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Growing kohlrabi: planting and care
Growing kohlrabi cabbage is a simple matter, but in order to get an early harvest of a vegetable, you need to take into account some of its features.
Planting kohlrabi seeds for seedlings
Kohlrabi cabbage is a dietary product that contains a lot of vitamin C. They eat a stem crop that resembles a turnip. The vegetable is grown in seedlings.
It takes about 5 weeks to grow kohlrabi cabbage seedlings
So that the cabbage gets on the table throughout the season, seeds are sown in 3 stages:
- in the first decade of March;
- in the beginning of May;
- at the end of June.
With this planting scheme, harvesting begins from early summer to October.
For growing seedlings, containers are used, they are filled with loose, nutritious soil. Seeds are buried in grooves to a depth of 2 cm. Until emergence, the air temperature is maintained at 20 ° C. When the first shoots appear, the temperature is lowered to 8 ° C so that the seedlings do not stretch out. After 2 weeks, the optimum temperature for growing is set, somewhere around 18 ° C.
Seedlings dive into separate containers when the first pair of true leaves appears. Plants are transferred to open ground in May at the age of 5 weeks. To get an early harvest, cabbage is planted under a film shelter. At the time of transplanting seedlings, it should have 2 pairs of well-developed leaves.
What care does kohlrabi cabbage need?
Caring for kohlrabi cabbage is easy. In order for the vegetable to develop well, it is necessary to observe the crop rotation of crops. Plant it after potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and root vegetables. But cabbage is not grown in the place of cruciferous crops.
In loose soil, the stem grower turns out to be juicy and tender, so the cabbage needs weeding. Before the start of stem growth, the plant is spud.
Water the kohlrabi abundantly, especially on hot days. Top dressing is done 3 times during the growing season:
- in the phase of 2 leaves, they are sprayed with complex mineral fertilizers;
- 14 days before planting in the ground, they are sprayed with potash fertilizers;
- 2 weeks after planting, they are watered with an organic solution.
Further feeding is not used. Mulching the beds with humus or compost is allowed.
Early kohlrabi varieties are harvested as they ripen. They are stored for no longer than 14 days. Late varieties have good keeping quality, they are removed when the temperature drops to 5 ° C. If the cabbage is overripe, then its taste deteriorates, the fruit becomes fibrous and rough.
Now you know how to grow kohlrabi outdoors. Try planting a vegetable to provide a healthy product for your household.