When to harvest early cabbage from the garden: in the Moscow region, in the Urals

Content

1 Collection rules
2 How to tell if early cabbage is ripe
3 When to harvest early cabbage varieties
4 How to cut cabbage
5 Conclusion

It is important to harvest early cabbage in a timely manner. The timing of cutting heads of cabbage is based on the time of planting of a particular variety and signs of ripening. Many gardeners plan such work according to the lunar calendar; the region where the crop is grown also matters.

Collection rules

You need to harvest early cabbage correctly. The quality of vegetables, their shelf life, and taste characteristics depend on this. The main points are:

Plan to harvest early cabbage on a dry and cool, but clear day. In rain or heat, heads of cabbage can be cut if they are immediately processed.
Watering is stopped two weeks before harvesting. This is done so that the forks do not crack and are stored longer.
Do not leave the harvested crop in the garden.
It is better to immediately sort the harvested crop. All “substandard” products must be processed or consumed as quickly as possible.

It is important to harvest early-ripening varieties of cabbage in a timely manner. If you delay such work, the heads of cabbage may crack. Even stopping watering will not help. Vegetables will quickly deteriorate and lose their taste characteristics.

If you don’t have time to harvest on time, you can stop sap flow.To do this, you need to bend the forks several times in one direction to slightly pinch the stalk. This will give a time reserve of 2-3 days.

You cannot collect early-ripening crops from the beds ahead of schedule. This is reflected in the taste, chemical composition of vegetables, and the duration of their storage. Prematurely assembled forks quickly wither. They are tasteless and bitter.

Comment! It is not recommended to collect the crop in the heat. The vegetable will wither and rot faster.

How to tell if early cabbage is ripe

The early-ripening cabbage crop is harvested when it is ripe. This is one of the differences from its later varieties. The timing of their cutting is often based on weather conditions and air temperature.

Early cabbage is harvested from the garden according to the ripening time of a particular variety. If the planting date is “forgotten”, then you can focus on the signs of crop ripeness:

the size of the head of cabbage corresponds to the characteristics of the variety;
the fork feels hard to the touch;
growth has stopped;
the appearance of a white spot on the crown of the fork;
yellowing and coarsening of the lower leaves has begun - this indicates a cessation of growth and accumulation of nutrients.

Early-ripening white cabbage is smaller in size and weight than mid-ripening and late varieties. The normal weight for her is 0.3 kg.

An excess of nitrogen causes the leaves to become too loose - such forks will not last long

When to harvest early cabbage varieties

It is the early-ripening varieties that bring the first harvest, which is why they are used mainly for food. When planting seedlings, the crop matures in approximately 55-65 days. An average of 115 days pass from the moment the seeds are sown.

Cabbage is planted earlier in regions with mild climates, which means it can be harvested faster there. In more northern areas, the dates shift.This applies to both planting and cleaning.

According to the lunar calendar

To determine the timing of harvesting early cabbage according to the lunar calendar, you should look at it for a specific year. General points are:

For short-term storage, it is optimal to harvest on the 8-9th day after the full moon.
In order for the crop to last as long as possible, it is better to cut the heads of cabbage in the last quarter of the moon.
If you plan to consume the crop immediately, it is better to harvest it during the full moon.
For long-term storage, it is better to collect heads of cabbage under the sign of Aries, Gemini, Leo, Capricorn, Sagittarius or Aquarius.

Comment! During the full moon, the day before and the day after, vegetables contain the maximum number of useful elements.

According to the lunar calendar for 2023, the following days are favorable for harvesting early-ripening varieties of cabbage and other crops:

June 21-30;
July 1, 27 and 28.

The lunar calendar should not be ignored when planning garden work - the phase really affects sap flow and plant growth

In Siberia and the Urals

In the Urals and Siberia, the ripening time for early cabbage falls on the period from June 25 to the third ten days of July. You need to focus on the time of planting seedlings in the ground. This is usually done in the first half of May.

In the Moscow region and central zone

In the middle zone, early cabbage ripens around June 20, and then they begin to harvest it. The exact timing depends on the specific variety and time of planting in the ground. The crop is usually sown for seedlings on March 10-25.

In the Leningrad region

It is necessary to collect early ripening varieties of crops in the Leningrad region at the same time as in the Urals and Siberia. Work is planned for the last week of June or until July 20.

How to cut cabbage

Early white cabbage must be cut correctly so that it lasts as long as possible and does not suffer from disease. The main points are:

When harvesting, keep the long stalk and 2-3 green leaves that do not fit tightly. They protect the head of cabbage from mechanical damage and fungal damage.
Make the cut even and horizontal.

To collect early ripening forks, you can use a knife, but it is better to take a small hatchet. The tool must be sharp. Excess leaves from the head of cabbage are cut off with a knife.

Comment! If a white cabbage crop of early ripening varieties is to be stored, then it is better not to cut it. Heads of cabbage that were pulled out by hand from the roots last longer.

If you collect forks of early varieties, then for cutting, another 5-6 cm are removed from the bottom leaf. The rest of the stalk is taken out of the ground separately. If you unscrew the plug along with the root, then the underground part is cut off or left. The decision depends on whether the harvested crop is to be stored and in what way. To unscrew the head of cabbage, you must first dig it up with a shovel or pitchfork.

The remains of the stalk and root system from the collected forks are dug up - this is important for the prevention of soil contamination and future plantings

Conclusion

Early cabbage must be harvested in a timely manner so that it is as tasty and healthy as possible. The duration of storage depends on compliance with deadlines. To collect heads of cabbage from the garden, they can be cut or twisted together with the roots.