Peking Cabbage: Features of Agricultural Technology

Peking Cabbage … Is it possible to get two crops in one season? Possible. But we will have to make a lot of effort, and time to spend a lot. Grown in the spring or early summer Peking Cabbage is not long, there is no place to store it at this time in the cellar or in the basement. In the refrigerator there may be a place for one or two heads. And you can’t leave it in the garden — it will all go in color.

The best option is to grow small amounts with different sowing dates. Then it will be possible to extend the season of use. But then another attack — the length of the day. By the way, our old friend — radish — also does not like a long day, for a better formation of root crops it is recommended to make a shade, that is, to close the dark material, to pull it on the structure of the arcs, which will reduce the length of the light day. The same can be done for Peking Cabbage. Agree, the technology is very time-consuming. Sometimes it is worth thinking, and whether it is necessary to do it?

Peking Cabbage: seedling method for early spring cultivation

Yes, without seedlings can not do. The trouble is that without supplementary lighting of seedlings of vegetables not to. You can, of course, tell what jars, pots to take, what kind of soil mixture to prepare, how to disinfect the seeds before sowing. This is actually a General rule for everyone who works in the garden on the classic technology. Regular readers of the blog know that I am against the use of mineral and manure fertilizers on my site. Because I will not talk about it.

Choose a variety or hybrid

It is important to choose the right variety, it should be:

• early;
• to be able to give a yield of polycarbonate in the greenhouse or under the film shelters;
• should be able not to bloom until the head is formed.

It is important to choose the right variety or hybrid

For example hybrid ‘Pacifico F1’:

• the mid;
• recommended for use in fresh form;
• the rosette of leaves is half-upright;
• the leaf is large, dark green, bubbly, slightly wavy on the edge, pubescence of weak intensity;
• leaf vein flat;
• closed (can be stored well), medium density, yellow cut;
• taste-great;
• head weight 1.1 kg;
• yield-7.6 kg per 1m2.

The variety should be intended for growing in a polycarbonate greenhouse or under film covers

Or ‘Tabaluga F1’ – another hybrid that is worth trying to grow in your garden. Head closed, should be well kept in the winter in the cellar:

• middle early;
• recommended for use in fresh form;
• leaf rosette semi-closed;
• medium-sized leaf, dark green, bubbly, slightly wavy on the edge, pubescence of low intensity;
• rib is flat, of medium width at the base;
• the head is ovate, closed, dense, on a cut yellow;
• taste-great;
• head weight 1.2 kg;
• yield-7.7 kg per 1m2.

Determine the timing of sowing

You need to choose the right timing of sowing for seedlings. Peking Cabbage-early culture, so the timing of sowing it and sweet pepper or tomatoes should not match. During cultivation in a pot head is not exactly formed.

You need to choose the right timing of sowing for seedlings

Cabbage seeds germinate quickly, because for my climate can not be sown before the end of March. Then in 2 weeks it will be possible to land in a greenhouse, and then with an eye to the weather forecast, so as not to get under severe return frosts. We had a year when the third decade of may was frost -10 °C, he froze everything in unheated greenhouses.

What is better to sow

It is better to sow in pots, so that each sprout has its own house, or in cassettes, they can be selected with the desired number of cells.

When to begin the illumination of seedlings

Now about shoots. As soon as they saw that the seeds begin to germinate, that over the surface of the earth there were tiny green bumps, immediately cassette or peat cups in an emergency bring under the lamp. These are not simple incandescent lamps, well, if you can buy special lamps for plants. They give light in the pink part of the spectrum. Not particularly warm seedlings such a lamp, because you can and should hang it at a distance of only 15 cm above the sprouts. Such illumination will allow seedlings not to stretch, to be stocky, sturdy, with a powerful socket. How long to cover? It all depends on the length of your day. As soon as the light begins-turn on, and late at night, at eleven o’clock, turn off.

Peking Cabbage: growing for winter storage

Here, the sowing period depends on the timing of the onset of cold weather in each region. This vegetable is considered to be cold, but it is not for nothing called Peking, temperatures down to -4 °C stand quietly, but then it will be stored, is unknown. Therefore it is necessary to remove before frost, heat.

Peking Cabbage crop needs to go in before frost

Yes, and the day for cleaning it is necessary to choose a dry, so that the heads do not pour out a stream of moisture. If the garden bullies cruciferous flea, the crops must be protected, otherwise spoil the leaves, turn them into a sieve.

Preparation of cabbage for storage

Autumn cabbage can be stored. It is necessary to remove all contaminated cover leaves, then wrap the heads in plastic wrap. Here is a subtlety: it is necessary doing all the work on a clean surface with clean hands. If not rollup to the cellar, cook, and work in the operating room. The cleaner all the work will be carried out, the longer the vegetable will be stored.

So need to pack Peking Cabbage for winter storage

It is important to pack the head in film. If you expand the roll, the film immediately formed two surfaces. One outer, touching her palm, the other internal is completely clean. It is this (clean) side of the film should wrap the head.

Than good Peking Cabbage in the garden

It can be the first harvest from the garden, followed by the same bed will yield a harvest of pepper or tomatoes. It can be sagomate planting tomatoes. This is not so bad: cabbage managed to gain weight, it is already large, quite weighty, and tomato seedlings are still small — an earlier vegetable can protect later. Yes, do not spare a place in the garden for each plant. When you remove the cabbage, plant something.

There are different opinions about the size of the heads in the spring and summer-autumn cultivation. It seems to me that it depends on the soil and the level of agricultural technology — the more you bow to the cabbage, the higher the harvest.