovsk region.
Gardeners who have been growing Megaton white cabbage for more than one year give breeders from Holland “fives” in their reviews.
Description of cabbage variety
When choosing seeds for planting white cabbage, vegetable growers pay attention to the description of the variety and the characteristics of cultivation. Any details are important to them. Let's look at these questions.
According to characteristics and reviews from gardeners, the Megaton F1 cabbage variety is mid-season. From the moment of sowing the seeds to technical maturity, it takes from 136 to 168 days.
The leaves of the Dutch hybrid have large rosette sizes. They can be horizontal or slightly raised. The edges of large, rounded leaves are concave with noticeable waviness, light green, matte due to a waxy coating. Cover leaves with wrinkles.
The forks are large in size, round in shape and have a dense structure. Many gardeners, noting this feature, write in reviews that Megaton F1 white cabbage at technical maturity is hard as a stone.
On a small inner stalk about 15 cm long, heads of cabbage weighing 3-4 kg grow. But with good care and compliance with all agrotechnical standards, some gardeners receive forks of 10-15 kilograms. When cut, the cabbage is snow-white, as in the photo below.
White cabbage Megaton, according to the description of the variety and reviews of gardeners who have been growing it for a number of years, is very tasty and healthy. It contains a large number of substances necessary for humans. Here are some numbers per 100 grams of raw cabbage:
- protein – 0.6-3%;
- ascorbic acid 39.3-43.6 mg;
- sugar from 3.8 to 5%;
- dry matter from 7.9 to 8.7%.
Characteristics of cabbage
Although not much time has passed since 1996, the Megaton F1 cabbage variety is loved not only by gardeners, but it is also grown on a large scale by Russian farmers for sale.
Let's find out what the benefits of this white vegetable are:
- Excellent taste, cabbage is juicy and crunchy; the hybrid is best suited for pickling.
- The variety is high-yielding; from 586 to 934 centners can be harvested per hectare.
- Megaton F1 is resistant to many diseases that usually affect other varieties and varieties of cabbage: fusarium wilt, clubroot, gray rot. Some pests also avoid forks.
- Adverse weather conditions do not negatively affect the quality of heads of cabbage and yield: prolonged rains do not lead to cracking.
- White cabbage is valued for its transportability and the ability to be stored for three months after cutting.
We looked at the positive aspects, but Megaton F1 white cabbage also has some disadvantages:
- in the first days after cutting, the leaves of the variety are harsh;
- the presence of a large amount of sugar does not allow preparing salads and cabbage rolls from the leaves;
- Many gardeners are confused by what they think is a short shelf life.
If you look at the ratio of pros and cons, you should buy seeds and try to grow Megaton F1 cabbage on your plot.
How to grow seedlings
If you have made your choice, buy Megaton cabbage seeds only in specialized stores. In this case, you can be sure of quality and germination. After all, seeds, unfortunately, are not cheap.
So, we have purchased the seeds, we need to sow the seedlings. The fact is that Megaton cabbage, according to the characteristics and description, is grown only by seedlings. Since the variety is mid-late, seeds for seedlings are sown at the end of April, beginning of May.
Preparing the seeds for planting
In order to grow healthy Megaton cabbage seedlings and get tight heads of cabbage and not shaggy “brooms”, the seeds should be specially prepared.
Let's look at the stages:
- The water is heated to 50 degrees and the seeds are lowered for a third of an hour. It is best to put them in a fabric bag. After this, transfer to cold water.
- The next step is soaking in Epin or Zircon for several hours. You can also use a nitrophoska solution for soaking. After the procedure, the seeds must be rinsed with clean water and dried.
- The seed should be hardened three days before sowing. The ideal place for this is the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. This procedure will increase the plants' resistance to light frosts.
Sowing seeds and caring for seedlings
Fertile soil is poured into the seedling box and mixed with wood ash. Pour boiling water over the soil, dissolving potassium permanganate in it. When the soil has cooled to room temperature, make furrows in increments of 6-7 cm. Seeds are placed in them at a distance of 3-4 cm, to a depth of 3 cm. If picking seedlings is not included in the plans, the distance between future seedlings should be increased. A film is pulled over the top to speed up germination.
As a rule, cabbage seeds germinate in 3-4 days. Since the seedling box is located outside, the film or glass is not removed to retain heat inside. On hot days, the shelter is raised so that the seedlings do not burn and there is access to fresh air.
While the seedlings are growing, they need to be watered with warm water and weeded weeds. It is useful to sprinkle small cabbage with wood ash. It repels the cruciferous flea beetle.
Many gardeners plant seedlings in separate containers. This work should be carried out when 2-3 true leaves are formed. Fertile soil is selected and treated with boiling water.
Having taken the plant out of the nursery, cut the root by a third. This will ensure the development of a fibrous root system. Planted cabbage of the Megaton F1 variety can be placed in a greenhouse or under temporary film cover. The main thing is that there is good lighting, and that the plants do not get frosty at night.
During the first weeks, cabbage seedlings require special attention. You need to constantly loosen the soil, remove weeds, and water moderately. After all, it is at this time that the future harvest is formed. Only strong seedlings can produce tight heads of cabbage.
Bedding
Before planting in open ground, seedlings should be tall (15 to 20 cm), with a thick stem and have 4 to 6 leaves. Megaton cabbage is planted around the end of May. Although the timing is approximate, it all depends on the climatic conditions of the region.
The beds for planting cabbage of the Megaton variety are prepared in the fall, choosing an open sunny place for this.It is important to remember that cabbage is not grown on the same beds where cruciferous vegetables grew. It is best to plant cabbage after legumes, carrots, and onions. In autumn, the ridges are cleared of plant debris, rotted manure is added (mineral fertilizers can be used) and dug up.
In spring, you don’t have to dig up the soil, but immediately make holes at a distance between plants of at least 50-60 cm. For ease of care, Megaton cabbage, according to the description of the variety, is planted in a two-row manner, as in the photo below.
The plants are removed from the ground and carefully inserted into the hole, directing the roots straight down. When covering seedlings with soil, they focus on the first true leaf. It should rise above the surface. Immediately after planting, water the cabbage.
Cabbage care
Further care for the Megaton variety consists of:
- In abundant watering. At least 15 liters of water are poured onto the square, especially in dry summers. But the soil should not be over-moistened to prevent the roots from rotting. It is useful in dry weather to use a Megaton sprinkler to water cabbage (spinners are sold in all stores).
- In weeding, loosening and hilling up to the closure of the lower leaves and mulching with peat.
- In regular feeding. For the first time, cabbage is fed immediately after planting in the ground with potassium fertilizers and saltpeter. The second fertilizing with nitrogenous fertilizers occurs at the time of fork formation. The third - after 21 days with nitrogen-containing and phosphorus fertilizers. When using mineral fertilizers, carefully read the instructions for use.
- In the fight against pests and diseases.Although, according to the description, as well as reviews from gardeners, the Megaton cabbage variety is resistant to many diseases and is almost not affected by pests, preventive treatments will not hurt. After all, as a rule, they are not limited to one variety of cabbage. The immune system cannot cope with pests such as cabbage aphids, whiteflies, and cabbage moths on its own. And spores of fungal diseases can enter the area with rain or wind.
Megaton cabbage is harvested after the first frost. Until this time, leaves should not be torn off so as not to reduce the yield of the beds. By the time of cutting, the cabbage becomes tight, barely holding on to the stalk. Sometimes you have to put something under it.
The white vegetable is cut in dry weather, the leaves are torn off and laid out in the sun to dry. Stored cabbage before pickling in a place protected from rain and frost. Our readers are often interested in how long it takes to salt Megaton cabbage. If you re-read the description of the variety, it clearly states that immediately after cutting the leaves are somewhat harsh. By the time they are salted for the winter, they will be ready.
About Megaton cabbage:
Megaton cabbage is SUPER! I recommend ! Very tasty, especially pickled. My heads have grown to 9-10 kg!