Many gardeners grow cabbage, a vegetable that is essential in the household, has excellent taste, is low in calories, and comes in many varieties. With proper care, cabbage can be a real pleasure to grow and offers many vitamins and nutrients. To ensure a successful harvest, here are a few key tips for growing cabbage.

Choosing the Right Variety

Before planting, it is important to choose the right variety of cabbage, as they come in early, middle, and late varieties. Some varieties are resistant to diseases, have large heads, and are tolerant of temperature or moisture fluctuations. There are also hybrid varieties available.

Sowing Times

The time for sowing depends on the variety:

  • Early varieties: sow at the end of March, 50 days before planting outdoors.
  • Medium varieties: sow mid-April, 40 days before planting.
  • Late varieties: sow at the end of April, 30 days before planting.

If you’re growing cabbage from seeds, sow it directly in the ground from the end of April to late July.

Seedling Care

Once the seedlings emerge, provide proper care to ensure healthy growth:

  • Watering: Keep the soil moist, especially if it’s dry.
  • Temperature: The optimal temperature is 8-10°C at night and 15-17°C during the day.
  • Light: Ensure the plants receive 12-15 hours of light daily.
  • Feeding: Once the seedlings have 3 true leaves, fertilize with nitrofoska, Rastvorin, or Kemira-universal. One week before transplanting, feed with urea and potassium sulfate.

If seedlings show signs of black leg, remove the affected ones and treat the remaining plants with a Fitosporin-M or Bactophyt solution. Disinfect the soil and relocate the plants to a warm, shaded area.

Choosing the Right Location for Cabbage

Cabbage needs a sunny location and loose, fertile soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline pH. If the soil is too acidic, add lime or dolomite flour at a rate of 450-600 grams per m². Avoid planting cabbage where mustard, radish, turnips, or similar plants have grown.

Prepare the soil by removing weeds and digging it up. Mark the rows for planting with 60 cm spacing between rows and 50 cm between seedlings. Plant the seedlings deep, up to the first set of leaves. For each hole, add 2 tablespoons of ash, 200 grams of humus, and 1 teaspoon of nitrophoska, mixing and moistening well.

When to Plant Cabbage Outdoors

  • Early cabbage (44-55 days old): Plant in early May.
  • Late cabbage (35-50 days old): Plant in mid-May.
  • Medium cabbage (35-45 days old): Plant in early June.

Ensure the height of early seedlings is around 15 cm, with 5 leaves. Medium and late varieties should have a height of 20 cm and 7 leaves. Start hardening the seedlings 10 days before planting by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions, starting with 3 hours per day.

Cabbage Care During Growth

  • Watering: Use warm water, and water the cabbage in the morning or evening. Initially, water 8000 ml every 2 days per square meter. After that, 15,000 ml per week. Reduce watering a month before harvest, and stop completely 7 days before harvest. Water more frequently when the heads are forming.
  • Top Dressing:
    1. First feeding: 3 weeks after transplanting, use potassium chloride, urea, and superphosphate.
    2. Second feeding: 21 days later, apply mullein or nitrofoska.
    3. Third feeding: 14 days later, use superphosphate and trace element fertilizers.
    4. Fourth feeding: For late varieties, 3 weeks before harvest, apply potassium sulfate.

Use treatments like Immunocytofit, Fitosporin-M, and Bordeaux liquid to fight diseases. For pests, use Fitoverm, Biotlin, and other biological insecticides.

Harvesting Cabbage

  • Early varieties: Harvest in mid-June.
  • Late varieties: Harvest late June or early July.

Do not harvest immature heads. Cabbage is ready to be harvested when the lower leaves turn yellow and the heads are firm. For late varieties, wait for consistently cool temperatures or the first frost. Harvest in dry weather, leaving about 3 cm of stem and covering it with 3 leaves. Dry the cabbage in a well-ventilated area before storing.

By following these rules, you will have a healthy, productive cabbage crop every year. Happy gardening and best of luck with your harvest!

Garden Tips and Tricks