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Where is the best place to plant Chinese cabbage? Technology and secrets of growing Chinese cabbage from seeds. Diving seedlings into the ground

If we compare the growing method with conventional white cabbage and Beijing, the second type has its own characteristics. Therefore, it is worth understanding all the nuances of how to grow Chinese cabbage and care for the crop yourself at home.

Growing Chinese cabbage has its own characteristics that you should know

When growing cabbage, gardeners make a common mistake: they violate technology. Very often people try to grow Chinese cabbage at home, like ordinary white cabbage. This is the main mistake.

Peking cabbage, the cultivation and care of which can be called a special process, does not belong to the white cabbage variety. This is an independent plant that has different seedlings. It can be described as a plant with rough leaves reminiscent of radishes or cress:

This is an early ripening crop, the ripening period of which varies from 40 to 55 days. Regarding late varieties, the ripening period reaches 2 months. In one planting season you can get up to 3 harvests.
In certain conditions it can be grown all year round.
With long daylight hours and moderate temperatures, the plant shoots out its shoots, and the cabbage itself begins to bloom.
The optimal temperature for growing is 20 degrees Celsius.

To avoid the appearance of “arrows” and flowering of the crop, you should:

plant a variety that is resistant to flowering;
plant correctly, that is, evenly, not densely;
Planting should be carried out in April, in the daytime, covering the bed from light.

Chinese cabbage is prone to flowering, so you need to choose varieties that are resistant to it.

Sowing and cultivation

You can grow the Beijing variety in the country from seedlings and seeds, it all depends on the desired period of fruit ripening (with the seedling method, rapid ripening is guaranteed). You can plant the presented plant in protected soil, that is, in a greenhouse or greenhouse, as an independent crop as a compactor between tomato and cucumber rows.

Seedling sowing

Planting seeds for seedlings is allowed already in mid-March. As a container for seedlings, you can use a peat glass or a simple box, which provides for further diving of the seedlings into a peat pot. The selected container will easily fit on the windowsill. Seeds should not be soaked, but must be planted in moist soil in a dry state.

The selected container (glass, glass or box) must be filled with soil mixture, which consists of peat and turf land in the same quantity. In addition, the mixture includes fertilizers and wood ash. The mixture is also disinfected using a manganese solution. You can place containers with seedlings at home on the windowsill.

The depth of the hole should not exceed 1.5 cm; 2 to 3 seeds are planted. The first shoots serve as a signal that the containers need to be taken out of the house to the balcony or veranda. But, in in this case, the air temperature should not be less than 18 degrees during the day and 12 at night. It is worth noting that the Beijing variety is heat-loving, which distinguishes it from other crops.

It is necessary to regularly water the plants, both on the windowsill and in open ground, monitoring soil moisture. Cabbage does not like dry soil, but excessive moisture is also excluded. Thinning occurs when the first three leaves appear. It is advisable to remove weak stems, leaving one strong sprout in the hole. When 6 leaves appear on the stem (at 4 weeks of growth), the crop can be planted in open ground.

Chinese cabbage seedlings love warmth and regular watering

Growing in open ground

Among gardeners, the question may arise about how to grow Chinese cabbage not on a windowsill as seedlings, but in open ground. You can sow the beds with seeds at the end of April, depending on weather conditions and air temperature. When planting, you should consider the shape of the cabbage:

for leaf variety the best option is the distance between rows of 20 cm and the same distance between plants;
for cabbage, the optimal planting distance is 35 cm between rows and 25 cm between plants.

Ideally, it is better to grow Chinese cabbage in the garden in the same bed where the potatoes grew. Potatoes perfectly soften the soil. Chinese cabbage takes root well in beds where beans or carrots have recently grown. Worst option is a bed of beets and other cabbage varieties.

It is advisable to prepare the beds in advance at the dacha, carefully dig up the area and add organic or mineral fertilizers. Chinese cabbage does not tolerate acidified soil, which means that the soil in the garden must be limed. In addition, in the spring the holes are treated, and before planting seedlings, ash, urea and superphosphate are added to each hole.

It is better to plant seeds after rain or watering, when the ground is wet. The seeded bed must be covered with a film, which is opened only for watering the plants. Allowed to sow open method every 15 days until June. You should not plant Chinese cabbage during dry or hot periods.

Chinese cabbage grows well in fertilized soils

Proper care

Beijing cabbage is frost-resistant. This crop can withstand air temperatures down to -4 degrees. The optimal temperature for the plant is +22 degrees, but if the scale rises above +25, the plant may get a burn, which is characterized by the appearance of yellow and brown tints on the leaves.

Properly caring for Chinese cabbage means regularly watering, loosening the soil, and fighting diseases. The presented plant is not afraid of pests, since it contains essential oils, repelling beetles. By mulching the soil you can get rid of weeds.

A prerequisite is refreshing watering, which means sprinkling is appropriate. Lack of moisture slows down the growth of cabbage, but excessive moisture also harms the plant; as a result of the presence of excess moisture, the ripening of the crop slows down.

How to store Chinese cabbage at home after harvesting? You can keep a head of cabbage in the refrigerator for no more than 10 days. And not everyone knows how to winter period preserve the freshness and taste of Chinese cabbage.

It is better to store well-ripened, but not overripe cabbage heads for a long period. During harvest, it is better to pick the head of cabbage rather than cut it off. A basement or cellar is ideal for storage, but it is better to store it not in a container, but in sand, lightly burying the fruit.

If there are problems with the storage, then the cut heads of cabbage are placed in bags, closed and placed in a box. It is advisable to lay the heads of cabbage in a vertical position.

The Asian variety of cabbage has special beneficial properties, so it’s worth mastering simple technique cultivation of this crop.

» » » Beijing cabbage: how to grow in the garden

Anyone can grow Chinese cabbage, whether a beginner or a professional gardener. This crop is unpretentious and skilled gardeners harvest two crops in one season, but to ensure that it is abundant and not damaged by diseases and pests, follow the recommendations for planting and caring for this green vegetable.

(click to enlarge infographic)

For general information about growing cabbage in the country, see the infographic.

Varieties of Chinese cabbage

In order to choose the right variety, you need to make a choice for what purpose it is needed if you want to eat cabbage in early spring, then it’s better to choose early varieties, but you can not limit yourself in choice, but choose a couple of varieties of cabbage in order to pamper yourself with a variety of cabbage salads for several months in a row. Varieties of cabbage differ from each other in the density of the head, in shape, each variety has its own characteristics, they are divided by ripening period:

early varieties
mid-season varieties
late-ripening varieties

To select a variety, use the table below.

Variety	Name	Ripening period, number of days	Weight	Variety characteristics
Early varieties	orange tangerine	40	up to 1 kg	withstands low temperatures
	stonefly	35	up to 0.3 kg	high vitamin content
	arsen	55	up to 1.1 kg	grown in open ground
	marfa	45	up to 1 kg	shade-tolerant
Medium varieties	cha-cha	55	up to 2.5 kg	stemming resistant
	wineglass	70	up to 2 kg	light yellow leaves
	bilko	65	up to 1.5 kg	prized for its taste
Late varieties	Russian size	90	up to 4 kg	tolerates low temperatures
	Nika	70	up to 3 kg	sometimes used for fermentation
	Parkin	60	up to 1 kg	Excellent taste
	Nozaki	90	up to 0.7 kg	Tight, half-open

Planting Chinese cabbage

In order to get a good harvest and prevent bolting and flowering, it is necessary to plant on time, adhering to necessary recommendations. You need to refrain from planting the plant during long daylight hours - the cabbage will bloom. To prevent a poor harvest, it is necessary to plant in mid-April (early spring planting) or later from mid-July to mid-August (summer-autumn planting), during these periods of time the daylight hours are even shorter. There are two ways to grow cabbage: the seedless method and the seedling method. Most gardeners prefer the seedling method, as this allows them to shorten the ripening period of vegetables.

Seedling method of planting Chinese cabbage

Most gardeners begin to plant seeds in late March to get an early harvest, and in late June for late use. The seeds are planted in separate pots; an alternative to them can be peat tablets; this method allows for less injury to the plant when planting in open soil, since it does not tolerate picking well. To plant seeds, use soil made from humus and coconut substrate in a ratio of 1: 2; another alternative to this mixture is a substrate made from a turf mixture with peat in the same ratio.

The seeds are planted in the mixture one centimeter deep, leaving the pots in a warm, dark place until sprouts appear, which appear on the third day, after which the seedlings are taken out into a lighted room. It is recommended to water the seedlings as the top layer of the substrate dries; watering should be stopped four days before planting in open soil. Planting is done when four full-fledged leaves form on the plant, this occurs on the 25th day from the moment of planting.

Non-seedling planting method

To plant seeds in the soil, choose a well-lit place; it is advisable that root crops grow on it first; these plants are considered the best predecessors. Holes are prepared for planting; the distance between them should be at least 30 centimeters, the same as at the row spacing.

First, add 0.5 liters of compost or humus to each hole with the addition of 60 grams of ash. Before planting, water the hole and then plant the seeds up to 2 centimeters deep. After planting, the seeds are sprinkled with ash and covered with film. The first shoots appear on the 4th to maximum 7th day.

Feeding Chinese cabbage

This vegetable requires the presence of potassium, nitrogen and calcium in the soil; if the soil does not have these microelements, the plant will get sick, you will not be able to get a large harvest without worrying about soil fertility in advance.

If you fertilize the soil in the fall, the plants will not need additional fertilizing. To do this, in the fall, the soil that is planned to be allocated for planting cabbage is limed and organic matter is added at the rate of one bucket of organic matter per square meter.

If the seedlings look sickly and do not have enough fertilizer, foliar feeding is recommended, it is done when two leaves form on the plant. To do this, take half a teaspoon of complex fertilizers and dissolve them in a liter of water. During the period of growth of Chinese cabbage, it is fed twice. The first fertilizing is done on the 20th day after the appearance of the first shoots or on the 10th day after planting in the soil; the second fertilizing is done after 14 days.

Proper care of Chinese cabbage

Every plant, not only Chinese cabbage, requires attention; to do this, you need to properly care for them, weed them on time, feed and water them, destroy pests, and fight diseases when they arise.

When forming heads and rosettes, a balance is required between air temperature and soil moisture. A favorable temperature for growth is considered to be up to 19 degrees Celsius during the day, and at night not lower than 8 degrees, with an air humidity of 80%, soil moisture should be 65%.

It is important to know that Chinese cabbage needs moist soil, but when water stagnates, various diseases can form, for example, gray, white or black rot; you need to maintain a balance of soil moisture.

The little secret of growing cabbage

When growing, many gardeners use this vegetable not as an independent crop, but as a companion crop; it is planted next to tomatoes or cucumbers. Early varieties are suitable for this method; they are planted in plenty of rows with tomatoes and cucumbers; when four leaves form on the cabbage, it needs to be thinned out, and after the cucumbers and tomatoes ripen, it is removed. Also, when planting cabbage near tomatoes, you will protect the plants from pests, since when mixing crops, this method helps to deceive pests.

Cabbage pests

Cabbage fly

This insect lays larvae that feed on the root system of cabbage, making passages in it; sometimes it damages not only the roots of the plant, but also the leaves, as a result of which the plant does not receive enough nutrients due to damage to the roots and dies. Flies are also carriers of infection (mucosal bacteriosis), which enters the wound of plants when damaged by pests. Cabbage fly can destroy an entire crop in 3-4 weeks.

Snails and slugs

These pests love to devour vegetable crops; they feed not only on leaves and stems, but also damage underground part plants. Without leaves, the plant does not carry out photosynthesis, resulting in its death. If these pests are not controlled, they will destroy the entire crop.

Aphid

This is a pest that lives and reproduces due to the juice from cabbage leaves, it slows down its growth, the leaves change their shape and become deformed, becoming twisted, then dry out, leading to the death of the plant. Aphids are difficult to see with your eyes, as they live on the lower part of the leaf, causing damage to it. It reproduces incredibly quickly in warm weather.

Pest Control Methods

To control cabbage pests, there are three control methods: chemical, biological and mechanical methods.

Mechanical - this labor-intensive method is used to destroy snails, slugs, and caterpillars. It consists in the fact that it is necessary to select pests manually; this method does not apply to small pests.

Chemical methods of pest control are justified only if it is impossible to destroy pests safe method. When working with chemicals, you must strictly follow the instructions for use and in no case allow the concentration of the solution to be exceeded. Among the chemicals used by gardeners are:

Decis;
Karate;
Kinmiks;
Inta-Vir;
Rovikurt;
Bazudin;
Metaldehyde.

The biological method of pest control is the most common among gardeners; it is much more effective than mechanical and safer. chemical methods pest control. To destroy pests biologically use the table below.

Pest	Composition of the solution	application
Cruciferous flea beetle	boiling water - 10 l chopped garlic - 250 gr. tomato leaves (chopped) - 250 gr. soap - 25 gr.	water - 1.5 liters per sq. m
Cabbage fly	10 l. boiling water 200 gr. tobacco 25 gr. soap	irrigate plants and soil
Snails, slugs	0.5 l. wood ash 25 gr. salt 30 gr. pepper (black, red) 30 gr. mustard (dry)	soil treatment - 2 teaspoons per 1 sq.m.
Aphid	10 l. boiling water 1 tbsp. wood ash 1 tbsp. shag	irrigate
Cabbage white, scoop	10 l. water 2 tbsp. wood ash 25 gr. soap	irrigate

Cabbage diseases and ways to combat them

Clubroot - plants on acidic and moist soils are susceptible to this disease; swellings in the form of bubbles form on the root system, the cabbage turns yellow and withers, as a result of which it dies. When a disease is detected, liming the soil - 300 g. per 1 square meter.
Mucous bacteriosis - this disease affects young cabbage, at the stage of heading formation, its leaves turn yellow, mucus forms on them and the smell of rot emanates. To prevent diseases and their spread, cabbage is watered with a solution of potassium permanganate or pollinated with ash.

FAQ

Question No. 1 Why are the leaves not bright green when growing cabbage?

Answer: When growing cabbage, if the leaves are light green, this means that it is necessary to fertilize with a solution of nitrogen fertilizer, but all fertilizing is done before the heads form, since this vegetable tends to accumulate nitrates.

Question No. 2 What conditions are needed for storing Chinese cabbage?

Answer: To store cabbage, you need to properly cut, healthy heads of cabbage, place them without damage in sealed bags and move them to the refrigerator, so it will be stored fresh for a month or a month and a half.

Answer: For storage for the winter, late varieties are taken, which are collected immediately before frost, but you need to know that if the cabbage has been frozen, it is no longer intended for storage, since it spoils on the 4th day.

Question No. 4 Why do cabbage leaves when grown in a greenhouse differ from those grown outdoors?

Answer: The cabbage on the shelves of our stores is grown in a greenhouse, although they have all the conditions for ripening, it still does not receive enough sunlight. Peking cabbage, grown in open ground in the garden, has a bright green color.

Question No. 5 Do I need to harden off Chinese cabbage seedlings before planting in open ground?

Answer: Seedlings must be hardened; this can be done a week after seed germination. To do this, it is recommended to place the seedlings in boxes or cups for a long period, for Fresh air, thereby adapting it to the cold.

Question No. 6 Why does bolting and flowering occur in cabbage?

Answer: To prevent such problems, it is necessary to strictly follow the planting rules, required deadlines sowing seeds. When purchasing seeds, choose varieties that are resistant to flowering. When planting, do not thicken the crops.

Preface

Chinese cabbage is an early ripening and productive crop, but it is easy to lose. If you've already been left with nothing, don't give up. We will help you fix the error.

Should you prepare for difficulties?

We can talk about the benefits of Chinese cabbage for a long time. Moreover, the white cores of the leaves are the healthiest, they are also tastier, so it is better to grow a head of cabbage. Although leaf lovers can also enjoy it if they cut off their favorite part of the plant in time. Beginning gardeners can make several mistakes, which often prevent them from getting the desired harvest.

There are not many of them, so it’s very easy to remember the decision and collect good Pekinka next season. The most interesting thing is that you can even grow two crops in one year. First, plant seedlings in the spring so that you can eat fresh cabbage salad in the summer, and sow the seeds at the end of July, then in the fall you will collect another batch, which can be left for storage. Just don’t be overzealous with stocks, Peking usually lasts for two months, maximum 3, then it loses its taste and pleasant appearance.

Most problems are caused by pests; slugs and fleas are frequent guests. Fighting them is difficult, so it is better to prevent an attack. The main thing is to know at what point to take action. Another problem is flowering, which destroys the entire harvest. Sometimes you don’t have time to look back before the kachan shoots an arrow. It is impossible to fight this, if the cabbage has already decided to produce seeds, it is useless to pick off the peduncle. But this can be prevented correct landing.

How to harvest two crops - planting secrets

To reap a good harvest of Chinese cabbage, planting and care must be clearly planned, because the ripening of this crop is rapid - on average 60 days. Of course it is general recommendations, for individual varieties you will have to clarify some features. There is early Chinese cabbage, where you need to have time to cut the heads in 40–50 days, but there is late cabbage, then you can wait 80 days. If you do not remove it in time, a flower stalk will be sprouted and the juices from your harvest will be used for reproduction.

Not only over-ripening, but also untimely planting can trigger the vegetative process. If you find yourself in a period when there is already a lot of daylight, then excess sun will provoke the flowering of even an unformed head of cabbage. True, some hybrid varieties do not suffer from this disease. If you are not sure about the calculations, you can plant them.

For average climates, it is advisable to have time to populate the bed with pekinka around April 15 or after July 20. After mid-August, it is no longer useful to plant this vegetable. During these periods, daylight hours are still or already short, and the temperature environment acceptable for successful growth. True, if it’s mid-April and there’s still snow outside, you shouldn’t experiment; you’ll only be able to harvest one harvest this year.

Choosing a method of planting Chinese cabbage

In spring it is definitely better to resort to the seedling method. The cabbage will ripen faster, you won’t have to thin it, and strong plants will sit in the ground. Therefore, even short-term drops in temperature, if they occur, are no longer scary. It is worth starting to germinate seeds in early April. Keep the container with plantings at a temperature of no more than 15 degrees; a glazed balcony will do. A little later than mid-April you should already have 3-4 leaves, then you can transfer the plants to the ground. If it is still cold (below 16 °C), then you should not do this; the cabbage will try to produce a flower stalk.

The seedlings themselves can be done in different ways, but it is worth remembering that cabbage is very capricious to change and taking root in a new place will be stressful for it. Therefore, if you are not lazy, make individual pots. The soil needs to be fertile and loose, the plant will be grateful for a portion of humus. Today you can also use a more convenient option - peat tablets. The seeds need to be planted to a depth of only half a centimeter, and seedlings will appear in a couple of days. Until then, it is better to place the seedlings in a dark place. After the shoots emerge, we take the cabbage out into the light. All this wealth should be watered only when the soil dries out and not abundantly.

In July, it is better not to bother with seedlings, but to sow seeds directly into the garden bed. Make a space of 40 cm between the rows. This distance must then be achieved between plants by thinning. Beijing cabbage grows with heads stretched upward, so why such freedom? On initial stage she will lay leaves on the ground to receive maximum sunlight, only then will a strong and weighty head of cabbage emerge. If there is no space, the cabbage will decide to bloom and produce seeds rather than fight for territory.

It is important to choose a sunny place and it makes sense to remember what grew in this bed last year. The presence of garlic and onions, as well as carrots, potatoes or cucumbers, will have a positive effect. You can’t use the bed after radishes, mustard, cabbages and other cruciferous vegetables; most likely, flea beetles have spent the winter there, which will destroy the Pekinka. Before planting, pour compost and a little ash into the hole, water it all. The seeds are placed 2 cm deep, covered with earth and film. Expect the first shoots in a little less than a week. Very weak plants must live in optimal conditions, so if during this period the temperature drops below 13 or the heat is 25 degrees, then the young plants need to be saved. The bed is covered non-woven material. When the cabbage gets stronger, it will be more able to withstand the vagaries of the weather.

Making a plan for caring for Chinese cabbage

Caring for a Pekinka is easy. Naturally, the garden bed needs to be watered periodically as the soil dries out. It is advisable to sprinkle so that the moisture is absorbed and does not form a puddle. Water stagnation and drying out should not be allowed. If the weather is often hot, the sun is shining without a single cloud, this can have a bad effect on the plants, so you will have to build a canopy or cover it with non-woven material during peak sun hours. By the way, you can do the same when there are constant showers. Puddles in the garden will destroy the crop, and covering will save you from excess moisture.

Peking cabbage loves loosening and feeding. There is no need to come up with complex schemes, a traditional mullein or is enough. In the first case, the fertilizer is dissolved 1:10, in the second - 1:20. Each cabbage needs about a liter of fertilizer. A simple mulching operation will improve the efficiency of watering and fertilization. If you carry out this simple operation after two weeks from planting the cabbage in the ground, the microclimate under the plant will be optimal.

If the Beijing plant was planted in the spring, then it needs to be fertilized three times; for the summer, two times is enough.

For seed planting, care will include the thinning stage, and this will have to be done twice. As soon as two leaves appear, you need to calmly remove the excess, leaving at least 7 cm between the plants. After another 10 days, another thinning is done, now leaving the treasured 40 cm.

Another sore point in caring for Chinese cabbage is pests. Most often these are fleas and slugs. To avoid using chemicals, you can use ash. It is advisable to have time to sprinkle the garden bed before germination; you can carefully do this even when several leaves appear. You shouldn’t sprinkle it at the very base when the cabbage leaves have fluffed up. You don’t need a lot of ash; a light, even layer is enough, as if someone had powdered the ground.

If fleas are infested, try to discourage them from spoiling your plants with Fitoverma or Bitoxibacillin. If the biological product does not help, you will have to resort to chemicals, for example, Actelliku And Inta-Viru. In order not to harm yourself, you can do this only a month before harvesting the cabbage, no later. Slugs will have to be exterminated manually. Place traps for them - boards or burdock leaves - and go around the property after the rains. They climb onto these objects more readily than onto cabbage, so take them off and trample them.

Beijing cabbage is unpretentious vegetable crop, which can produce two harvests during the entire warm season. Even an inexperienced summer resident can grow it. This plant is easy to care for. Chinese cabbage is absolutely not capricious, it grows quickly, stores well, is very healthy and has excellent taste.

But there are also negative aspects to its cultivation. In the first place, of course, are pests - slugs and cruciferous flea beetles. It's not easy to get rid of them. They can ruin a large amount of crops. And the second problem is shooting. Sometimes cabbage cannot form a full head of cabbage.

To overcome these problems, it is necessary to become more familiar with the peculiarities of growing this vegetable crop.

Timing for planting Chinese cabbage: how to avoid bolting

To prevent Chinese cabbage from going to waste, it is necessary to plant it at a certain time. Favorable conditions for flowering and seed formation are a large amount of light during long daylight hours. Means best time for planting cabbage it is early spring (about mid-April) or mid-summer. At this time, the daylight hours are a little shorter and there is no need to worry about blooming.

Experienced breeders also met gardeners halfway in solving this problem and developed Dutch hybrid varieties that are not at risk of bolting.

Chinese cabbage is a fast-ripening vegetable, but it also has early, medium and late varieties. Depending on the variety, it ripens from forty to eighty days.

Growing Chinese cabbage: basic agricultural technology

You can grow this type of cabbage using seeds or seedlings. The seed method is used less frequently, while the seedling method is considered more reliable.

Growing Chinese cabbage through seedlings

Chinese cabbage seeds can be planted twice a year - at the end of March (for seedlings) and at the end of June (for use in winter). This culture reacts poorly to picking and finds it difficult to take root in a new place. That is why it is recommended to grow seeds in individual containers.

Small pots are filled with a special loose soil mixture. It can consist of peat and turf soil (in equal quantities) or coconut base and humus (in a ratio of two to one). Each seed is planted to a depth of about one centimeter and the containers are left in a warm room. Very soon (in 2-3 days) young shoots will appear.

Once they appear, the plants will need good lighting and moderate watering. In about a month, the seedlings will have 5 full leaves. This means it’s time to transplant the cabbage into the beds. The area should be unshaded and well lit.

Vegetable predecessors must be taken into account. It would be good if onions, garlic, carrots or potatoes were grown in this area before cabbage.

Growing Chinese cabbage without seedlings

The seeds are planted in separate holes to a depth of one and a half to two centimeters, after adding five hundred milliliters of humus and two tablespoons of wood ash. Fill them up a small amount water. The distance between the beds and holes is approximately the same (about 30 centimeters). The top of the wells is crushed with ash and covered with a transparent film. The first shoots will appear in about a week.

Care, watering, feeding of Chinese cabbage

Chinese cabbage prefers to grow in a well-lit area with high humidity and cool temperature conditions. Most favorable temperature regime for this crop it is 15-20 degrees Celsius. If the air temperature drops below thirteen or more than twenty-five, then you can’t even dream of a bountiful harvest.

Experienced gardeners recommend using non-woven fabric to cover the plants when growing Chinese cabbage. Such a “blanket” will protect plants that have not yet matured from unexpected frosts and sudden changes in temperature. Cold can destroy young Chinese cabbage seedlings.

In hot and dry weather, a canvas cover will create a shady area for the vegetable crop and protect it from overheating.

If the summer comes with heavy and prolonged rains, then a linen cover will protect the cabbage from rotting. Excess moisture cannot do cabbage any good.

And another positive quality of such a covering is protection from pests. The cruciferous flea flea does not immediately detect its favorite treat.

To protect the plant from weeds, you need to mulch the soil. Mulch can be spread on cabbage beds about half a month after planting seedlings in open ground. This layer of organic matter helps maintain soil moisture for a long time and prevents weeds from growing.

Watering is carried out abundantly, use only warm water. One abundant watering every 7 days is enough.

The amount of fertilizing depends on the timing of cabbage planting. The “spring” crop is fed three times, and the “summer” crop – twice. Fertilizers are applied by watering and spraying. For nutritious irrigations, various infusions are used:

Add 1 liter of mullein to 10 liters of water.
For 20 liters of water – 1 liter of bird droppings
For 9 liters of water – 1 kilogram of fresh grass

Each Chinese cabbage seedling needs one liter of infusion.

Spraying with a solution of water and boric acid helps better education ovaries You need to dissolve two grams of boric acid in one liter of boiling water, and then add cold water(9 liters).

A positive quality of Chinese cabbage is that it can become infected with some disease only in very rare cases. This vegetable crop grows very quickly and simply does not have time to get sick.

But the negative side is that there are two constant pests that love to feast on this type of cabbage. It is very difficult to fight the cruciferous flea beetle and slugs, and it is rarely possible to win. There is only one way out - preventive measures, which will scare away pests and keep them away from the beds:

Boarding time. Cabbage should be planted at a time when the cruciferous flea beetle is still or no longer present - this is April or July.

Use of covers. For example, non-woven fabric will be a good protection against pests.

Wood ash. After planting the seeds, it is necessary to dust the beds with ash - this will repel the cruciferous flea beetle.

Maintaining crop rotation. Seedlings and seeds of this crop should be planted only in those beds where other cruciferous vegetables did not grow. Pest larvae are not afraid of harsh winters; they remain in the soil until the new season. Therefore, plant cabbage after root crops, onions, garlic, and potatoes.

Joint plantings. Try to confuse the cruciferous flea beetle - plant cabbage along with other vegetables. It will grow well next to cucumbers and tomatoes, onions and garlic. The pest will be confused.

If preventive measures were not carried out, and the flea still appeared on the site, then various insecticidal or biological products will come to the rescue (these are Fitoverm, Bitoxibacillin, Actellika and others). You can use the preparations approximately 30 days before harvesting cabbage.

The second annoying pest is the slug. It is almost impossible to get rid of it; great efforts must be made to combat it. The experience of gardeners and traditional methods helps here:

Processing Chinese cabbage with a special dry composition of wood ash (500 milliliters), table salt (2 tablespoons), mustard powder(1 tablespoon) and ground chili pepper (2 tablespoons).
Using burdock leaves or boards to lure slugs under them, after which the pests are destroyed.
Water the beds with a solution of water with brilliant green (one bottle per 10 liters of water).

Storing Chinese cabbage

Chinese cabbage is a frost-resistant plant that continues to grow even with the onset of light frosts (down to about minus four). Therefore, harvesting can be carried out even in mid-October.

You can determine the maturity of cabbage by the condition of the head of cabbage; it should be very dense. This type of cabbage can be safely cut. You just need to take into account that for long-term autumn-winter storage cabbage spring planting not intended. It is better to use it in summer time. But summer-planted vegetables are stored for a very long time, sometimes until spring.

The storage temperature of Chinese cabbage should be low (about 5 degrees Celsius). In order to retain moisture and juiciness in the vegetable, each head of cabbage is wrapped in transparent food film.