Even before the start of spring field work, many gardeners and summer residents are faced with the question: what seeds to purchase in order to grow the best varieties of Savoy cabbage. Everyone knows about the benefits of cabbage; this garden queen is enjoyed by adults and children. But, if earlier we grew exclusively ordinary cabbage, now the abundance of varieties and varieties of this popular vegetable is so great that sometimes even the most experienced summer residents or gardeners find it difficult to understand them. In order to get a quality food product before the end of the season, you must first purchase good seeds.
Growing Savoy cabbage requires certain skills and abilities. Gardeners and summer residents who have been involved in growing any of the varieties of this vegetable at least once in their lives understand that cabbage requires special care.
We will consider the question of how to choose seeds and how to grow Savoy cabbage.
Brief characteristics of the variety
Savoy cabbage, although it is “overseas” for our latitudes, grows successfully in our regions. This is a variety of ordinary garden cabbage. The variety is native to North Africa and the western Mediterranean. This variety is very popular and in demand throughout Europe, as well as in Central and East Asia. It received such an exotic name thanks to the Italian county of Savoy, in which almost all the residents were engaged in growing this vegetable variety.
This variety is very similar to our compatriot - ordinary white cabbage. Only the taste of the overseas guest is much more delicate. This is precisely why our compatriots loved her very much. This vegetable forms a head of cabbage in the same way as a regular one, only its leaves are corrugated, much thinner, and have a more fragile and delicate consistency.
Accordingly, this variety is particularly soft and delicate in taste. But, despite its elegance, the advantage of growing such cabbage is its excellent frost resistance.
Features of seed cultivation
To grow early varieties of this variety, preparation for this process must begin at the end of winter. To do this, seeds are sown for seedlings at the very beginning of spring.If you are planning to grow a later variety, then in mid-spring. Before planting, the seeds must first be thoroughly treated.
To do this, hold them for 15 minutes in hot water (50 degrees), then dip them in cold water for a minute, then dip them in a solution of trace elements for at least 12 hours. Then rinse them thoroughly and put them in the refrigerator for a day. And after all the stages of processing, dry them thoroughly, and only after that you can proceed directly to planting the seeds.
Before this, the soil itself must also be saturated with a strong manganese solution. As for the soil itself, it is best to take a mixture of turf soil, peat and sand. Sow the seeds in a container to a depth of 1 cm. After this, the containers are covered with glass and placed in a warm room until the first sprouts appear. When the sprouts have appeared, the glass must be removed and the containers moved to a cooler but brighter room.
After the first true leaf appears, the plants are planted in separate containers, while the roots are shortened: 1/3 of their length is cut off. New containers are watered with a weak solution of manganese. Keep the seedlings in a warm room, periodically moistening the soil. When two leaves appear, you need to additionally feed the plant with complex fertilizer.
Planting in open soil
Planting in open ground occurs when two pairs of true cabbage leaves have already appeared in the seedlings.
Important point! Before planting seedlings outside, it is necessary to harden them thoroughly. To do this, they gradually take it out onto the balcony, first for a short time, gradually increasing it, and finally bringing it to a whole day. However, drafts should be avoided.
Also, 14 days before planting in the ground, seedlings are fertilized with urea and potassium sulfate.
Growing Savoy cabbage in open ground also requires certain knowledge. Land on the southern or eastern side of the site.
It is important to know. This plant needs bright sunlight and warmth..
The soil should be loamy or sandy loam, not very acidic. It is strictly prohibited to grow such crops on clay or sandy soils. Otherwise, the plant will begin to disappear until it dies completely.
You cannot plant this crop for two years in a row in the same place. This variety grows and bears fruit well after onions, tomatoes, beets, beans, cucumbers, potatoes and perennial herbs. It is strictly forbidden to plant such a vegetable in an area where all types of cabbage, radishes, rutabaga, and watercress previously grew.
When growing the Savoy variety in open soil, special rules and recommendations must be followed.
The land on which the vegetable will be grown requires careful pre-treatment. So, starting in the fall, it is necessary to remove all growing grass from the site. Then the beds are dug deep and the soil is allowed to rest a little. If weeds grow again in the dug up area, they are removed again. Then lime is added to the site in the required amount, and the soil is dug up again.
With the onset of spring, it is again necessary to carry out appropriate manipulations with the soil. The soil is fed first with organic fertilizer, then with complex mineral fertilizer, and finally the area is dug up again.
When planting directly in the soil, it is worth considering the fact that such cabbage must be left quite a lot of space for growth, because during the period of active growth it increases significantly in size.Therefore, the distance between the beds should be at least 40-60 cm, and between the holes at least 35-45 cm. After planting, the plant must be watered.
Features of care
In open soil, the plant also needs care. Outdoor care for this vegetable variety is exactly the same as for other types of crops. In order for a grown vegetable to please you with its yield and taste, you need to take care of it during the growth period.
Savoy cabbage is grown by constantly feeding and caring for it. It must be regularly watered, weeded, hilled, loosened and fertilized. And also promptly protect against various kinds of diseases and pests.
Watering
It is necessary to water the plant every other day for the first month, then, when the crop is already well rooted and strong, you can reduce watering to once a week. In this matter, the weather makes significant adjustments: of course, during a drought, watering must be provided abundantly and in a timely manner. In damp and rainy weather, watering should be avoided altogether.
Top dressing
When starting to grow such a crop, you need to know that it needs frequent feeding. As soon as the crop takes root, it must be fed with either organic fertilizer or synthetic complex fertilizer (potassium and superphosphate fertilizers are good). When the first ovary appears, it is again fed with mineral fertilizers, only now it is necessary to increase the dose and add potassium sulfate to the fertilizer.
As you know, cabbage is a favorite delicacy not only for people, but also for all kinds of pests. The cruciferous flea beetle especially often settles in cabbage leaves. To prevent its occurrence, it is necessary to take appropriate preventive measures.To do this, the crop is treated with wood ash or a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
Pests and diseases of savoy cabbage
Savoy cabbage, like its relatives, is susceptible to many diseases. To prevent infection of the crop with these diseases, it is necessary to strictly observe all of the above plant care measures. But if you still cannot avoid infection, you should remember that black spotting and mosaic cannot be cured. And the affected plants simply need to be removed, otherwise the disease will spread to the rest of the seedlings. Fungal diseases can be cured with special fungicidal preparations.
This tasty juicy vegetable is also to the taste of many pests. To prevent the appearance of harmful insects, it is necessary to plant seedlings in open ground as early as possible. The area itself should be carefully treated before planting, dug deep and disinfected. Weeds should also be removed promptly.
Although the Savoy variety does not have as many varieties as its cabbage cousin, there are still plenty to choose from. Among all varieties, the Savoy cabbage Vertu is the most popular. This is a very productive mid-late ripening variety. It has green leaves with a grayish tint and a light waxy coating. It is distinguished by very good preservation and excellent taste.
Beneficial features
Regardless of the variety, the Savoy lace beauty is very valuable and useful. It has a rich vitamin composition and many microelements making it an indispensable product in the kitchen of any housewife. Another characteristic feature of this vegetable is that, unlike other vegetables, cabbage does not lose its beneficial composition until the end of spring.
Growing and caring for Savoy cabbage requires, of course, certain skills and abilities, but as a result you will get a juicy, tasty and very healthy food product that will especially help you out during the period of spring vitamin deficiency.
Contraindications
No matter how useful the green queen of the garden is, there are cases when it is not recommended to use it. You should not eat cabbage dishes if you have gastritis, peptic ulcers of the stomach and intestines, as well as pancreatitis and in the postoperative periods. It should be used with caution by mothers nursing infants up to 3 months of age.
