One of the main and most beloved vegetables in Russia is considered to be cabbage. Those lucky ones who are lucky to have their own garden tend to grow cabbage on their own. As a rule, in this case we are talking about a familiar white-headed variety. However, there are others. How do they differ and how difficult is growing cabbage at all?
Varieties of Vegetable
Most people are used to it: if they talk about cabbage, then they mean white cabbage. Perhaps this is really the most famous variety of this vegetable. But not the only one! There are a lot of types of cabbage. For example, red-headed - it looks like white, only its color, as you might guess, is red. Rather, even red-violet. Its advantageous difference from the white "cousin" is that it contains more vitamin C, carotene, protein and iodine. Close to these varieties and Chinese cabbage, which is interesting in the complete absence of a head of cabbage.
Cauliflower is a more dietary dish. In addition to protein and vitamin C, it also contains potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron. But Savoy’s “brother”, not only has more vitamins, but also the taste is richer and more tender. Kohlrabi cabbage is a large sweet stalk, very useful for diabetics: it is rich in glucose, fructose, calcium, potassium, and it has many times more vitamin C than in lemon. However, kale is considered the most useful in its composition - this is a storehouse of valuable vitamins. There are three more varieties: broccoli, Beijing and Brussels sprouts. More details about them will be discussed below.
What is useful cabbage
In this article, four types of cabbage will be examined in detail: white cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and Peking. Therefore, it is worth stopping on the beneficial properties of precisely these varieties.
And, of course, you need to start with the most common cabbage in vegetable gardens - white cabbage. Due to the content of many useful vitamins, it prevents the appearance of stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers. It also contributes to the treatment of gastritis, is useful in diseases of the liver, spleen. White cabbage is widely used as a medicine in folk medicine, in cosmetology (face masks are made from it). And with the help of this variety of this vegetable they are successfully fighting overweight.
Peking cabbage became popular in Russia not so long ago - just a few decades ago, while in the East its useful properties have long been known. It contains carbohydrates, fiber and a small amount of fat, water, ascorbic and citric acids, many minerals and various vitamins. Peking cabbage is considered a diet food, it contains a minimal amount of calories and has a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora. Such cabbage can be safely included in your diet, even with an ulcer or gastritis. In addition, the Beijing type of vegetable is indispensable in the fight against stress and vitamin deficiency, and vitamin C, which is contained in large quantities here, perfectly copes with the first signs of a cold or flu. Nevertheless, it is worth remembering that for people suffering from pancreatitis, Beijing cabbage is contraindicated.
Another cabbage “relative” from Brussels is not very popular in Russia, while in Western Europe, Canada and the USA it is in demand. Like any other cabbage, Brussels has a lot of vitamin C, as well as vitamin A, iron, phosphorus and other useful substances. Like Beijing, Brussels sprouts are low in calories. Its use in food helps to reduce the risk of cancer cells and heart disease. It is highly recommended that future mothers eat this vegetable - Brussels sprouts are just a storehouse of folic acid, which is so necessary for pregnant women. But people who have problems with the thyroid gland should refrain from eating Brussels sprouts.
Broccoli is famous for its immunostimulating qualities, and also contains substances that slow down the aging of the body. Broccoli has many useful micro and macro elements and vitamins that our body needs. Thanks to them, the risk of diseases such as cancer and diabetes is reduced.
Growing White Cabbage
We sorted out the types and benefits. Now you can proceed to the most interesting - growing cabbage in the open ground and care. Many plant this vegetable in their garden, but, as a rule, they cost only a white-headed species. Meanwhile, each species has its own tricks, which both beginners and experienced summer residents need to know about.
It should be started all the same with ordinary white cabbage. And first of all, it is important to remember: she has three varieties - early, middle and late. The first sprouts in two to three months, the middle - after about five, and the last gives fruit only after six months or more. Depending on when the crop is needed, a variety should be selected. An important factor in growing cabbage is that it does not tolerate a transplant, and therefore it is better to immediately distribute the seedlings in separate containers and place in a greenhouse.
Cabbage seeds should be sown in the period from February to May - it depends on the selected variety. Accordingly, in order to get a quick harvest, it is necessary to plant seeds as early as possible. However, you can do without growing seedlings of cabbage, and sow seeds directly into the ground. Then it must be done in the middle of spring, after thoroughly breaking through the soil.
Outdoor Care
Planting cabbage seedlings in open ground is directly related to the weather. However, it is important to remember that the "resettle" sprouts in the ground is necessary no later than at the age of forty to sixty days.
Cabbage is picky about the soil. She does not like excess moisture, as well as her lack. She needs a measure in everything, and therefore, choosing a place to grow cabbage in the soil, you need to choose one where the earth is not too dense, not too fertilized, and not too loose. In general, it is required to find a certain middle ground.
In addition to good soil and moderate moisture, cabbage for oxygen to grow well requires oxygen and light. If the latter is missed, then, despite the large leaves, the cabbage will turn out to be completely tiny. So the abundance of the sun is an important point in the cultivation and care of cabbage in the open ground.
As for watering, it should be daily. Otherwise, the vegetable will become stiff and grow poorly. However, here, as mentioned above, it is important not to overdo it and not to fill the plant. The next day after watering, it is necessary to loosen the ground near the cabbage sprouts each time. By the way, so that they do not hurt, it is recommended to water them with a pink potassium permanganate solution.
Caring for cabbage also involves protecting it in the form of covering the seedlings with film and treating the area with special chemicals in order to prevent a possible attack by a variety of pests.
Pests of White Cabbage
In order to keep the cabbage sprouts intact, you need to regularly inspect them for damage. If holes of different sizes suddenly appear in the leaves, these are fleas, which can be eliminated by treating the cabbage area with ashes. In dry weather, plants should first be watered; in wet weather this should not be done.
One of the main cabbage parasites is caterpillars, from which the vegetable must be properly protected. There are several ways to deal with them: spraying the plant with a variety of chemicals that are sold in abundance in pharmacies and stores, manually collecting butterflies laid by butterflies, repelling them using egg shells hung over cabbage. This method is interesting because butterflies take the eggshell of their eggs for their counterparts, and therefore do not fit the plant, believing that it has already been taken.
Another pest is cabbage fly, which gnaws at the root of the vegetable. You can destroy it with shag (you need to spray it with a plant) or water, insisted on tobacco (this is also watered cabbage).
Harvest
Growing cabbage and caring for it will be useless if you do not collect ripened fruits on time. This must be done after frost. Do not worry that the vegetable will die, cabbage calmly tolerates temperatures up to minus seven degrees. About three weeks before harvesting, cabbage must be watered. This makes it possible for cabbies to accumulate fiber. It is important to remember that only mid-ripening varieties are suitable for salting for the winter, the latter are stored fresh, and the early ones should be eaten immediately.
Chinese cabbage
The cultivation of Beijing cabbage involves the creation of special conditions for it. For example, she does not like too much bright light, so the area for this type of vegetable should be shaded. If the greenhouse becomes the “home” of Beijing cabbage, then it should be planted with seeds or seedlings in March-April.
In the open ground, the cultivation of Beijing cabbage begins in early May, when the soil is well warmed up by the sun. It is best to keep Beijing seedlings seedlings separately, as well as white cabbage, otherwise the roots may be damaged when the seedlings are relocated.
Peking cabbage care
These are three important factors: watering, top dressing and weeding. At the same time, it is advisable that the air temperature at which cabbage ripens should remain within the range of fifteen to twenty degrees during the day, and not fall below plus eight at night. Humidity should be at least eighty percent, otherwise the leaves of the plant can easily undergo such misfortune as rot.
Peking cabbage, like its white-skinned "brother", is picky about the soil. That should be fertile, high in nitrogen and calcium. Cabbage needs moisture, but does not tolerate its excess. At the same time, she favors the feeding of various complex and natural fertilizers. However, this must be done before the growing season.
When growing Beijing cabbage in open ground , it is recommended that drought watering be carried out daily, preferably by sprinkling (using special nozzles) - so there will not be an excess of moisture for sure.
Pests
Growing Beijing cabbage and caring for it involves the fight against all kinds of parasites. This is primarily a butterfly, named "in honor" of the vegetable, as well as various slugs, bugs and fleas. To reduce their activity, you can resort to a little trick: plant Beijing cabbage between tomatoes, onions or garlic.
In addition, when growing Beijing cabbage in the open ground, it regularly protects it from pests by regular destruction of weeds, constant inspection of plants and spraying of leaves with special means.
Brussels sprouts
A variety of vegetables, bred in Belgium, is the closest "relative" of white cabbage. However, unlike her, this is a two-year-old plant. It is one of the most unpretentious of all cabbage species: for example, it tolerates a drop in temperature up to minus ten degrees.
A feature of growing Brussels sprouts is that it is produced, as a rule, using seedlings. The fact is that this variety spets longer than others. Sowing seedlings must be carried out no later than the beginning of April and keep future cabbage on a glazed balcony: air temperature at night should not exceed about five degrees heat.
Before sowing the seeds of Brussels sprouts should be processed - warm in boiling water for fifteen minutes, and then hold for a couple of minutes in ice water. After these manipulations, the seeds must be kept in a potassium permanganate solution for about twelve hours, rinsed with clean water, stored in a refrigerator box for a day, and only then dried and planted.
As in the case of Beijing and white cabbage, seedlings of the Brussels subspecies should be located in separate containers. Growing cabbage from seeds occurs at a depth of one and a half centimeters, and if you cover the crops with a film, they can come up in a couple of days. Sprouts can be planted in open ground when five leaves appear on them. This is done approximately in mid-May or early June. And two weeks before the expected moment of resettlement, it is necessary to begin “hardening” of the seedlings: take them out to fresh air daily.
Growing and caring for Brussels sprouts
This cabbage variety should be located on a site well lit by the sun. Her predecessors in this place may be carrots, cucumbers, legumes - then the cabbage will grow perfectly. But we must remember that the soil must be fertile and loamy. Before planting cabbage, the soil must be fertilized with humus or compost.
Seedlings should be relocated to the earth without fail in the absence of sun - either in the evening, or, even better, on a cloudy day. It is not necessary to spud it - it is fraught with decay. Care for Brussels sprouts, in fact, is no different from other types: regular watering and weeding, top dressing - if necessary (if the soil is fertile enough, they may not be needed at all). Perhaps the only feature of this species is that it is very hygrophilous. However, it’s not worth it to overzealous and fill in the sprouts.
Brussels sprouts pests
Since this species is a close "relative" of white cabbage, their pests are also "common." Consequently, they can be fought with the same methods. However, one must always remember: it is easier to prevent the appearance of parasites and diseases than to destroy them. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out maintenance work to keep the seedlings safe.
Broccoli
This variety of cabbage is not the most frequent guest in the beds of our summer residents. Few dare to plant her, but meanwhile she is not so difficult to care for. Broccoli loves light and water very much, tolerates both frosts and heat. However, for the most successful cultivation of broccoli, the optimum temperature is a period from plus fifteen to plus twenty.
As a rule, broccoli are sown with seedlings, but you can do this not in pots on the balcony, but immediately in the greenhouse, planting seeds in late April or early May. In just a month with a little it can already be relocated to the open ground. The soil for broccoli should be selected fertile and loose, preferably one where legumes, carrots or potatoes were grown before.
Growing and caring for broccoli
It is necessary to transplant this type of cabbage in the open ground either in the evening or on a cloudy day , as well as in the case of Brussels sprouts. Wells need to be prepared of sufficient depth; compost or ash must first be added to them. Freshly sprouted seedlings are best covered immediately with a film - so they will be protected from fleas, lovers of gnawing leaves.
Growing broccoli in open ground implies, as in any other case, constant watering, regular weeding and top dressing. It is recommended to moisten the plant in the evening every other day (if the summer is not very hot), otherwise, twice a day. Broccoli is very positive about top dressing, so no matter how fertile the soil is, fertilizing it is still advised, for example, with mullein or chicken droppings. As for pests of broccoli and the fight against them, they are all similar to those already described above.
Interesting Facts
- The word "cabbage" comes from the ancient "kaputum" ("head").
- Charles Darwin claimed that all cabbage varieties came from one wild species.
- Some countries have museums of cabbage.
- China is a leader in growing vegetables.
- "Cabbages", friendly gatherings, performances, used to be organized during Lent, when cabbage pies were the most common dish. Hence the name of the holiday.
- In China, cabbage is a symbol of wealth.
- Cabbage has been used by people since the Bronze and Stone Ages.
- The exact homeland of the vegetable is unknown. There are versions that it is Georgia, Greece or Italy.
- In Russia, this vegetable appeared from the ninth century.
- The phrase "professor of acidic cabbage soup" appeared in this way: acidic cabbage soup used to be called a special drink prepared on cabbage, which required great skill. Accordingly, the one who knew how to prepare this drink was called a professor of acidic cabbage soup, and much later the meaning of this expression radically changed.
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Growing cabbage, like any other vegetable, is a responsible business, but fascinating and worth the cost. After all, the result of this work will be the fruits of your own garden, but it has long been known that its own is the most delicious.