Red cabbage is a variety of white cabbage. Its main feature is the color of the leaves, which are purple and have a purple tint. This is where red cabbage gets its name. Another difference of this vegetable is that it ripens much later than varieties of white cabbage.
Common varieties
Before you start growing red cabbage, you need to familiarize yourself with the most common varieties of this plant.
These include:
- Topaz.This variety ripens quite quickly, since literally 90 days after planting the seedlings in the soil, the first ripened fruits can be collected. A special feature of Topaz can be considered its dense and large purple heads of cabbage. The fruits have excellent taste. They are recommended to be consumed fresh, as they contain many vitamins.
- Mars. This variety can be classified as a mid-late variety of vegetables. The first harvest ripens only four months after planting. The fruits of this variety of red cabbage are dark purple in color and have a flat-round shape. The weight of one head of cabbage can reach one and a half kilograms. However, if you properly care for red cabbage, the weight of some heads of cabbage can increase up to two kilograms.
- Calibos. Mid-season red cabbage, which begins to ripen 115-120 days after transplanting the seedlings into the ground. A distinctive feature of the variety is its cone-shaped fruits. They are colored bright purple and weigh about two kilograms. Calibos is an excellent variety for almost any region of the country, as it copes well with low temperatures and high humidity levels.
- Anthracite. Cabbage is a mid-season vegetable. Its heads of cabbage fully ripen three and a half months after planting on the site. The fruits, like most other varieties of red cabbage, are purple. They are quite dense and weigh 1-2 kilograms.
- Schwarzkopf. This variety was recently bred by German breeders, as can be understood by its name. Many vegetable growers grow it on their plot, as it is one of the most productive.Other advantages of Schwarzkopf cabbage include its resistance to drought and the shelf life of the harvested crop.
Growing seedlings
In order for healthy cabbage to grow, it must be grown and cared for correctly. Most vegetable growers grow this vegetable using seedlings. It is recommended to plant seeds to obtain young bushes in mid-March. At the same time, it is necessary to plant it at intervals of several days in order to somehow extend its ripening period.
Seed preparation
In order for cabbage to grow better, you need to prepare its seeds in advance. Quite often, seed material is disinfected before planting. This procedure is carried out to get rid of fungi and bacteria that may be on the seeds.
The most effective way to process seeds is the thermal method, during which all seeds are soaked in warm water.
To do this, the seeds are placed in small gauze bags and placed in a container of water heated to 50 degrees. The water temperature should not be more than 50 degrees, as this may negatively affect seed germination.
You can also use regular garlic for disinfection. To do this you will have to create a special garlic mixture. To prepare it, add 30 g of crushed garlic to a glass of water. Then the seeds are added to the container, soaked for 40-50 minutes and washed with water.
You should also take care of the germination of planting material. For better germination, it is recommended to soak the seeds in heated water for 10 hours. During this time, the water should always remain warm, so it will have to be changed periodically.
Landing
Planting seeds begins with preparing planting containers. First, they should be filled with soil. In this case, the layer of soil should be small and only 4-5 cm. Then the soil must be watered with special preparations that will help the seeds germinate faster. To do this, you can use Gamair or Alirin-B.
Having finished preparing the containers, you can begin planting. Small grooves 1-2 cm deep are dug in the ground. The distance between them should be about 5 cm. Several seeds are placed in each hole, which must be immediately sprinkled with soil. After this, all containers with cabbage are placed on the windowsill until the first shoots appear.
Planting seedlings
Cabbage seedlings should be planted in the ground in late spring or early summer, when the soil has warmed up well.
Site selection
Agricultural technology for growing cabbage includes choosing the most suitable site. When choosing, you should carefully examine the area and pay attention to some parameters. The area for cabbage must be cultivated. It is also necessary to carefully inspect the ground on the territory. It must contain black soil for the plant to grow better. The soil must have a high level of acidity and contain a large amount of nutrients.
In addition, you need to take into account the crops that were previously grown on the site. Cabbage grows well after cucumbers or tomatoes. Late varieties are recommended to be planted in places where white cabbage, legumes or potatoes grew.
Soil preparation
Preparing the site for planting should be done in the fall. During this period, the area is completely cleared of plant remains and fed with fertilizers.In the fall, it is better to add organic fertilizers to the soil, as they need a lot of time to convert nutrients. After applying fertilizers, the entire area is dug up.
A few days before planting seedlings, mineral fertilizers are added to the soil. If the soil is highly acidic, then you can add a little ash and lime along with them.
Landing
First, you need to mark the places on the site where the beds will be made. Then holes are made in the marked area. They should be at a great distance from each other. It is enough that the distance between each bush is about 65-80 cm. The depth of the holes should be about 15 cm. This will be enough to deepen the roots of the plants. After all the holes have been created, they should be watered and a little fertilizer added to them. During planting, all seedlings are placed in a vertical position in the holes, sprinkled with earth and watered.
Conclusion
Even people who have never done this before can grow red cabbage. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with how it is planted and cared for in the open ground.
