Cabbage is a culture known and loved in Russia since ancient times. It is grown in almost all corners of our vast country. At the same time, the climatic conditions of the regions, which stipulate the use of various varieties and terms when it is necessary to plant cabbage, when to harvest, must be taken into account. Cabbage in Siberia and the Urals, for example, is considered one of the main vegetables on the table. The real queen here can be called white cabbage.
There are a lot of varieties of white cabbage , but a few are the most popular. First of all, cabbage varieties for Siberia gardeners prefer late ripening, because they are better preserved during the long Siberian winter.
Varieties of white cabbage
- "Gift". Thick heads of this variety have a round shape and excellent taste. Cleaning is carried out after 120-130 days.
- "Blizzard" is an excellent variety for growing in Siberia. Ready for cleaning days in 130-140. It is resistant to diseases, does not crack, and is well suited for pickling, as well as for salads and borsch. Heads of cabbage are very large - up to 10 kg.
- "Amtrak F1" has a very good germination. It is excellently kept fresh throughout the winter, subject to storage conditions. Matures in 150-160 days.
- "Kolobok F1". Dense small heads of cabbage weighing about 4 kg can be perfectly stored until spring. Very tasty cabbage, can be used both in harvesting and in fresh form.
- "Aros F1" has a small mass (less than 2 kg) and is highly resistant to pathogens. The variety is used for salting. Full ripening requires 130 to 140 days.
Harvest time
When to harvest cabbage? In Siberia, during the long winter, the safety of heads of cabbage directly depends on how correctly and on time the cleaning was done. The cabbage intended for pickling and salting is harvested in mid-October, and for winter storage a little later - from the beginning to mid-November. The late dates for harvesting cabbage in Siberia, where quite serious frosts occur, can often lead to freezing of heads of cabbage, which affects the safety of the crop. In addition, unscrewed heads of cabbage crack, burst, which also does not contribute to their long-term storage.
It is important that the cabbage reaches the size and shape that this variety provides. Later varieties are harvested only after the second phase of head formation is completed. The denser the head is formed, the longer it can survive in the winter.
How to clean cabbage
Harvesting cabbage is recommended in the dry period. If the cabbage is harvested nevertheless during wet weather, then the cabbage should be thoroughly dried before being stored. In order for the cabbage to be stored for a long time and not lose its taste, it is advisable to stop watering it in 3 weeks. You need to cut the head out so that the stalk remains as long as possible. You can also just twist it from the ground along with the root. Thanks to the long stump, it is very convenient to suspend the cabbage heads for storage by linking them to each other. In this form, cabbage is much better preserved. You need to cut the head out so that there are 2-3 adjacent green leaves that will protect the head from damage, fungal diseases and rot.
How to save cabbage
For storage, healthy, medium-sized, healthy heads of cabbage should be selected without signs of any disease. Before putting it into storage, it is necessary to remove the remains of the earth from the heads and dry them in the fresh air. In order to protect the cabbage from damage by gray rot, the method of dusting the head of cabbage with chalk is used. Harvesting cabbage is recommended while maintaining a long stump.
It is best to store heads with such a stump in suspension, periodically removing rotting leaves. Cabbage can also be stored by wrapping in paper and laying out the heads of cabbage neatly on the shelves of the cellar or in trellised boxes. Stack out cabbages with stitches inward.
Storage conditions for cabbage
It is not enough to collect the crop - you also need to be able to save it. The room where the cabbage will be stored must be prepared in advance. After airing it properly and disinfecting it with lime whitewash, it will be useful to fumigate the walls with sulfur (30-40 g per square meter). Cabbage is very sensitive to temperature conditions. The optimum air temperature should be maintained in the range from 0 to 1 degree. When the temperature rises to 4 degrees, cabbage sprouting and cracking occurs. Freezing heads is also unacceptable. At temperatures below -2 degrees, darkening of the core is possible. All this negatively affects the taste of cabbage and its appearance. Maintaining the desired temperature is ensured by the supply of outdoor air using hatches.
Air circulation will help provide the necessary humidity in the room. Humidity for better storage of cabbage is 85-95%. To maintain it within these limits, it is recommended to provide good ventilation. For this, it is more often to use the usual ventilation of the room by opening the doors, if weather permits. Frequent ventilation will help to avoid the accumulation of carbon dioxide, which usually appears in vegetable stores.
Cauliflower in Siberia
Cauliflower is a photophilous plant. Nevertheless, it adapts well to the conditions of various regions, which allows it to grow in Siberia. Cauliflower can tolerate small frosts. Only when lowering the thermometer column below minus 5 degrees can the plant head be damaged. To get a good harvest, it is necessary to take into account the growing season, calculate the time when to plant and when to harvest cabbage. In Siberia, summer is shorter and may simply not be enough for full ripening.
Harvesting Cauliflower
The timing of harvesting cauliflower depends on the degree of ripening. This is determined by visual inspection of the head. It should be intact, dense, white or cream in color, with a diameter of at least 8 cm. It is important to remove the cabbage on time, because when overripe, the head becomes friable, the vegetable begins to yield in taste. Therefore, there is no specific date when to harvest cabbage in Siberia or any other region. It is cleaned every 2 days as the heads mature. Especially harmful is prolonged exposure to the open sun, this can make cabbage absolutely unfit for food. To avoid this, after harvesting the ripe heads, the rest are shaded with the help of the upper leaves. When cutting, leave at least 4 leaves and a stalk up to 2 cm on the head.
How to save cauliflower
Cauliflower is not suitable for long-term storage. Therefore, to talk about how to preserve the cabbage crop, you can only relatively 4-7 weeks. In this case, the temperature in the storage should be +0 ... + 0.5 degrees, and air humidity within 90-95%. Keeping storage conditions is extremely important for cauliflower. When freezing, the heads go dark and taste bitter. The heads are placed in wooden boxes, plastic or cardboard boxes, which are covered with a film on top.
In the refrigerator at a temperature of 0 degrees, you can store cauliflower a little longer - up to 2 months. But it acquires a yellow color, and the taste is somewhat lost.