When to plant Beijing cabbage in open ground: planting dates with video

The question of when to plant Beijing cabbage is not rhetorical even for an experienced gardener. It is not a fact that you can grow it if you have good crops of white cabbage. Without knowing the characteristics of the culture, instead of heads of cabbage, you can get lopsided plants with a bunch of peduncles covered with yellow flowers.

Why landing dates matter

Beijing cabbage is a cold-resistant crop, it needs an air temperature of around 20 °C to form full-fledged heads of cabbage. High temperatures from 25 ° C and above lead to the release of peduncles, in this case the head is not formed.

The formation of heads is affected by the length of daylight hours. Beijing cabbage prefers a short day - no more than 12 hours, longer (13-14 hours) sunlight causes flowering in the plant, leading to crop loss.

In industrial greenhouses, automation regulates temperature and light, so they grow Beijing cabbage all year round. A summer resident in open ground needs to proceed only from the weather conditions of his climatic zone. Therefore, the timing of planting Chinese cabbage in open ground is important for him.

For the germination of Beijing cabbage seeds, an average daily air temperature of around 5 °C is sufficient. Therefore, you can plant cabbage in open ground in early spring. Heads can be formed at a fairly low temperature of 15 °C.

In our climate, Beijing cabbage grows well in autumn. In temperate climates, it can be re-sown in the summer. It is impossible to voice the sowing dates common for all summer residents - in our country there is too much difference in weather conditions.

When to sow Beijing cabbage for seedlings

Understood that even in the absence of a greenhouse, any summer resident can get 2 crops of Chinese cabbage. For summer consumption, cabbage is preferred to grow seedlings. When buying seeds, you need to pay attention to the ripening period of the variety or hybrid. It is important to know this characteristic when determining the date of sowing seeds for seedlings.

Cabbage seedlings are ready for transplanting into the ground at the age of 30 days, by which time they should have 4 to 5 good leaves. In the middle lane, seeds begin to be sown to obtain their own seedlings in early April. For the Siberian regions, these dates can be shifted two weeks ahead, and summer residents of the south can do it 3 weeks earlier.

It is important to remember that Beijing cabbage shoots with sharp fluctuations in temperature, therefore, when determining the timing, proceed from the average temperature regimes of your region. For the first experience, it is better to purchase a Dutch hybrid with an early ripening period.The hybrids shoot less and the early ripening period guarantees head formation before the onset of hot weather.

How to grow seedlings at home

Beijing cabbage does not like picking, this must be taken into account when growing seedlings. The mistake of many summer residents is that, by analogy with white cabbage, they sow seeds in a common box. Plant seeds in peat cups, you will have a successful seedling.

For a guarantee, we sow not one, but three seeds in one cup. When the seedlings begin to grow, it is easy to determine the strongest plant, and remove the rest by pinching the stem at ground level.

It is convenient to grow seedlings in peat cups, they facilitate transplanting seedlings into the ground. It is not necessary to remove the cabbage from the cups, they will gradually soak in the soil and will not interfere with the development of the root system. The roots are not injured during transplantation.

For seedlings of Beijing cabbage, it is necessary to prepare a loose, fertile mixture, fill cups with it. The substrate for planting can be prepared independently. Here are two proven ratios:

take 2 parts of coconut substrate and 1 part of mature humus;
take 1 part lowland peat and 1 part sod land.

Sprinkle the seeds with the mixture, a layer of 2 cm. Put the containers for germination in a warm, dark place. They are transferred to the light only after the emergence of shoots. They appear quickly, only a few days pass from the moment they are planted.

The room where the seedlings will grow should be cool. If kept at room temperature (25°C), it will be weak, thin and unsuitable for outdoor cultivation.Seedlings are grown on a loggia or in an unheated room at a temperature not exceeding 8 ° C. Summer residents who often visit the country should grow seedlings in a greenhouse or in a greenhouse.

Seedling care comes down to watering. Water for irrigation is taken warm. Watering should be moderate. With excessive watering, it can suffer from a black leg. It is necessary to provide during the day a sufficient level of lighting. After 19:00, seedlings can be shaded to provide them with a short daylight hours.

Transplanting seedlings in open ground

The cups are taken out to the balcony or outside for hardening. Start about 14 days before transplant. The soil on the ridges should warm up well. The place is chosen with the condition that from morning to afternoon it is illuminated by the sun, in the afternoon there was partial shade.

Cucumbers, carrots, onions are considered good predecessors. If possible, do not make a ridge after - beets and tomatoes. When digging, the soil is fertilized with humus and ash. The finished ridge should stand for a couple of days, after which holes are made on it. Recommended seating pattern:

between two rows 50cm;
between the centers of the holes in the line 35-40 cm.

The distance between two plants should be sufficient, closely planted seedlings get sick more often, tie heads worse, are more prone to flowering.

It is good to shed wells the day before or two days before transplantation. Seedlings, without getting out of the planting cups, place in the pits in the center of the holes, pour warm water. Night frosts are possible in spring, many summer residents prefer to install plastic arcs with covering material over spring-planted seedlings.

Arcs can not be removed even in June. Their benefits are great:

protect from frost;
prevent overheating;
prevent cruciferous fleas and other pests;
you can throw a material that does not transmit light on the arcs to reduce the length of daylight hours.

After transplanting, the seedlings can be covered from direct sunlight for a couple of days, in the dark it adapts faster in the open field.

Date of summer sowing and its features

For winter consumption, you can plant Chinese cabbage during the summer. The relevance of landing dates remains. In addition, the correct choice of variety is important. Summer planting of Beijing cabbage in the open field should be done with seeds, observing crop rotation.

You can plant seeds in holes as seedlings or in grooves. The wells are placed at a distance of 35 cm from each other, put 3 to 5 seeds in each, sprinkle with earth, dust with ash. When the sprouts grow up, leave one of the strongest, pluck the others.

They often plant in the furrows, maintain an interval of 10 cm. After the appearance of 2 leaves on the plants, the first thinning is carried out. The procedure is repeated as the cabbage grows. As a result, the distance between two seedlings should be 35-40 cm.

Variety selection and planting dates

In those regions where night frosts occur already in September, cabbage is planted on the 15th of July. Due to early autumn, late varieties will not have time to form heads suitable for storage. You need to choose mid-ripening varieties, they are stored a little longer than early-ripening ones.

For lovers of kimchi - a spicy Korean snack, the weather cannot be an obstacle. They can leave room for cabbage in the greenhouse. Autumn planting in protected ground will not depend on the weather. By October, even in Siberia, cabbages will form on cabbage of any variety, whether it is at least mid-ripening, even late-ripening.

Late-ripening varieties are suitable for storage in the cellar. In conditions of temperature close to 0 ° C, heads of cabbage retain their useful properties and presentation for 3 months. Late varieties are suitable for pickling. In regions where autumn is long and mild, late ripening cabbages are successfully grown outdoors.

In mild climates, cabbage can be sown a second time from late July to early August. Give preference to hybrids, as with spring planting. Choosing the right variety and meeting planting dates reduces the chance of shooting.

Reasons for shooting

Once again about the mistakes that lead to premature formation of peduncles:

The first reason, and the most common one, is wrong pickup dates. If you doubt your abilities, then sow an early ripe variety for the first time. It will definitely not have time to form an arrow.
Second mistake - dense planting of cabbage and ignoring thinning work. When planted too densely, the plant does not receive the necessary nutrients to form a head.
When transplanting seedlings into cold soil, the summer resident makes the third mistake. The stress from transplanting lasts longer than usual, the cabbage stops growing and therefore the head does not form.
The steady hot weather can ruin the crop. At air temperatures above 22 ° C, a cabbage bed in the middle of the day should be covered from the sun.
Delayed head harvesting also causes bolting and reduced crop quality.

Conclusion

Decide if you can plant Chinese cabbage in your climate. It does not matter if you did not have time to sow it in the spring. There is a whole summer ahead, plant it in July, then autumn will delight you with a noble harvest. Considering the huge benefits of this vegetable for our he alth, time will be well spent.