How to grow Chinese cabbage outdoors

Cabbage is a vegetable from which you can make a lot of excellent salads. However, it is not only famous for its amazing taste, but also provides the body with useful substances and vitamins. Today there are a huge number of different varieties of vegetables, they are all simply saturated with vitamins and differ from each other in appearance. One of the most beneficial for the body is Peking cabbage, which in recent years has become more and more popular among culinary experts around the world.

What is Chinese cabbage

Peking cabbage is a biennial plant that is grown as annuals. Depending on the variety, it has light yellow or bright green leaves. This plant is a loose head of cabbage with juicy tender leaves that have a white vein. The edges of the leaves are beautifully wavy or jagged.

The peculiarity of the variety is that it does not have a stump. The head of cabbage of the plant is thrown into soup or pickled, and the leaves are used mainly for making salads. Asia is famous for pickled Peking cabbage. They call this dish kimchi and many believe that it prolongs life.

How Chinese cabbage grows

Feature and history of origin of the vegetable

Peking cabbage appeared in China several thousand years ago, then it came to Korea and Japan, and eventually spread to Asian countries. After a while, this vegetable became popular in Europe, as well as in our country.

Beneficial features

Why is Beijing becoming more and more popular? This plant is a source of nutrients and vitamins. The main advantage of the variety is that even in winter it does not lose its vitamins and benefits the body.

The most important useful substances that are included in its composition include:

• protein;
• mineral salts;
• vitamins C, A, K, PP, as well as a group of B vitamins;
• amino acids;
• organic acids.

In addition, "Peking" also has medicinal properties. It helps:

• with cardiovascular diseases;
• stomach ulcer;
• strengthens the immune system;
• prolongs the life of a person.

Very interesting is the fact that this vegetable contains lysine, which helps cleanse the blood and destroys foreign proteins.

Chinese cabbage kimchi

The right way to plant Chinese cabbage at home

What gardener does not dream to please himself and others with new achievements and grow Chinese cabbage at home. To grow this plant from seeds, you can plant them immediately in open ground, or you can grow seedlings first. Planting Chinese cabbage at home both in Belarus and the Moscow region and in the Urals and Siberia follows the same scheme.

The only difference is when to start sowing seeds and when the vegetable begins to bloom. If you decide to use the first method, then you should punch holes in the garden at a distance of 30 cm from each other and pour humus into them. Seeds are sown to a depth of no more than 2 cm. They are sprinkled with ash on top and covered with a film. After a week, you can see the first shoots.

Seed planting scheme

What to do and how to plant seeds in the country or in the garden to get a good harvest? It is necessary to choose the right sowing time. The term for planting cabbage in the garden:

• in spring from and to April 20;
• in summer from July 19 to August 9.

Chinese cabbage seeds

Growing and caring for seedlings

If you want to get an early harvest, then "Peking" for seedlings should be sown at the end of March. And if you dream of enjoying the harvest in winter, then the seedlings should be planted in the second half of June.

Loose soil is suitable for this plant, therefore for sowing it is best to use a mixture of humus (1 kg) with coconut substrate (2 kg).

The seeds are immersed in the ground no more than 1 cm and placed in a dark and warm room. When the first shoots appear after 3 days, they should be transferred to a lighted place.

You need to take care of Chinese cabbage no more than ordinary white cabbage or cauliflower.

It is necessary to water the seedlings when the upper earthen lump dries out. However, 4 days before transplanting seedlings, watering is stopped.

In general, the sprouts will be ready for planting in a month, when they have 4 leaves each.

Seedling cabbage

Why is it not necessary to make a dive?

This plant does not like picking and takes root in a new place for a long time. Transplanting or planting seedlings while preserving the roots will not work. Accommodation in a new place will take a long time. Therefore, it is not recommended to dive it - it is better to initially sow it in separate containers or peat tablets.

When to plant outdoors

Before planting seedlings in open ground, it must be hardened. To do this, young sprouts are taken out into fresh air, first for a couple of hours, then the time spent outdoors is gradually increased. When they are able to spend a day on the street, then the seedlings will be ready for planting in a permanent place.

As for the soil for this vegetable, it must be well-drained and loose. Loamy soil is an excellent option. In addition, a plant of this variety should not be planted in the place where tomatoes and beets used to grow.

The soil for planting such a wonderful variety begins to be prepared in the fall. To do this, dig up the soil and add lime to it. When the soil is dug up in the spring, then humus is added to it.

Growing Chinese cabbage

How to grow and care for a Peking in a greenhouse

"Peking" feels great in the greenhouse. However, for this it is necessary to strictly adhere to 2 rules:

1. Observe the temperature regime from 15 to 20 degrees - therefore, an unheated greenhouse will not work;
2. Air humidity should be within 70-80%.

If these norms are not observed, then a peduncle may form, and the plant will also be subject to various diseases.

The advantage of growing Chinese cabbage in a greenhouse is that you can independently adjust the length of daylight hours and maintain the optimal temperature. A greenhouse will also help keep your crops free of frost. And if it is heated by you, then you can grow this plant even in winter.

Chinese cabbage in the greenhouse

Care rules

This plant is very fond of moisture, coolness and light. Young sprouts are especially sensitive to temperature changes and frost. Therefore, in order to protect them and allow them to bloom, it is necessary to cover them with a non-woven fabric.

In addition, the canvas will also protect the vegetable from direct sunlight on particularly hot days. It also helps to remove excess moisture and hide sprouts from the cruciferous flea that loves to profit from it. Mulching the soil can also be helpful to retain moisture and prevent weeds.

To get an excellent harvest, the vegetable must be watered once a week with warm water.

Top dressing also has a fruitful effect on it. The first feeding is carried out 14 days after planting in open ground.

Infusions from chicken manure, grass or mullein are especially useful. A liter of such fertilizer is poured under each plant. If cabbage was planted in spring, then feeding must be done 3 times, and if in summer, then 2 times.

If you want to get a good ovary, then it is worth adding 2 g of boric acid to a liter of hot water and 9 liters of cold water and treating the "Peking" with this solution.

Covering planted seedlings

Harvesting and storage

In order for the vegetable to lie in the cellar for as long as possible, it is better to give preference to the varieties that are harvested in September. And also the more leaves remain with the head of cabbage, the longer the plant will be stored. In addition, it will lie longer if placed in a room with high air humidity. Moreover, each head of cabbage is well wrapped in plastic wrap. You should also inspect each head of cabbage every 14 days, remove dried or rotten leaves.

Never store Peking next to apples. They secrete a substance that causes the leaves of the plant to wilt.

You can also store cabbage in the refrigerator or on the balcony. The main thing is that condensation does not form on it, and the temperature does not drop less than 0 degrees.

In general, when storing cabbage on a balcony or refrigerator, you need to follow the same rules as when storing in a cellar.

You should also know that the vegetable will lie in such conditions from 1 to 4 months. If you want it to last longer, then you can use the following storage methods:

• leaven;
• drying;
• freezing.

Sauerkraut

The first way is leaven. It is one of the simplest storage methods. The sourdough recipe is very simple: you need to pour 10 kg of shredded cabbage with 600 ml of water and add 100 mg of vinegar, 2 tsp each. salt and sugar, as well as 2 cloves of garlic squeezed through a press. Further, under the press, all this should stand in a room with room temperature for about a day, and then 14 days in the cold.

To dry the "Peking", it is cut into strips and placed in an oven heated to 100 degrees and the door is slightly opened. It will be ready in 4 hours, after which the dried vegetable is placed in cotton bags.

For freezing, chopped cabbage is thrown into salted boiling water for 3 minutes. After that, the vegetable is dried and frozen.

As you can see, Chinese cabbage is a wonderful plant that will look like decoration on any table. Do not be afraid to take up the cultivation of Peking, because it is not picky about care and is very useful. Therefore, each gardener should allocate a place in his summer cottage of Peking cabbage.

Peking cabbage in Russia has already caught up with its distant relative, white cabbage, in popularity, and in some respects it has become a leader. So, it is not necessary to plant it with seedlings, you can do with seeds, which greatly simplifies the cultivation of Peking cabbage in the open field. The second important advantage is that it forms heads much faster, that is, you do not need to wait for autumn to harvest.The third wonderful quality of this vegetable is that it can be used for salads, and for hot dishes, and for pickles, which has already been appreciated by thousands of chefs. Usually, Chinese cabbage is not capricious, but for some gardeners, instead of forming heads of cabbage, it throws out only unnecessary inflorescences. What's the matter here? What secrets do you need to know to get a good harvest?

Beijing or Chinese?

Cultivation of Chinese cabbage in the open field, subject to a few simple conditions, is within the power of even beginners in the gardening business. Some difficulties may arise only at the very initial stage - the purchase of seeds, because sometimes on the bags sold in all specialized stores, you can see different names and the same picture of the vegetable. Everyone knows that Beijing is the capital of China. Therefore, it is logical that Peking cabbage and Chinese cabbage are one and the same, however, there are two varieties of this vegetable. One is lettuce, or bok-choy, the other is forming heads of cabbage, or pet-sai. Bok-choy does not form heads, only leaves forming a rosette around the main bud. For the sake of these leaves, which are extremely useful from the point of view of medicine, it is cultivated. In Russia, it is bok-choy that is most often called Chinese cabbage, and pet-sai is called Peking cabbage. It has health benefits as well. So, it contains a lot of vitamins A, C, B, PP, there are carotene, citric and ascorbic acids, proteins important for the human body.

Biological description

So that the cultivation of Peking cabbage in the open field does not bring unexpected surprises, let's get acquainted with the appearance of this vegetable. If all the norms of sowing and care are observed, the crop is loose oblong heads of cabbage up to 35 cm long. At the base, each leaf has a large fleshy central vein, whitish in color. Its shape is most often triangular, and its dimensions are such that they make up about 20% of the leaf or more. The rest of it is rather delicate, pale green, less often green or deep green, slightly convex, with uneven edges. In section, the head of cabbage has a yellowish-light green color. The seeds of Peking cabbage are small, similar to tiny balls. This vegetable loves moisture, light and warmth, but is able to withstand frost on soil down to -4 degrees Celsius. This does not apply to young sprouts of Peking cabbage, which need to be provided with freezing temperatures.

Growing features

Chinese cabbage has many characteristics. One of them is very fast germination. Therefore, growing Chinese cabbage in the open field from seeds is considered the most convenient way to cultivate it. The main condition that must be met is the temperature regime. The fact is that Peking cabbage gives full heads only in the air temperature range from +13 to +22 degrees Celsius. In colder weather, this foreign vegetable actively forms arrows, with higher ones it does not tie good heads and also throws out peduncles. Planting dates in each region should be focused on climatic conditions, taking into account the fact that seeds germinate no longer than a week at an ambient temperature of up to +5 degrees and about 4 days at a temperature of +13 degrees. On average, in the spring, cabbage is sown in open ground from mid-April to mid-June, but experienced gardeners advise sowing at intervals of about 2 weeks in order to have a harvest for a long time.

How to sow seeds correctly

Growing Chinese cabbage outdoors in spring is the most convenient way to get a high yield. A well-lit place with light neutral soil is allocated for the beds. The seeds are placed in the ground to a depth of no more than 2 cm, and better - from 1 to 1.5 cm. In Peking cabbage, before the formation of heads of cabbage, very large lower leaves grow, which subsequently die off, but in the process of growth they interfere with each other.Based on this, the distance between future cabbages should be at least 30 cm. It is almost impossible to sustain it by sowing small seeds, therefore, in the future, the seedlings must be thinned out. In order for the seedlings to appear faster, as well as to protect them from possible frost, it is advisable to cover the crops with a film.

Further care

Growing Chinese cabbage outdoors is rarely difficult. After the emergence of seedlings and their thinning, correct watering is in the first place in importance. Peking cabbage loves moisture and does not form good heads of cabbage if it is lacking. However, with an excess of water, it begins to rot. It needs to be watered abundantly, but so that the water does not stagnate, and on especially hot days, arrange your plants with rainwater irrigation. Important for cabbage and weeding, as well as shallow loosening of the soil. This vegetable is fed 2 times per season with a solution of slurry or mullein.

Growing seedlings

The cultivation of Peking cabbage in the open field at home is practiced not only by seeds, but also by seedlings. This is done to ripen the crop earlier or to get several crops per season. Peking cabbage seedlings begin in the second half of April. This plant does not like transplants and picks, so each seed is immediately placed in a separate cassette or in a peat pot (tablet). You can also sow 2-3 seeds in order to leave the strongest seedling after germination, and remove the rest. As soon as the seedlings hatch, the containers with the seedlings are transferred to a well-lit, but not hot place (the ambient temperature is up to +18 degrees) so that the seedlings do not stretch too much. Otherwise, it will be problematic to land them. Seedlings are planted on the garden bed with a clod of earth, without injuring the root system. The holes are made 25-30 cm apart from each other. Half a glass of ash and a pinch (up to a teaspoon) of complex fertilizers are added to each. The sprouts are ready to move into open ground when 5-6 leaves appear on each. In the first days after planting, young plants should be covered with a film at night against sudden temperature changes. The crop can be harvested in 3 weeks.

Growing up in summer

Since Chinese cabbage ripens very quickly, its harvest can be harvested twice per season, sowing seeds again from late July to mid-August. In June, it is not sown, which is due to the length of daylight hours, which should be no more than 12-13 hours for the formation of heads of cabbage. Cultivation of Chinese cabbage outdoors in July is not much different from the process in spring. The only thing that gardeners should additionally do is to artificially shorten the length of daylight hours for their cabbage, covering the plants with lutrasil. You also need to ensure sufficient watering and prevent the soil from drying out. To obtain seeds, cabbage is planted in the months when the sun shines for more than 13 hours. It doesn't matter how high the air temperature is.

Peking cabbage shooting

Almost all gardeners plant Peking cabbage to get heads of cabbage. But sometimes, instead of forming heads, the plants begin to throw out flower arrows, and the harvest does not work. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to cultivate Peking cabbage in the open field in compliance with all norms. The photo below shows what the rows should look like before the last thinning. With this method of planting, excess plants are not thrown away, but used for cooking.

Arrows may appear:

- if the daylight hours are too long;

- thickening of landings;

- lack of nutrients in the soil;

- insufficient watering in hot weather.

Sometimes cabbage is naughty when transplanting it. This happens when gardeners, thinning the plantings, try to preserve excess plants by transplanting them to another place.

Pests and diseases

Cultivation of Chinese cabbage in the open field in the country or in the garden usually goes without difficulty. Important: it is undesirable to plant this crop after other cruciferous plants (radish, radish, mustard), which reduces the risk of diseases typical for these crops. Among pests, fleas that can completely destroy seedlings most often attack cabbage. To fight insects, the bed must be sprinkled with ash. They love to feast on cabbage leaves and slugs. If they are seen on the site, special traps are arranged for them. Another pest is cabbage, which lay eggs on the back of the leaves. If such masonry is found, they are destroyed manually.

Peking cabbage is a cold-resistant, annual vegetable crop. The growing season does not exceed 2 months, from sowing seeds to the formation of a full-fledged head of cabbage.

Upon reaching commercial qualities, depending on the variety, it can have a cylindrical, short-oval, long-oval, dense or loose head of cabbage. The average leaf length is 25 cm, the structure and color of the leaf plates can also vary significantly - the color range is from deep green to light green, the structure is slightly swollen and wrinkled.

Peking cabbage is grown in all types of protected and open ground as a compactor for tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage, or as an independent crop.

How to grow Chinese cabbage correctly?

Experienced gardeners and beginners are often tormented by questions related to the cultivation of new, unusual crops, and Chinese cabbage, in this regard, is no exception. Here are just a few of them:

• How to grow Chinese cabbage outdoors?
• Can plants be fed during the growing season?
• Which seedlings or seeds are preferable?
• How and when to water?

Despite the seeming unpretentiousness, the cultivation of Peking cabbage has its own nuances and small tricks, non-observance of which can significantly reduce the yield and nullify all the efforts made by the gardeners.

Seedlings or seeds?

By what method, seedlings or seeds, to plant Peking cabbage depends on individual conditions, i.e., where and how the plant will develop: in a greenhouse, on ridges, in open ground, what is the average length of the day, planting time (spring, late summer) ...

Important! When planting and cultivating Peking cabbage in hot and / or dry times, the plant sharply turns into color and heads of cabbage are not formed. In addition, the culture begins to actively release arrows even under excessive illumination, including during the long white nights, which are typical for some northern regions, as well as Siberia.

Cultivation of Peking cabbage in Siberia and the Urals is quite possible, but it is necessary to artificially adjust the illumination, i.e. choose areas with shade or forcibly cover plantings from light in the greenhouse.

1. Greenhouse:
   • seeds - sowing is carried out in March, early April, late July, as well as in the first decade of August. Sowing pattern 20 × 40 cm. For planting in other time periods, only universal varieties are suitable, mainly hybrids, such as "Chinese Choice", "Lyubasha", "Naina F1";
   • seedling - planting is carried out at the same time as the seeds, but since the plant has already passed the initial stage of growth (the formation of roots, the appearance of the first leaves), the crop can be harvested much earlier. Planting scheme 30 × 50 cm.

Important! You cannot sow seeds or plant cabbage seedlings after collecting any cruciferous crops: radish, turnip, mustard, radish, as they are affected by common pests and diseases.

2. Open ground:
   • seeds - sowing is done after the soil warms up, as a rule, this happens in early May. To obtain an autumn harvest, sowing can be started in the second decade of July. Pre-soaking of seeds is not required.Sowing scheme when growing as a salad culture 20 × 20 cm, if necessary, the formation of a head - 35 × 35 cm, 50 × 50 cm. Seeding rate 4 g for every 10 m². The best results are obtained by sowing seeds on the ridges with their penetration into the soil by 10–15 mm.
   • seedlings - transplanting seedlings into the ground is performed in early May. The planting pattern is 30 × 50 cm.When planting work, it is necessary to carefully monitor so that the root system is not damaged in any way; to facilitate this process, agricultural technicians recommend growing Chinese cabbage seedlings in separate peat pots or containers from which you can easily get the plant without deforming the root coma of earth.

Important! To obtain high yields, it is necessary to monitor the correspondence of the selected variety to the planting time interval, that is, the early ones must be planted in the spring, and the later ones are closer to autumn and not vice versa.

Peking cabbage care

Caring for Chinese cabbage, as well as for any vegetable crop, consists of watering, weeding and feeding the plants.

1. To obtain good yields, an optimal balance between air temperature and humidity is extremely important, this statement is especially true during the formation of a head of cabbage and a rosette.

Air temperature:

• during the day from 15 to 19 ° C;
• at night not lower than 8 ° C.

Air humidity:

• on a cloudy day 70%;
• sunny day 80%;
• at night about 80%.

Soil moisture 65%.

If these requirements are not met, the leaves are often affected by various diseases, such as gray, white and black rot, as a result of which the plant does not develop normally and the formation of a head of cabbage does not occur.

Important! Despite the fact that the culture needs well-moistened soil, it does not tolerate stagnant water.

2. Nutrition - Chinese cabbage prefers fertile soil, which is rich in nitrogen and calcium. But even if the land of the garden is poor in organic matter and trace elements, it does not matter. The plant responds well to various fertilizing of both natural origin (mullein) and to feeding with complex fertilizers.
   • Autumn - for each m² you need to add 4.5 kg of manure, 1.5 dessert spoons of double superphosphate and 2.5 dessert. tablespoons of potassium sulfate. In the absence of the latter component, it can be replaced with ordinary wood ash at the rate of 1 liter can per 1 m² of soil;
   • before planting - a solution prepared from poultry droppings (water 10 liters and ½ kg of droppings) or from eggshells (30 grams of crushed shells to insist for 2 days in 5 liters of water) is introduced. If, for some reason, fertilizers were not added to the soil in the fall, then before planting, during spring digging, you need to add potassium sulfate, superphosphate and ammonium nitrate, each component is taken in the amount of 1 tbsp. l. for every m².

Important! Peking cabbage has a high ability to accumulate nitrates; therefore, it is not recommended to apply fertilizers during the growing season. All fertilization must be applied before the plant is planted on the site.

3. Watering - in dry weather, it is necessary to water every day, it is better to do this by sprinkling, in this case the plants receive the required amount of moisture and at the same time the soil does not become overmoistened.

Peking cabbage pests and methods of dealing with them

In fact, there are not so many pests that infect Chinese cabbage:

• cruciferous flea;
• slugs;
• cabbage butterfly;
• cruciferous bug.

Given that the culture has the ability to accumulate harmful substances in itself, it is not chemical preparations that are most acceptable for pest control, but folk methods that, with regular use, give excellent results.

• Planting a crop between rows of tomato, onion or garlic significantly reduces the activity of the cruciferous flea. As a stronger remedy, it is recommended to spray the plants and soil between the rows with a special solution.To prepare it, you need to take green potato and tomato tops (200 g of each component), and 2 large heads of garlic. Grind all the ingredients and let them infuse for about a day. The Peking cabbage photo, which is located below, was planted exactly according to this principle - between two beds of onions.
• Thorough and systematic removal of weeds also prevents damage to plants by the cruciferous flea beaver.
• After the appearance of cabbage butterflies in the garden, it is necessary to examine the lower surface of the leaves as often as possible, if clutches are found, the eggs of the pest are destroyed, this method, although laborious, gives good results, since it significantly reduces the likelihood of the appearance of caterpillars.

Tips for growing Chinese cabbage - video

Chinese or Peking cabbage, despite its origin, can be cultivated in Russia, but for this it is necessary to know the peculiarities and rules of cultivation. In the article we will deal with all the intricacies of this process.

Peking cabbage varieties

In the world selection, there is a huge number of varieties of Peking cabbage. The harvest of such vegetables can be obtained in any climatic zone, but subject to certain rules.

For example, early varieties do better in greenhouses. In the southern regions of our country, it is necessary to shade the plants, which will create a shortened daylight hours.

Next, let's take a look at the most popular varieties of Peking cabbage:

Victoria

An early ripening variety with excellent taste and pleasant aroma. The fruits are used for preparing salads and other dishes, suitable for heat treatment. The vegetables are cylindrical in shape, elongated with dense loose leaves of light green color. The growing season for the Victoria variety is within 2 months.

Orange Mandarin

Early ripening variety, can be grown throughout the warm period. Under favorable weather conditions, the fruits of the culture ripen in 40 days from the moment of planting seedlings in open ground. Heads of cabbage are small, their weight does not exceed 1 kilogram. The variety tolerates stressful situations and is suitable for cultivation in Siberia.

Martha

Shade-tolerant early ripening variety has a growing season of 40-42 days. This cabbage has rather large and wide leaves, delicious pulp. The maximum weight of a head of cabbage is 1.5 kilograms. Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out in the second decade of April, seeds are sown in open ground from mid-May.

Garnet

Mid-season variety, has large fruits weighing up to 2.5 kilograms. The heads of cabbage are elongated in shape, have tight-fitting dark green leaves. Pomegranate is resistant to many diseases, especially necrosis. The first harvest of cabbage is obtained in 70-75 days from the moment of sowing the seeds.

Express

The variety is suitable for growing in greenhouses and open field. This is an unpretentious plant that is resistant to sudden changes in temperature. Heads of cabbage of bright green color weighing up to 2 kilograms. The Beijing Express can be used for cultivation in Siberia.

Vesnyanka

Ultra-early variety, ripens 35 days after sowing seeds in the greenhouse. Heads of cabbage are small, juicy, suitable for making salads.

Wineglass

A medium-late variety with a growing season of 70 days is quite capricious to care for, so it is better to grow such a vegetable in the southern part of our country. Heads of cabbage are dense, weighing up to 2 kilograms.

How to properly grow Chinese cabbage seedlings

The cultivation of the crop in question can be carried out using seedlings or by the method of direct sowing of seeds in open ground. Chinese cabbage is considered a cold-resistant plant, its seeds can form sprouts at an air temperature of + 4-5 degrees, but intensive development is possible in the range of + 15 ... + 22 degrees. When warming, the culture throws out inflorescences. A similar phenomenon often occurs in conditions of extended daylight hours.

Due to the need for a shortened daylight hours, it is recommended to grow the culture from seedlings in early spring or late autumn. Sometimes it is advisable to create a special light regime. In this case, the first harvest of fruits is obtained within a month from the moment the plants are planted in open ground.

When to plant Chinese cabbage for seedlings

Planting Chinese cabbage seed should be carried out about a month before the intended planting of seedlings in a permanent place. To obtain an early harvest, sowing for seedlings is carried out in the last decade of March or in early April. When growing seedlings to obtain a harvest for winter consumption, the seeds are sown at the end of June.

Preparing seeds for planting

Purchased Chinese cabbage seeds do not need special preparation, they can be planted immediately in the ground without presoaking. In the case of using their own seed materials, the grains need preliminary germination, which will determine their germination.

To do this, they are placed on wet gauze, folded in several layers. Next, a container with seeds is placed in a warm place and wait for the sprouts to appear. Their germination begins in 3-5 days from the moment of sowing.

If this does not happen or seedlings are rare, you need to take other seeds.

Preparing soil for sowing

In practice, several options for soil mixtures are used for sowing Chinese cabbage seedlings:

Sod land and peat in equal proportions with the addition of 10 grams of wood ash and complex mineral fertilizer (for every 10 kilograms of the mixture).

2 parts humus and 1 part coconut substrate.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

The culture in question does not survive transplantation well, therefore, the sowing of seeds must be carried out not in a common box, but in peat pots (2-3 grains per container). Seed material is buried in a nutrient substrate to a depth of 1.5 centimeters. After that, the seedling containers are installed in a warm, but dark place until shoots appear.

Seedling care

After the first shoots appear, the seedlings are moved to a well-lit windowsill. At this stage of development, the room temperature must be maintained at a level of + 7 ... + 8 degrees. For this, a loggia or a glazed balcony is best suited.

Further care of the seedlings consists in periodic watering with warm, settled water. Moistening the soil should be carried out as the top layer of the nutrient substrate dries out. After carrying out these procedures, it is necessary to carefully loosen the soil, which will prevent moisture stagnation.

When the seedlings have two or three real leaves in a pot, they leave one of the healthiest plants, pinch the rest.

Dive

We have already said that the seedlings of Chinese cabbage do not tolerate transplanting well, so the seeds are sown immediately in separate containers. This allows you to bypass the dive process.

How to transplant Chinese cabbage seedlings into open ground

Seedlings of Chinese cabbage are moved into open ground along with peat pots. In the future, these containers will dissolve and provide additional nutrients for plant development.

It is recommended to transplant seedlings to a permanent place in the phase of appearance of 5-6 true leaves (approximately three weeks from the moment of emergence).

10 days before the expected planting date, the plants are hardened in the open air, gradually increasing the time. Seedlings can be planted in a permanent place after they have spent 24 hours outside.

Planting scheme

There are several schemes for planting Chinese cabbage in the open field:

1. If the plant is used as a salad crop, a distance of 25 centimeters is left between the individual seedlings in both directions.
2. To form a head of cabbage, you must follow the scheme 35 * 35 or 50 * 50 centimeters.

This requirement is valid for sowing a vegetable with seeds directly into open ground.

When using seedlings, the scheme of 30 * 50 centimeters is observed.

In order to get a good harvest of fruits and prevent shooting, planting of a vegetable should be carried out in early spring or autumn.

Sowing by seed into the ground

To grow Chinese cabbage in a seedless way, you need to choose the right site. The ideal predecessors of the culture in question are:

• onion;
• garlic;
• carrot;
• cucumbers.

It is not advisable to sow the seeds in the soil, where close relatives of cabbage (mustard or radish, radish) developed before.

Sowing seeds is carried out in previously dug up soil. Planting holes are made on the garden bed according to a pre-selected scheme of 35 * 35 or 50 * 50 centimeters. 10-15 grams of wood ash and 0.5 kilograms of organic matter (compost or humus) are added to each depression.

Next, the nutrients are thoroughly mixed with the ground and seeds are sown, 2-3 pieces per well. Now you need to water the soil with warm water and cover the area with plastic wrap.

After a week from the moment of sowing, shoots should appear. At this moment, the most developed sprout should be left in the hole, the rest should be pinched.

Planting dates for Chinese cabbage

The time for sowing seeds in open ground depends on the air temperature. The ideal conditions for the development of this cabbage is considered to be a temperature regime of + 16 ... + 22 degrees. Exceeding or decreasing the recommended indicators leads to the formation of peduncles.

For a seedless growing method, two favorable terms for sowing seeds are used from April 25 to May 5, from June 25 to July 15.

Caring for cabbage in the garden

Growing Chinese cabbage requires the gardener to follow certain rules. Newly planted seedlings should be covered with agrofibre or any other non-woven material. This allows:

1. protect crops from possible frost or sudden changes in temperature;
2. shades plants from the scorching rays of the sun;
3. protects the cabbage root system from rotting during the period of prolonged rains;
4. allows you to hide seedlings from pests, cruciferous fleas.

Two weeks after planting the seedlings on the garden bed, the plot is covered with mulch made of chopped straw and peat. There is no need to huddle the crop, a thick layer of organic matter will retain soil moisture and prevent weeds from growing.

Further measures for the care of cabbage consist in periodic watering and feeding, identifying and protecting vegetables from diseases and pests.

Watering and feeding

Chinese cabbage needs regular, abundant watering. It is recommended to moisten the soil once a week using warm water. The liquid must be poured under the root of the plant.

If water gets on the leaves, it will cause sunburn.

For better plant development, watering should be carried out in the morning or in the evening after sunset. In the latter case, it is recommended to use warm water infused throughout the day.

The first top dressing is applied to the ground two weeks after planting the seedlings. For this purpose, you can use the following solutions:

• 10% mullein infusion (1 kilogram per 10 liters of water);
• 5% infusion of bird droppings (500 grams of organic matter per 10 liters of liquid);
• infusion of herbs or nettles.

When fertilizing cabbage with fertilizers, 1 liter of solution is used for each bush. For a spring culture, three such dressings are needed. Plants planted in summer are fed twice during the growing season.

Foliar dressing also helps to improve the yield of Chinese cabbage. To prepare such a substance, 2 grams of boric acid are diluted in a liter of boiled hot water, then the volume is brought up to 10 liters with cold water. The processing of crops is carried out in the evening on the leaves.

Peking cabbage harvest and storage

To improve preservation and prevent the development of rot, it is recommended to cut the heads of cabbage in dry weather. The harvested fruits are stored in a cool and dry room with a temperature regime of 0 ... + 2 degrees. Vegetables are laid out on shelves or packed in boxes.

Periodically inspect heads of cabbage for dried leaves and putrefactive areas.

Diseases and pests of salad dressing

Peking cabbage, like other cruciferous plants, can be affected by various diseases and pests during the growing season.

First, let's get acquainted with the main diseases of this vegetable:

1. The black leg affects the emerging sprouts of cabbage seedlings. The main symptom of the appearance of the disease is considered to be blackening and narrowing of the crop stem, which makes it difficult for nutrients to access the leaves and plant death. To prevent the development of a black leg, you need to disinfect the soil and seed material, follow the rules for caring for seedlings. The development of this disease is facilitated by low temperatures and high air humidity, as well as thickened plantings of young plants.
2. Keel bacterial disease causes thickening of the cabbage root system. As a result of this effect, cells are deformed and poorly permeate nutrients. The affected plant turns yellow and begins to dry out. The development of the disease is facilitated by high soil moisture and poor-quality seeds, as well as acidic soil. To prevent the development of the disease, before planting seedlings, the earth is calcined in the oven, and then spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate. Wood ash or lime is additionally added to the acidic soil.
3. A fungal disease, gray mold, affects the aerial part of the culture during the ripening period of the fruit or during storage. The appearance of brown spots on cabbage leaves is considered to be the symptoms of the disease. After a while, a grayish plaque forms on the affected areas. Spraying plantings with fungicides, for example, Amistar, will help to defeat the disease.

Of the pests, Peking cabbage affects:

1. Small bugs, fleas. These insects jump over the leaves and suck out the sap from the plant, which leads to a slow wilting and stunted growth of the crop. Fleas are especially dangerous for young cabbage with delicate leaves. These parasites must be eliminated immediately at the first sign of their presence. For spraying plantings, you can use drugs such as Karate or Decis.
2. The cabbage scoop parasitizes plants in the form of a caterpillar. First, the larvae are yellow, then their color changes to green. Caterpillars live on the outside of the leaves, gnawing at them until holes appear. As a result of the vital activity of parasites, excrement appears on the cabbage, which provokes the appearance of putrefactive areas. The processing of crops is carried out from May to June, using for this such chemical agents as Festal, Karate, Decis. Pupae of the cabbage scoop overwinter in the upper layers of the soil. To destroy them, deep autumn plowing of the beds is necessary.

Peking cabbage is considered a rather demanding plant to care for. To get such vegetables, you need to have basic knowledge of how to grow them. Put our tips into practice and you will have a good harvest of Chinese cabbage.