In our climate zone, growing a vegetable such as Chinese cabbage has become popular. This vegetable came to us from Beijing, where it is popular as an appetizer for main courses. The salad vegetable attracts special attention due to its characteristics. “Beijing” contains vitamins such as A, C, E, K, B, and beta-carotene. Microelements necessary for the healthy functioning of the body, such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, sodium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, copper, selenium. A little fat, vegetable proteins and carbohydrates.
This is a unique type of salad; it is eaten raw, stewed, boiled, or baked.It is best to eat it fresh. This way all vitamins and minerals are preserved.
Many gardeners are wondering - which Chinese cabbage to choose for growing on their plot? Now we will review the best varieties of this healthy vegetable, which have already been planted, and they were produced by breeders for central Russia.
Varieties of Chinese cabbage
- Russian size - hybrids with high yields, grows under any conditions. The ripening time of heads of cabbage varies from 75 days or more. The head of cabbage is oblong, the outside leaves are bright green in color, the inside is yellow-white creamy wrinkled leaves. The size of cabbage reaches 4 kilograms. The variety is resistant to temperature changes and resistant to diseases. Contains a large number of useful substances. This is the largest type of “Peking” that does not require additional care. By its name, the variety speaks of the large size of the fruit.
- Cha cha is an early ripening variety; seeds planted on seedlings are ready for harvesting after 45-50 days. On average, a mature head of f1 Cha weighs 3 kilograms, suitable for growing in central Russia. Good and high-quality seeds are produced by Beyo.
- Peking cabbage Bilko f1 is a hybrid of medium ripeness, the period from planting on the ridge to harvest lasts 65 days, a ripe head of cabbage weighs up to 15 kilograms, the shelf life of this variety is about 2 months. Sweet taste, yellow leaves. Bilko f1 cabbage is resistant to the formation of shoots, as well as to most popular diseases.
- Ritchie cabbage - when ripe reaches a size of 2.5 kilograms, it is grown for direct consumption. Ritchie f1 is resistant to popular diseases such as mucous bacteriosis.The seeds are produced by Bejo.
- Nika is a late variety of Chinese cabbage, suitable for growing in personal plots; the shelf life of this variety is no more than 3 months. The weight reaches 3 kilograms; up to 12 kilograms of Nika cabbage are harvested from 1 square meter. The leaves are green and yellow when cut. Resistant to such unpleasant phenomena as clubroot of cruciferous plants and flowering. Nika is used fresh and fermented.
- Yuki cabbage f1 is an early ripening variety; gardeners plant this cabbage under film for a quick harvest. Has high resistance to diseases.
- Hydra is a mid-season variety, 60 days pass from planting to ripening, the leaves are dark green, wrinkled. Lush, slightly open head. This type of “Beijing” is not suitable for storage and is eaten immediately after harvesting. Seeds are also sold by Beyo.
- Chinese cabbage Manoko f1 is an early-ripening hybrid variety of Beijing. It has a small head size - up to 1 kilogram, Monaco is resistant to popular diseases. The leaves are colored light green and are not destroyed during transportation.
- The glass is a mid-season variety, 70 days pass from planting to harvest, the head of cabbage is medium-sized, about 2 kilograms. The color of the leaves is yellow-green. The vegetable requires care and favorable conditions.
- Beijing broadleaf is an early variety of cabbage, does not have resistance to clubroot, the growing season is 50 days. Not suitable for long-term storage.
- Gorki f1 description is almost the same as the Nika variety, but the fruits are slightly smaller, amounting to 2.5 kilograms, the cabbage is well stored and suitable for pickling. Produced by the Beyo agricultural company.
- Vesnyanka is an early ripening variety, the growing season lasts 35 days, leafy, suitable for direct consumption in the form of salads. The species is not prone to bolting.
- Asten - the weight of the vegetable reaches 1.5 kilograms, has a round shape with dark green salad leaves.
These best varieties of Chinese cabbage have excellent taste. Seeds are supplied to Russia by different manufacturing companies, one of them has proven itself on the positive side thanks to high-quality seeds - this is the Bejo company from Holland.
Colourism - what is it and how to fight it
When daylight hours last for a long time, Chinese cabbage tends to form shoots; to prevent this nuisance, gardeners use the following control methods.
Choosing the right seeds is the main way to eliminate the problem. For long daylight hours, flower-resistant varieties of Chinese cabbage such as Champion, Monaco, Miraco, Custar, Gilton, and Optico are suitable.
The second way to fight is self-control. So, in fertilized soil, while maintaining a distance between plants of 30-40 centimeters, if the seedlings are hardened off, the roots are damaged, then flowering will occur.
You should choose a site for seedlings in a sunny but not windy place; the soil for seedlings should be fertilized with nitrogen and potassium. Before planting, compost fertilizer is applied to the soil.
How to grow cabbage in your own garden
In our climate, Chinese cabbage is grown, like regular cabbage, in two ways - seedlings and seeds. Let's consider how to grow Chinese cabbage in our lane.
Preparing seedlings for further cultivation on the ridge occurs as follows.Cabbage seeds are planted in prepared soil at a depth of 1 centimeter at a distance of 2 centimeters in containers with peat. For 3 days, water generously with warm water.
When the seeds germinate, the containers are placed in a lighted place and after 25 days the seedlings are placed in the main place of growth. Maintain a distance between seedlings of 35-40 centimeters. There should be a distance of 50 centimeters between the rows. The soil is compacted after planting. When planting, you need to carefully handle the roots; breaks will lead to bolting of the vegetable.
Sowing seeds is carried out as follows. Planting in the ground is carried out in warm, sunny weather. Holes for planting are made at a distance of 40 by 50 centimeters. The grains are planted to a length of 2 centimeters and covered with film for germination.
After germination, the film is removed and caring for the seedlings consists of loosening and hilling the soil around the plants, watering and fertilizing.
The characteristics of the vegetable allow it to be harvested twice per season, with the first planting taking place in May and the second in July.
Harvesting
To prepare salads, the top leaves are picked and eaten; vegetables for storage are cut along with the stalk, lifting all the tops up. Different varieties of "Pekinga" are stored differently - for example, varieties in which the leaves are not enclosed are consumed directly as food; during storage, the leaves will wither and the head of cabbage will dry out. The head of cabbage covered with leaves is stored until December - February. The late-ripening variety Nika is perfectly stored in winter and is also suitable for harvesting.
Due to the fact that the growing season of the vegetable is 2 months, you can independently choose the time of planting and harvesting.
Beijing early cabbage is used immediately after harvesting for food, but middle and late varieties can be stored, fermented and prepared for the winter.
