Cabbage is a very important crop that has been cultivated since time immemorial. Nowadays, there are more than ten of its species and many varieties.
Cabbage contains many useful substances: proteins, fiber, vitamins, macro- and microelements. The regular use of any varieties of cabbage is a good prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Cabbage is useful in various diseases, such as anemia, various infections, skin diseases, etc. In addition, cabbage leaves are used as compresses for various wounds, headaches, and upper respiratory tract diseases.
Many gardeners are interested in how to grow early cabbage on their site. It's simple enough, this culture does not require special growing conditions.
Seed preparation
Growing early cabbage begins with the preparation of seeds that need to be sorted and disinfected. To do this, they must first be placed in hot for 20 minutes, then for one or two minutes in cold water and dried. If you purchased seeds in a store, then there is no need for such preparation.
Before planting, it is advisable to soak the seeds of early cabbage and harden them at a temperature of +1 ... +2 ° C for about a day. Due to this, they will germinate faster, in addition, such preparation increases the cold resistance of plants.
Sowing dates
The timing of planting depends on what kind and type of early cabbage. When is the best time to sow to get a good harvest?
Early varieties of white and red cabbage for seedling are sown in late March, broccoli and cauliflower from mid-March to late April, and Brussels sprouts from mid to late April. It is very important to take into account climatic conditions.
Growing conditions
It is necessary to take into account several important points in order for the early cabbage to grow and develop well. Planting and care for the different varieties are mostly similar. Cabbage can not be grown in the same place for more than three years. It gives a good harvest in areas where legumes, beets, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and cucumbers previously grew.
Fertile, light loamy, sandy, sod-podzolic, peat soils with an acidity close to neutral are well suited to any species of this culture. A good harvest will not be on sandy and heavy clay soil.
The plot should be open and well lit.
Site preparation
Of great importance is the preparation of the site on which the early cabbage will grow. Planting and care of plants begins in the spring. A plot for early cabbage must be prepared in the fall. To do this, they dig it up and make fertilizers. The use of humus, manure and compost in the amount of 1-1.5 buckets per m 2 is effective as fertilizers.
In addition, mineral fertilizers are also added in the amount of 40 g of superphosphate per 1 m 2 and half as much potassium chloride. The acidic soil is lime.
With the advent of spring, the land on which early cabbage will be planted is dug, loosened and fertilized. As fertilizers, manure is used (one bucket per square meter) and wood ash (1-2 tbsp per square meter).
Seedling method of growing
Growing early cabbage from seedlings allows you to get a good harvest. Seeds are sown in boxes filled with soil, which must first be leveled and watered. Then, furrows are made with a depth of about 1.5 cm, into which seeds are sown at a distance of 2 cm. Until seedlings appear, it is necessary that the temperature in the room is about 20 ° C. When the seeds sprout, the temperature is reduced to 8 ° C and maintained at this level for a week, after which it must be raised to 16-18 ° C during the day and about 10 ° C at night.
After two leaves appear, the seedlings are picked in separate containers. It is important to consider that for good growth and development of cabbage additional lighting is necessary.
After the appearance of 5-6 of these leaves, seedlings are planted in open ground.
Growing without picking
When planting early cabbage on seedlings in this way, use glasses, peat tablets, pots or special trays. Two seeds must be sown in each container or cell. When shoots appear, leave only the strongest plant.
Outdoor landing
When the air temperature exceeds 17 ° C and the soil temperature is 14 ° C, seedlings of early cabbage are planted in the ground.
Seedlings of different varieties are planted according to different schemes:
- early white and red cabbage - 30 × 40;
- broccoli cabbage - 30 × 60, in order to develop side shoots - 40 × 60;
- Brussels sprouts - 60 × 70;
- early kohlrabi - 30 × 40;
- Savoy cabbage - 70 × 30;
- cauliflower early cabbage - 30 × 60.
It is best to plant cabbage in cloudy or rainy weather. In order for the soil to not compact and crust, it is necessary to mulch or loosen it regularly.
Reckless way
With this method of growing early cabbage, the seeds are sown directly into the ground. Growing early cabbage with this method has its advantages. The plant does not have to be replanted, the development of the root and aboveground parts occurs faster than with the seedling method of growing, and productivity increases. Sowing early cabbage is made at different times, depending on the region of growth.
Before planting, the seeds are treated using 12% hexachloran to protect against pests. Seeding rate - 2 kg per 1 hectare, planting depth - 2-3 cm.
After the plant has 4-5 true leaves, the cabbage is thinned, leaving one plant at a distance of 40-50 cm from another. Further care is the same as when growing with seedlings: watering, loosening, pest protection.
Dressing and care
How the leaves will grow and what size the heads will go depends on how much the plant is provided with nitrogen. Cabbage has a special need for nitrogen before heading out. When the head of cabbage begins to tie, the plant needs potassium.
A week after the seedlings were planted, it must be fed using a urea solution (for feeding ten plants - 3 tablespoons per 1 bucket of water), before tying a head out, nitrophoska is used for feeding (the same proportions for five plants).
Using organic fertilizers for feeding, their solution is prepared the day before feeding. The tank is filled with bird droppings half, filled with water. Fertilizer must be stirred several times a day until a homogeneous liquid is obtained. Immediately before feeding, the liquid must be diluted ten times with water.
Cabbage loves moisture, so you must prevent the soil from drying out. Early cabbage is watered three to four times a week. Before harvesting, if further storage is expected, watering is stopped for 35-45 days.
After watering, the soil must be loosened, each time reducing the depth of processing, so as not to damage the root system. In order for a healthy early white cabbage to grow, it is also necessary to spud it, but not with dry soil.
Pest control
Insects and other pests can cause irreparable damage to the crop, so care must be taken to protect the plants.
Early white cabbage, as well as cauliflower, can be damaged by the cabbage fly, whose larvae harm the roots of the plant. At the same time, the cabbage begins to wither in hot weather, and its lower leaves become bluish.
To combat this pest, DDT dust or 6% hexachloran dust is used, which the plant is pollinated after planting. The procedure is carried out two to three times with an interval of a week. Water the soil using 30% thiophos (concentration - 0.03%). You can sprinkle the ground around the plant with mothballs mixed with sand (1: 5).
A plant that has just begun to sprout can damage the cruciferous flea, which feeds on cabbage leaves. Early sowing and transplanting of seedlings can protect against this pest, which allows plants to grow stronger before the flea is activated. To accelerate growth and increase resistance, the plant is fed using saltpeter and slurry.
Cabbage white (a white butterfly with wings in black spots) can also damage the plant. From the eggs that are laid on the underside of the leaf, caterpillars emerge. Crawling through the plant, they feed on leaves, eating them up to coarse veins. In the fight against cabbage whitewash, they use the same means as for the cabbage moth.
Great damage to the plant is caused by colonies of cabbage aphids, which suck the juices from the plants. Leaves after this become stained, begin to curl. The growth of cabbage slows down, the head of the cabbage stops.
To combat this pest, a plant is sprayed using anabazine sulfate (concentration - 0.2%) or 2.5% dust metaphos before setting a head of cabbage. Effectively spraying a decoction of tobacco, for which you need to pour tobacco dust (400 g) with water (2 l) and boil for 2 hours. The cooled solution is filtered. Then it is necessary to add soap (50 g) and dissolve everything in a bucket of water.
Growing early cabbage in a greenhouse
Cabbage is one of the main crops planted in greenhouses. They mainly grown white cabbage early cabbage. When to sow seeds with this method?
To grow early cabbage in a greenhouse, seeds need to be sown in early February. In early April, seedlings are planted at a distance of 35-40 cm. Seedlings should have 3-4 real leaves, it is preliminarily hardened.
The appearance of seedlings can tell you what the crop will be like. Plants that have green leaves have a weak root system. And this means that the seedlings will not take root well. By the shape of the sheet, you can judge the shape of the head. If the leaves are large and the stalk is short and thick, then there will be large heads of cabbage.
The soil on which cabbage will be grown in the greenhouse should be well-fertilized, dense, loamy and retain moisture well. Regular loosening of the soil with top dressing with manure is necessary.
The temperature range for growing cabbage is from 5 to 20 ° C. Young seedlings need additional lighting. During the formation of the head, the plant needs a lot of moisture.
Harvesting
In early cabbage varieties, cabbages appear approximately 55-60 days after the seedlings were planted, that is, in late June - early July. Ripening heads is not simultaneous, so you need to remove them in several steps, cutting off with a sharp knife. In this case, leave 2-3 sheets and a stump up to 2 cm long.
Important Rules
Thinking about how to grow early cabbage, first of all, you need to take care of the quality of seedlings, and for this you need to remember several important points:
1. Before sowing seeds, they must be prepared in order to avoid infection of plants with infectious diseases.
2. The soil mixture used should not be heavy. If soil is used from the garden, it must first be treated with cold on the street or on the balcony, heat treatment is also necessary. The best option is to purchase a special finished mixture.
3. It is very important to observe the timing of sowing. Early cabbage is sown in mid-March. To extend the harvest, it can be sown in two to three days for two weeks.
4. A container with seedlings should be located in a place where there is enough sunlight. Otherwise, elongation of the seedlings may occur. In addition, fluorescent lighting is necessary in order to achieve a total daylight duration of 12-14 hours.
5. After the first true leaves have appeared, seedlings need to be hardened. In addition to low temperature, the seedlings are quenched with bright light. To do this, it must be taken out into the street. This helps to avoid stretching seedlings.
6. Watering should be moderate to prevent root decay. For irrigation use settled water at a temperature of 22-23 ° C.
7. Before moving the seedlings to the site do not water it. Plants that are slightly wilted do not break that way.
Compliance with such simple rules will allow you to get a wonderful harvest of this useful crop.