Contents
Cabbage is a widely known vegetable since ancient times. It is grown in various parts of the world. There are many varieties of this vegetable crop. Broccoli, cauliflower, Beijing, white cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Japanese – this is not a complete list of types of cabbage that are grown, including in the Urals. The climate of this region dictates its own conditions and rules to gardeners. So, it is recommended to cultivate cabbage using the seedling method, sowing seeds in early spring. At the same time, it is necessary to select the most suitable varieties for the region, which will have time to ripen before the onset of early winter. To help beginner gardeners, we will try to tell you in more detail about when to plant cabbage for seedlings in the Urals, which varieties are better to choose for this and how to care for plants to get a good harvest.
Time of sowing seeds depending on the variety
This will allow the vegetable to start in a timely manner and ripen before the onset of winter cold. This condition applies to all types of vegetables. So, based on the experience of farmers, we will try to identify the best varieties for this region and determine the time when to sow cabbage for seedlings.
White cabbage
This type of cabbage is traditional for Our Country. It is grown by the vast majority of gardeners, choosing for themselves the best varieties with high yields and good taste. So, for cultivation in the conditions of the Urals, it is recommended to give preference to the following early ripe varieties: «Iyunskaya», «Zarya», «Duma f1», «Transfer f1», «Kazachok f1». Heads of these species are ready for cutting already 3 months after sowing the seed. The yield of these crops is quite high: from 6 to 10 kg/m2. Sow the seeds of these varieties for seedlings should be in March. The optimal date falls on the 10th of the month. With this growing schedule, cabbage seedlings should be dived into the ground in May, at the age of 50-60 days.
Among varieties with an average ripening period, cabbage should be distinguished “Dietmarscher Frewer”, “Aigul”, “Bolikor F1”, “Golden Hectare”, “Copenhagen Market”. These varieties are great for the climate of the Urals and have time to ripen before the onset of winter.
For winter harvesting and laying cabbage for long-term storage, you should pay attention to varieties such as Amager 611, Valentina, Wintering, Stone Head. The period of their cultivation is quite long, it is 150-160 days. Sowing the seeds of these varieties for seedlings in February, and diving the plants into the ground at the end of May at the age of 80-90 days, you can get an excellent harvest of winter cabbage, suitable for pickling, pickling, and storage.
Thus, when choosing a variety of white cabbage, you should definitely pay attention to its ripening period: for seasonal use, you should choose early or mid-early varieties, for harvesting a vegetable for the winter, it is recommended to plant varieties with a longer ripening period. It is worth noting that all the varieties listed above are included in the TOP-best. Their taste and agrotechnical qualities were duly appreciated by the farmers of the country.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is grown, of course, less often than white cabbage, but at the same time it has a lot of useful trace elements and deserves attention. In the climate of the Urals, you can grow several varieties of this crop. Thus, early-ripening varieties are popular with farmers in the region. “Goat-Dereza”, “Bruce f1”, “Alfa”, “Nemo f1”. They are distinguished by a short ripening period: 80-90 days should pass from sowing the seed to cutting the head.
In addition to seasonal use, cauliflower can be frozen for the winter. For these purposes, you should choose one of the special varieties: Marvel 4 Seasons, Summer Resident, Amerigo f1. The maturation of these varieties is long, 110-120 days, so seeds should be sown for seedlings in late February or early March. It is necessary to dive seedlings into the soil in May.
Gardeners of the Urals should pay special attention to cauliflower. When planting late-ripening varieties, you should not worry too much about the ripening time, because with the onset of cold weather, the vegetable can be artificially grown. To do this, you need to dig up the plant with a root and place it in a dark place with a favorable temperature.
Broccoli
This amazing cabbage comes from Italy. For a long time it was grown and consumed only in this Mediterranean region. Today the culture has spread all over the world.
The Ural climate is well suited for growing this vegetable. Broccoli seeds can be sown directly in the ground or on seedlings. The time of sowing the seed depends on the precocity of the variety. So, varieties with early ripening, such as “Vyarus”, “Lord f1”, “Montop f1” are sown in mid-April. Late ripening varieties (Beaumond, Belstar) should be sown for seedlings in March. Dive grown plants into open ground should be in late May – early June. The time for planting cabbage in a greenhouse or greenhouse can be scheduled 2-3 weeks earlier.
You can grow broccoli in open ground and greenhouses by direct sowing of the seed. So, sowing crops in the climate of the Urals should be carried out in the period from May 15 to June 20. It is recommended to use varieties of early ripening for growing from seed.
Chinese cabbage
Beijing cabbage is in many ways superior to the usual white cabbage. Its leaves are more juicy, do not contain coarse fibers and bitterness. Growing Peking vegetables in Our Country began relatively recently, however, in both the southern and northern regions, you can find farmers with positive and sad cultivation experience. The thing is that the vegetable is poorly tied in the presence of a long light period. That is why it is recommended to sow the seeds of the culture for seedlings early enough, about 60 days before the intended pick.
Early varieties of Beijing cabbage (“Alenushka”, “Hydra”, “Questar f1”) are sown for seedlings at the end of March, and in June they are planted in open ground. Such a growing schedule allows you to dive already adult plants that do not stretch from the heat and have already formed ovaries.
The above are varieties of various types of vegetables that can be grown in the Urals. The sowing dates for these crops are marked as advisory, since in each individual case it is worth considering individually the temperature indicators and growing conditions (open ground, greenhouse, hotbed).
Other types of cabbage
It should be noted that the red cabbage in terms of sowing for seedlings corresponds to the white cabbage species. Brussels, kohlrabi, Japanese cabbage is rather a curiosity for gardeners. It is rarely grown, however, for reference, experimental gardeners need to know:
- Brussels sprouts early ripening (“Merry Company”, “Commander”, “Sapphire”) must be sown on seedlings at the end of April and dive into the ground at the age of 30-35 days. Late varieties (“Sanda”, “Pihant”, “Curl”) ripen 170-180 days from the day of germination, so their seeds must be sown in early February.
- You can grow in the Urals and kohlrabi cabbage. To do this, you should prefer the varieties “Pikant”, “Moravia”, “Sonata f1”, “Modrava”. These varieties ripen in just 65-70 days. Sow their grains for seedlings should be in April. Late varieties of kohlrabi (“Kartago f1”, “Eder R3”, “Madonna”) are not recommended to be grown in the conditions of the Urals at all.
- Japanese cabbage is thin, green leaves. This culture is useful for the human body. It is used in the preparation of salads. Growing a plant is not at all difficult by sowing the seed directly into the ground. Technical ripeness of the Japanese “lettuce” comes in 30-40 days from the day of sowing the grains.
Thus, choosing the best varieties of cabbage, you can get a crop even in the most severe conditions of the Urals. At the same time, you need to know how to prepare cabbage seeds and sow them correctly for seedlings. Care of young plants at home also plays an important role in the process of cultivating plants. You can see the seedlings of various types of vegetables and hear the gardener’s comments on the video:
Seed preparation
Having decided on the variety and time for sowing seeds, you can begin to prepare them. So, before sowing the grains of cabbage, it is recommended to warm up: spread out on a baking sheet and place in the oven, heated to 500C for 15 minutes. After such heating, the seeds are cooled under running water and kept in a nutrient microelement solution for 12 hours. Such a thermal procedure will help to harden the cabbage, make it more productive, and also eliminate possible pests and their larvae from the surface of the grains. An example of such heat treatment is shown in the video:
It is worth noting that some growers industrially treat seeds with nutrients and growth accelerators. Information about this should be on the packaging.
Sowing seeds in the ground
For the cultivation of cabbage seedlings, it is necessary to fast with nutritious soil. To do this, you can mix fertile soil with peat and sand in equal proportions. The prepared mixture can be disinfected by heating or by spilling a solution of potassium permanganate.
Cabbage seeds for seedlings can be sown in one large container or separate containers. The first method will require intermediate picking of plants, which will slow down the growth of cabbage and take some time. It is much more convenient to sow cabbage seeds immediately in isolated containers. So, in each cup to a depth of 1-15 cm, 2 seeds must be planted. After germination, one sprout will need to be removed, leaving a stronger specimen.
Care for young plants
To grow strong, healthy seedlings, it is necessary to observe the optimal temperature and humidity conditions. So, before germination, containers with crops should be placed in conditions with a temperature of + 20- + 250C. However, with the emergence of shoots, the conditions should be changed in order to avoid excessive stretching of the seedlings. The optimum temperature for cultivating cabbage seedlings is +170C. At night, this figure can drop to +140C. A few days before picking into the ground, the seedlings must be hardened by taking the containers outside.
Watering seedlings should be carried out as the soil dries. In this case, the water should be settled, at room temperature. It is worth noting that excessively moist soil for cabbage is undesirable, as this can lead to the development of a black leg.
Cabbage seedlings need to be fed three times. So, gently carry out the first top dressing when forming 3-4 true sheets. As a fertilizer, it is recommended to use universal compounds with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The fertilizing schedule should be planned in such a way that the third stage of fertilization occurs at the time before the seedlings dive into the ground.
Cabbage seedlings should be planted in pre-prepared, moistened holes. It is necessary to close plants in the soil to a depth of cotyledon leaves. The distance between seedlings should be more than 30 cm when planting in open ground, and more than 20-25 cm when picking in a greenhouse.
Conclusion
Growing cabbage using seedlings in the Urals is not at all difficult if you know exactly what time to sow the seeds, how to prepare them for sowing, and how to care for young plants. It is using your own knowledge and experience of other farmers that you can get an excellent harvest even in a relatively unfavorable climate. At the same time, you should not be afraid to experiment, because a wide variety of types of vegetables allows you to get products that are different in taste and microelement composition. So, even in the Urals, you can successfully grow kohlrabi, Japanese or Brussels sprouts to the surprise of others.