Late Moscow cabbage

Every year new varieties and hybrids of garden crops appear, they become more productive, more sustainable, and tastier. That is why ancient varieties growing in modern beds are especially surprising. One of these ancient crops is Late Moscow cabbage, which was developed at the beginning of the last century. Despite its “antiquity”, the variety pleases with consistently high yields, large elastic heads of cabbage, good taste and increased resistance to cold and disease.

Detailed description cabbage varieties Moscow Late with photos of mature heads of cabbage can be found in this article. Here we will talk about all the advantages of the variety, as well as how to grow it correctly.

Characteristics of the variety

Moscow cabbage Late 15 is the full name of the variety included in the State Register of Agricultural Crops in 1943. The variety was selected at the Russian Research Institute back in 1939, and the local Pyshkinskaya cabbage was used as the “parent”.

The central regions, north-west of the country and the Far East are recommended for growing Moscow Late cabbage. The variety is excellent for vegetable gardens and dachas in the Moscow region.

The Moscow Late cabbage variety has the following characteristics:

• Full ripening of cabbage occurs on the 120-140th day after the appearance of the first shoots;
• It is recommended to grow the crop in open ground;
• the rosette of leaves is spreading, its diameter is 100-110 cm;
• the leaves are large, round, wrinkled, gray-green in color, covered with a waxy coating;
• heads of cabbage have a round or flat-round shape;
• the size of the heads of cabbage is large - the average weight is 4-6 kg, but there are specimens weighing 10-15 kg;
• inside the Moscow cabbage is dense, juicy, creamy-white when cut;
• the inner stalk is short, and the outer one can reach a length of 30 cm;
• the yield of the Moscow Late variety is high - about 6-10 kg per square meter or up to 1000 centners per hectare of fields;
• 90-97% of the collected heads of cabbage have a marketable appearance, so the variety is often grown on an industrial scale;
• Moscow Late is very good fresh, it is perfect for fermentation and pickling;
• The harvest can be stored for a long time - up to six months in suitable conditions;
• transportability is average;
• It is recommended to harvest cabbage after the first frost;
• a feature of the variety is resistance to clubroot, pests and a low percentage of cracked heads of cabbage;
• The Moscow variety is unpretentious to the composition of the soil, does not require careful care and much attention from the gardener.

Advantages and disadvantages

Gardeners in the country very often choose the late-ripening Moscow variety for their plots. It is not surprising that this cabbage has remained at the peak of popularity for so many decades, because it has very significant advantages.

Among the advantages of the variety it is worth noting:

• high crop yield;
• excellent taste of both fresh and pickled, pickled, canned cabbage;
• large sizes of heads of cabbage;
• resistance to the most common cabbage diseases;
• resistance to low temperatures;
• high content of ascorbic acid and healthy sugars in heads of cabbage, which is very important in winter;
• possibility of long-term storage and transportation of crops;
• excellent presentation.

Of course, a description of the Moscow variety will be incomplete without mentioning the shortcomings of this cabbage. Gardeners note the following disadvantages:

• the need to keep the heads of cabbage until the first frost (otherwise the crop will not be stored well);
• a very high outer stalk, due to which the cabbage heads often fall to one side.

These shortcomings seem serious only at first glance, but in fact they are easily solved. If the cabbage has already ripened, but frost still does not set in, you can grab the head of cabbage with your hands and turn it. These actions will help cut off the nutrition and stop the growth of the cabbage - the cabbage will remain in the garden, but will not overripe or crack. And with the onset of frost, the crop will simply need to be collected.

The second problem is not so easy to solve - you will have to spend time and effort. Tall stalks need to be constantly hilled, raking the soil towards the cabbage bushes. In severe cases, gardeners use pegs or other supports to tie up problem plants.

Landing rules

In the middle zone, Moscow Late cabbage can be grown both through seedlings and directly from seeds into the ground. Late-ripening varieties are usually sown for seedlings after the tenth of April. By the time the seedlings are transferred to the ground, they should be 30-35 days old. From the last days of April you can start sowing seeds under film.

When growing late Moscow cabbage, you need to consider the following:

1. Cabbage seedlings it is necessary to dive, but you can immediately sow the seeds in individual containers. In the latter case, two seeds are usually sown, subsequently removing the weaker plant.
2. Late cabbage needs good nutrition, especially since the size of the bushes and heads of cabbage of the Moskovskaya variety is quite impressive. The planting pattern for this variety should be 60x70 cm; it makes no sense to plant cabbage thicker. Seedlings are planted according to the 8x8 cm pattern between plants.
   
3. In order for cabbage seedlings to turn out strong and healthy, not to stretch out and not “stay” in the ground, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime. On sunny days, the thermometer should show 16 degrees, in cloudy weather the temperature can drop to 13, and at night - up to 7 degrees.
   

Immediately before planting cabbage in the ground, it is recommended to harden the cabbage - take the containers with seedlings outside or onto the balcony for a short time.

Rules of care

Late varieties are loved because they require virtually no care. Unlike early ripe cabbage, Moscow Late rarely gets sick and does not require the constant presence of a gardener.

Here's how to care for cabbage beds:

1. Water during periods of drought using settled warm water. Watering should be done at the root, best done in the evening, when the heat has subsided. When the heads of cabbage are formed, the amount of watering is halved to prevent the cabbage from cracking.
   
2. Cabbage loves fertilized soil; it accepts organic matter best - cow manure or bird droppings diluted in water. The crop needs to be fertilized three times during the summer: 20 days after planting the seedlings, two weeks after the first fertilizing, and another 10-12 days.
3. Moscow Late mulching is well tolerated. The soil is covered with a layer of humus or compost, thereby further saturating it and preventing cracking.
4. To prevent diseases and pests, you can use an insectofungicide or adopt traditional methods, such as wood ash, dolomite flour, decoctions of tomato tops, garlic, onions, and wormwood.
5. Weeds between cabbage beds are regularly removed, they not only draw strength from the plant, but also contribute to the proliferation of insects and slugs.
   
6. Cabbage bushes need to be regularly hilled, raking the soil to the roots. This tactic will help prevent the heads of cabbage from falling to one side and coming into contact with the ground.
7. If hilling does not help, the fallen cabbage is strengthened with supports or pegs.
8. The Moscow Late crop is harvested at one time - when the first frost has passed. The heads of cabbage are carefully cut with a sharp knife and folded, being careful not to damage the upper leaves.The tops must be pulled out along with the roots (if necessary, dug up with a shovel or pitchfork) and taken away from the site.

Next season, cabbage seedlings are planted in another place; the land must “rest” from this crop for at least two to three years.

Conclusion

Despite its “advanced” age, the Moscow Late cabbage variety is in no way inferior to modern newfangled hybrids. This crop is high-yielding, resistant to diseases, pests and cold, and adapted to the local climate. The huge elastic heads of cabbage from Moskovskaya are not only beautiful in appearance, they are also extremely tasty - the variety is considered one of the best for pickling.

Growing late cabbage is not difficult; you just need to water the beds as the soil dries out, regularly remove weeds and feed the soil with organic matter a couple of times a season.

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