Why is Romanesco cabbage useful and how to grow it at home

Romanesco cabbage belongs to the Cabbage family. The appearance does not leave indifferent either gardeners or ordinary people. They are somewhat similar to cauliflower, but it is still difficult to confuse them.

Content:

• What is Romanesco cabbage
• Beneficial features
• Growing Romanesco cabbage at home
• Cabbage care

What is Romanesco cabbage

The Romanesco head has many lime-colored inflorescences, each of which has the shape of a fractal spiral, in addition to this, each bud grows in a spiral.

Romanesco cabbage has two more names that are more common among the people, these are "Romanesque broccoli" and "coral cabbage".

The plant is annual, the inflorescences look like pyramids, they are all tightly pressed to each other, and dense dark green leaves are wrapped around them.

If you comply with the necessary conditions and correctly look after cabbage, then some varieties can grow up to 1 meter, the fruit of each of them will reach half a kilogram.

Romanesco cabbage came to our country relatively recently. Italy, Rome is considered her homeland. According to documents, the appearance of cabbage falls on the 90s of the 20th century, although unofficially it appeared during the time of the Roman Empire. The appearance of the cabbage did not appear by chance, this is exactly how the breeders wanted to see it.

We can say that this is one of the varieties of cauliflower.

If you look closely, you will notice that each bud and inflorescence of Romanesco cabbage consists of small copies of itself.

Romanesco is grown like any other vegetable for human consumption:

• Cooking principle repeats broccoli, it can be baked, added to soup, fried or blanched.
• It is important not to overcook the cabbage, otherwise all the taste is lost.
• Romanesco is softer and softer than broccoli, without bitterness.
• In Italy, there are special recipes.

Beneficial features

Romanesco cabbage is a rarity for our consumers, despite its taste and unlimited benefits for the body... It is low in calories, roughly like a cucumber, and its taste is delicate and delicate.

The most valuable substances in it are vitamins C and B, minerals, zinc and carotene, but that's not all.

The cabbage contains:

• Vitamin A, it is necessary for the growth and healthy appearance of hair, nails and skin, and it is also necessary for the body to fight infections, to maintain a high level of immunity. Calcium will also be useful for teeth and bones, which, among other things, normalizes the work of the heart and has a calming effect.
• The next vitamin that Romanesco cabbage is rich in is a vitamin of group K. Thanks to it, energy is produced in the body, blood clotting processes occur.
• Even small children know about the benefits of vitamin C, it has a positive effect on the functioning of the immune system, blood vessels, and is necessary for hematopoiesis. Ascorbic acid helps to adapt to adverse environmental factors, as well as fight problems in the respiratory system.
• B vitamins are also necessary for blood formation, for the normal functioning of the nervous system, for proper metabolism.
• Another vitamin that is contained in Romanesco cabbage is PP, it helps maintain normal blood cholesterol levels, and has a positive effect on the work of the cardiovascular system.

If Romanesco cabbage is constantly present in the diet, you can improve the functioning of the nervous system, protect yourself from stress, cope with thyroid problems, and raise immunity.

It has been proven that this vegetable has a positive effect on the dynamics of atherosclerosis, improves the state of the intestinal microflora, and reduces the risk of developing cancer. Cabbage itself does not cause allergic reactions, and helps to treat them.

Growing Romanesco cabbage at home

Growing Romanesco at home is much more difficult than broccoli or any another kind of cabbage... She is very whimsical, and any deviation from the technology can give negative results (heads will not be tied).

The most important thing when growing is strict adherence to the temperature regime.

Characteristic features when growing:

• The heads begin to tie at an ambient temperature of less than 18 degrees, which means that you need to correctly calculate the time of planting the cabbage so that the tying falls in the spring or cool autumn.
• The ambient temperature is also important when growing seedlings. Here, the technology is very similar to that of growing white cabbage seedlings. 2 months before planting seedlings in a permanent place on the site, the seeds are sown in containers. When the first shoots appear, the temperature should be within 20 degrees, and in order for the shoots to grow and develop faster, the temperature is lowered to 8 degrees.
• When growing seedlings, it is important to maintain bright lighting and good soil moisture level... If all these factors are observed, there is a chance to get healthy, strong seedlings with a developed root system.
• It is best to plant cabbage after potatoes, then the soil is most loose. You should not grow cabbage after any Cruciferous, then there is a big risk of getting all diseases and all pests from predecessors.

Like other Cabbage species, Romanesco prefers alkaline soils and dies on acidic soils. Therefore, the soil must be prepared in advance, namely: the soil is limed or wood ash is added to it (300 g per 1 sq.m.). Young seedlings will respond well to compost in the soil. During the formation of inflorescences, cabbage most of all needs sunlight and timely watering.

Cabbage care

Romanesco seedlings can be planted in the ground at the end of April.

Planting pattern: 60 * 60 cm between rows and plants. The plant is difficult to tolerate temperature changes, so there is no specific date when cabbage can be planted, you need to focus on the weather and climatic conditions of a particular region.

The most important rules for growing Romanesco:

• Watering as needed... Do not wait until the soil is completely dry, but do not overfill the vegetable either.
• Inspect plants for caterpillars and other pests.
• Hilling beds, removing weeds.
• Top dressing is done only three times, but it is done carefully. Too late or plentiful feeding can adversely affect the set of inflorescence heads.
• The first feeding is done a week after planting the seedlings (mullein, mineral fertilizer).
• The second - two weeks after the previous one (ammonium nitrate, boric acid, superphosphate, potassium chloride).
• The third feeding is carried out during the period of tying the heads (mullein, potassium chloride, ammonium nitrate, superphosaphate).

You can harvest in October or when the vegetable forms fleshy star-shaped inflorescences.

You can store it in the refrigerator for no more than a week. After this time, cabbage loses its taste and useful properties. To keep the Romanesco for a long time, it is frozen. Growing Romanesco is difficult, not every summer resident can do it, but everything is real. As a result, you can get unique type of cabbage, which will not only decorate any table, but also benefit your health.

More information can be found in the video.