Broccoli is quite common in Europe and, unfortunately, the type of cabbage is not very famous in our country . The undoubted advantages of this culture include high productivity even in the arid climate of central Russia, unpretentious care, useful dietary properties and much more.
A characteristic feature of broccoli is the ability to form a crop in stepsons after cutting the main head. At the same time, new heads of cabbage have time to mature before the cold and gain enough weight. Thus, the yield of this plant, if desired, can be increased to a maximum. Growing broccoli in the open ground is a fairly popular method among Russian gardeners. In this article, we will examine how exactly this procedure is performed.
Choosing a Place for Broccoli
And to begin with, where is the best place to place such a culture as broccoli. Growing from seeds in open ground will be most successful in areas with fertile, fairly heavy soil. As with any other variety, only a well-lit place is suitable for this cabbage. The sun's rays should fall on the plants at least 6 hours a day. Among other things, the broccoli plot should be well ventilated. The most suitable soil pH in the bed is 6-7. This plant does not tolerate alkaline soils. On acidic soils, this cabbage can give a good crop. However, in this case, heads of cabbage will not be distinguished by special environmental cleanliness. On such soils, cabbage is saturated with toxic heavy metals. To neutralize acidic soil, it is worth adding compost to the beds (9 kg per 1 m 2 ).
When choosing a place, among other things, it should be borne in mind that the pollination of this cabbage with other varieties should not be allowed. From the beds of white and colored should be located as far as possible. It is best to plant broccoli after potatoes or legumes. Every year, this cabbage must be moved to a new place. Otherwise, it will begin to hurt, which, of course, will greatly affect yield.
Seed preparation
Begin growing broccoli in the open field with a thorough preparation of planting material. You can use immediately only purchased seeds from sachets. It is advisable to pre-soak the self-assembled planting material in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After this, the seeds should be thoroughly rinsed. Then they are placed in a solution of a growth stimulator for several hours and dried. Seeds treated this way will sprout faster, and young plants will grow better.
For planting in open ground, you should choose the seeds of early varieties of this crop. Such cabbage will have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather.
Soil preparation
The timing of broccoli planting in open ground in different climatic conditions may be different. In central Russia, this is usually mid to late April. In this case, the first crop will be available in early July.
The reckless way of growing this crop is good, first of all, because in this case the summer resident is spared from the need to perform the laborious work of caring for plants on the windowsill. In addition, this technology allows you to get very strong chunky heads of broccoli. Growing from seeds in open ground has the peculiarity that plants are not at all subjected to the stress of transplantation, and therefore, they develop much faster.
It is advisable to prepare beds for replanting in the fall. In October, the soil on the site is dug up and fertilized with manure or compost. In the spring, a little mineral fertilizers will be enough to add to the garden (about 40 g of superphosphate and 10-12 g of ammonium nitrate per meter).
Sowing seeds
We will talk about how to grow broccoli cabbage in the open ground a little lower. To begin, let's look at how to properly plant it. Sowing cabbage of this variety is performed as follows:
- The distance between plants should be approximately 25-40 cm in a row and 50-60 cm in aisle. It is very important not to thicken the planting, since in this case a good crop will not succeed.
- Too deeply bury the seeds in the soil should not be.
- After planting, the garden bed is carefully and carefully shed.
- Each seed should be covered with a plastic 5-liter bottle with a cut neck.
- These mini-greenhouses are removed after at least 3-4 leaves appear on the plants.
Growing Broccoli: Watering Technology
Like any other cabbage, broccoli loves moist soil. It should be watered after about a day. In any case, this should be done at least once a week. This cabbage gives the most plentiful harvest in a cool cloudy summer. You can not water broccoli in the heat of the day, otherwise you can damage the leaves. Drops of water will act like small lenses. Passing through them, the sun's rays will burn through the leaves of the hole. Green fabrics turn yellow, which, of course, will affect yield. Watering this culture is carried out in the evening. It is better to use the sprinkling method.
How to feed
Fertilize broccoli 2-3 times during the growing season. Proper feeding is a prerequisite for the success of such an operation as growing broccoli in open ground. The first time this is done a couple of weeks after planting. In this case, an infusion of cow manure or nettle (1x10) is used. The following two top dressings are produced using phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in the amount specified by the manufacturer. Use of these fertilizers is a must. A lack of phosphorus and potassium will certainly affect the size of the heads. With good care, this cabbage will grow very high (up to 1 m) and give an excellent harvest.
Loosening and weeding
Growing broccoli in the open field will be successful only if these two operations are completed on time. Loosen the earth in the bed with plants should be after each watering. At the same time, weeding is usually done. Performing this procedure should pay as much attention as possible to the removal of weeds from the genus cruciferous. As already mentioned, it is not allowed to pollinate broccoli with other varieties of cabbage. These include, for example, a shepherd’s bag and rape.
Harvesting, Use and Storage
In this way, an operation such as growing broccoli cabbage is performed. Tips for summer residents given above will allow you to get a good harvest of this crop. The heads of broccoli from the bushes are usually removed quite young. It is not worth delaying with cutting, otherwise the inflorescences will be roughened. In addition, in this case, the bush will late give heads on the side shoots. Cut broccoli usually either in the evening or in the morning. In this case, it is stored longer. The first heads of cabbage usually ripen by the beginning of July. Broccoli is usually stored in the winter in a freezer.
Like plain white cabbage, broccoli can be preserved: salt or pickle. Use heads and fresh. To do this, they are boiled in salted water, sprinkled with crushed crackers and lightly fried in vegetable oil. With this processing method, the maximum amount of nutrients is preserved in cabbage.
How to collect seeds
Buying planting material for this cabbage every year is optional. If desired, the seeds can be collected independently. Of course, they do this in compliance with certain rules. They pull out the testes before the onset of frost. They must be brought into a dry room and dried for two weeks. Then the testes are threshed and calibrate the planting material. Store seeds in a dark, dry, cool place.
As you can see, the culture is quite unpretentious and also very productive - broccoli. It is quite possible that in the near future it will take its rightful place in the suburban areas of domestic gardeners and will become quite popular. Moreover, growing broccoli in the open field is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance.