How and when to plant Beijing cabbage for seedlings

Peking cabbage interested s as a garden crop not so long ago. Therefore, its cultivation in different regions raises many questions. They relate to the choice of varieties, planting rules. Gardeners want to know when to sow Beijing cabbage for seedlings and in open ground.

This vegetable has excellent taste, is considered a dietary product. An interesting fact is that the Beijing crop can be obtained twice, or even thrice a year. Some experienced vegetable growers, planting seeds at different times, have fresh lettuce throughout the warm season. To grow this vegetable, you need to know some secrets.

Useful properties of cabbage

Why did the s pay attention to Beijing cabbage and began to grow it on their plots? The fact is that this vegetable contains a huge amount of vitamins, minerals necessary for the human body. In addition, the value of cabbage is that it:

1. Removes radionuclides from the body, enhances immunity, reduces the activity of cancer cells.
2. Normalizes digestion, blood pressure.
3. Regulates blood sugar levels, relieves stress, anxiety. People who use Beijing are less prone to stress.
4. The content of a large amount of calcium and vitamin K strengthens the nervous system, increases blood clotting.
5. Vision improves.
6. Useful for women during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
7. Due to the low calorie content, cabbage is recommended for dietary nutrition with weight loss.
8. Improves the condition of the skin and hair.

There are also contraindications to the use of Chinese cabbage for people with increased metabolism, diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract. The vegetable can be consumed in small quantities.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

Beijing cabbage can be grown in many ways:

• seedlings;
• seeds directly into open ground.

Let’s figure out when it is better to sow Peking cabbage seeds for seedlings:

1. First of all, the choice of sowing dates will depend on the time of planting the plants in open ground. If you plan to get the first harvest at the beginning of summer, then you will have to grow seedlings. If cabbage is for autumn-winter consumption, then it is better to sow in mid-July directly with seeds.
2. Secondly, you need to decide on the choice of varieties of Beijing. This will also affect when to plant Beijing cabbage for seedlings.
3. Thirdly, it is necessary to adjust the timing of sowing cabbage seeds in such a way that by the time they are planted in open ground, the seedlings have successfully formed. High-quality cabbage seedlings should have 4-5 leaves and a strong root system.
4. Fourth, the arrival of spring in the region plays a decisive role.

Experienced gardeners are guided by the lunar calendar, but time the planting time to the climate:

As we have already said, the question of when to plant Beijing cabbage for seedlings is affected by the ripening period of the vegetable. Many vegetable growers who grow Pekinka prefer hybrid varieties that differ in the vegetative period. Here is some of them:

We grow seedlings correctly

Peking cabbage seedlings are very tender and fragile. The slightest damage to the root system delays growth, reduces yield. Therefore, when growing Beijing cabbage in seedlings, it is advisable to sow the seeds in separate containers in order to avoid picking.

Tanks for seedlings

As containers for growing seedlings of cabbage, most often choose:

• plastic cups;
• peat pots;
• peat tablets.

Beijing is demanding on the soil. Grows well in fertile soil with neutral acidity. You can use ready-made seedling compositions or prepare the soil yourself at home. To do this, mix garden soil and compost in equal parts.

Soil Preparation

Beijing cabbage should be planted in specially prepared soil. It is heated, spilled with boiling water, adding crystals of potassium permanganate. This method allows you to destroy the spores of fungal diseases, including the black leg.

In cups, the soil should not reach the edge of a centimeter and a half.

Seed sowing

Before sowing, non-calibrated seeds are sorted to remove non-viable ones. They are treated in a dark solution of potassium permanganate or special solutions to stimulate growth.

How to plant seeds for seedlings and achieve a good harvest? In each cup, peat pot or tablet (pre-soaked), 2-3 seeds are sown. The recess can be made with an ordinary pencil by 1 cm. Sprinkle with soil or peat on top. The soil is well slammed to create a reliable contact of the seed with the substrate. Top cover with glass or film.

The containers are exposed to a warm, well-lit window. Quality seeds germinate, as a rule, in 3-4 days. When the first shoots appear, the seedlings in cups are transferred to a room with a lower temperature, but with good lighting.

Growing seedlings

When to sow Beijing cabbage for seedlings, we told you. But does she still need to be taken care of? Let’s deal with this issue.

Since 2-3 grains were planted in each container, the seedlings will have to be thinned out. But this should not be done immediately, but when the seedlings grow up. To obtain strong seedlings, leave the strongest root.

Seedlings of Beijing cabbage grown from seeds should be watered in a timely manner with settled water at room temperature. Watering should be moderate so that a swamp does not form. When loosening, you can not go deep. As a top dressing, you can use an infusion of wood ash or a pink solution of potassium permanganate when growing seedlings at home.

After about a month, cabbage seedlings are ready for planting in the ground. At this time, there should be 4-5 true leaves. When planting in the ground, it is more convenient to work with seedlings in peat pots and tablets – they are simply placed in a hole and added dropwise.

If the seedlings were grown in plastic cups, you can do different things: cut the container or, pressing on the bottom, carefully remove the cabbage seedlings. Putting the root in the hole, lightly compress the soil around it and water it.

Sowing cabbage seeds

Beijing cabbage can be grown in a seedless way – by sowing seeds directly into the ground. The bed needs to be dug up, add about 4 kg of compost or humus to each square.

Marking is carried out on a leveled bed: a step between rows is 45-50 cm, between seeds is at least 10. Then holes are made, baking soda mixed with hot pepper is added along the edge of each to scare away pests that live in the soil.

2-3 cabbage seeds are placed in the middle of the hole and sprinkled with earth no more than one centimeter. Having compacted the soil, a plastic bottle cut from the bottom is installed on top. It remains until the appearance of 2-3 leaves. Watering through the neck. If it’s cold at night, just screw the lid on in the evening.

Of course, for beginners, the question arises when the seeds of Beijing cabbage are sown in the ground. This will depend on the region. Spring comes at different times, this affects the warming of the soil, average daily air temperatures. The best dates are the beginning or middle of June.

When the plants grow a little, they need to be thinned out so that the distance is sufficient for development. See how the cabbage looks in the photo.

Caring for cabbage in the future comes down to watering, loosening the soil and top dressing. The soil between rows should be free of weeds. We will have to fight against numerous pests of cabbage, as a representative of the cruciferous family.

Tricks of gardeners

Experienced vegetable growers have a lot of tricks with which they willingly share with beginners.

1. This also applies to the question of when to plant Beijing cabbage for seedlings. They make in-line plantings, that is, with interruptions, thus obtaining seedlings of different ages. The first sowing is done in mid-March, then the harvest can be harvested in late May – early June. If weather conditions do not allow planting in open ground, they plant seedlings in greenhouses, greenhouses or under temporary shelters. This planting of Beijing cabbage seedlings provides the family with early vegetables.

   Different landing times:

   Beijing cabbage. Different planting dates. Tips for gardeners.

2. To prevent the flowering of the vegetable, already during the cultivation of seedlings, the daylight hours are reduced to 12-13 hours, covering the window.
3. Plantings of Beijing cabbage are covered not only from frost, but also from heat, prolonged rains. In the summer, a canvas is used for these purposes. The bed does not overheat, an artificial shadow appears. And during rain, the soil is not oversaturated with moisture. In addition, a linen cape saves plants from cruciferous flea.
4. Experienced vegetable growers mulch cabbage plantings, save themselves from weeding.
5. If you spray the vegetable with a solution of boric acid, the heads of cabbage curl better and faster.

When and how to plant Peking seedlings with seeds, the gardeners themselves decide. And we want a huge harvest.