Beijing cabbage: how to grow a good crop

Beijing cabbage first conquered the shelves of our stores – many liked fresh, juicy, tender and tasty cabbage. It is valued not only for its delicate taste, but also for its rich vitamin and mineral composition and low calorie content. And now a rare summer resident does not try his hand at growing this early ripening crop. And these forces are not always enough, because it seems to many that it is enough to water and destroy the weeds so that Beijing cabbage gives the same tight head of cabbage as in the store. Alas, not everyone is successful, because in order to get a crop, you need to know some of the secrets of this crop.

By the way, when choosing a variety, pay attention to what type it belongs to. Beijing cabbage is leafy, semi-headed and headed.

Growing Chinese cabbage 

Beijing cabbage has early, mid-season and late varieties, so the ripening period ranges from 40 to 80 days. It is sensitive to the length of daylight hours, so it is grown either in spring – by sowing seeds in open ground in the first half of April, or in summer – through seedlings, which are planted in beds in the first decade of July. However, today there are Dutch hybrids that are resistant to flowering, as they do not respond to the length of daylight hours.

For the successful cultivation of Beijing cabbage, its requirements must be taken into account. It needs fertile, loose soil of a neutral reaction. Dolomite flour or other deoxidizers must be added to acidic soils since autumn. 

This cabbage loves sunny open places, but does not like drafts. The optimum growing temperature is 15-22°C and moderate soil and air humidity.

Planting of Pekinese cabbage 

Beijing cabbage is grown in seedlings and sowing seeds directly into the ground. 

Sowing seeds for seedlings. For seedlings, Beijing cabbage seeds are sown at the end of March – the first decade of April, and then at the beginning of June. It is better to sow them in separate pots, since this type of cabbage does not tolerate picking. The soil should be loose and nutritious. Embedding depth – 1 cm. They germinate in the warmth, and from the moment the shoots appear, they are transferred to a bright and cool place. Water moderately. 

When 5 true leaves appear, the seedlings are planted in open ground. (1) on pre-prepared ridges according to the scheme 20×20 cm or 30×30 cm. 1 handful of humus and ash are added to the planting holes, 1,5 – 2 liters of warm water are poured.

Sowing seeds on the beds. In this case, the seeds are sown on prepared ridges with holes at a distance of 20 cm from each other. After watering, 2-3 seeds are placed in each, planting to a depth of 1,5-2 cm. The crops are rolled, powdered with dry ash and covered with a transparent film. 

After the appearance of the first true leaf, thinning is carried out, leaving the strongest sprout in the hole.

It is easy to grow Beijing cabbage if you follow the most important rule: a bed with plants should be covered with a thin non-woven dense or mesh material before the head is formed. So the cabbage will be reliably protected from the cruciferous flea and other pests. Such a shelter will also protect the cabbage from sudden changes in temperature, especially in spring, because temperatures below 13 ° C reduce the quality of the crop.

Caring for Beijing cabbage in the open field 

Caring for Beijing cabbage is simple: regular watering, weeding, mulching and top dressing. However, early varieties can be grown without fertilizing if the soil has been fertilized before planting.

Watering. Beijing cabbage is watered abundantly, once every 7 days, and in prolonged heat up to 2 times a week. Excess moisture for this type of cabbage is harmful. Warm water is used.

Feeding. The first dressing of Chinese cabbage is carried out 3 weeks after planting. A good option is potassium humate (according to the instructions) and mullein infusion (1 liter per 10 liters of water), the consumption rate is 1 liter of solution per plant.

Late varieties are fed 1 more time, 2 weeks after the first feeding with a solution of potash fertilizer.

Weed control. Beijing cabbage cannot stand competition with weeds, they can clog it, so it is important to carry out one high-quality weeding, and then mulch the beds with peat, humus or compost.

Protection against pests. To protect plants from pests, 2 treatments of plants with Lepidocide and Bitoxibacillin are recommended. 

Harvesting Chinese cabbage 

Leaf varieties of Beijing cabbage begin to be harvested as soon as the leaves reach a height of 8 – 10 cm. Headed cabbage, when a head is formed, it will become very dense. 

In summer, you should not be late with harvesting, as the quality of cabbage may deteriorate, especially if a peduncle appears. In autumn, Beijing cabbage can be kept in the garden until mid-October, that is, until frost sets in to -4 ° C.

Rules for storing Chinese cabbage 

The crop of spring planting is not stored for a long time. Heads of cabbage can be wrapped in cling film and put in the refrigerator – Chinese cabbage will lie there for 5-7 days.

Autumn harvest can be stored in the basement or cellar at a temperature of 2 – 5 ° C. The most effective way is to dig up the Beijing cabbage with the roots, shake off the soil slightly, place the roots in a box with slightly moistened sand, and wrap the heads themselves first in a layer of newsprint, and then in cling film to keep the moisture and juiciness of the cabbage. In this way, you can save Beijing cabbage for 2 to 3 months.

You can also store the Beijing cabbage crop like this: cut the heads without leaving the stumps, wrap in paper, then in cling film and lay in 1 – 2 layers on a shelf in the basement.

Popular questions and answers 

We asked about Chinese cabbage agronomist Oleg Ispolatov – he answered the most popular questions of summer residents.

Sources of

1. Lebedeva A.T. 150 vegetable crops in your garden / M .: Eterna, 2006
2. State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals approved for use on the territory of the Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Federation https://mcx.gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii- i-zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/