How to plant cabbage in open ground correctly: timing and distance

Every gardener knows how to plant cabbage. At first glance, growing a vegetable crop is not difficult. But in order to obtain a stable high yield, it is important to properly plant cabbage for seedlings, and then transfer it to a permanent place. The most relevant is the observance of the subtleties of care for the northern regions, where the weather conditions are unstable.

How to plant seedlings

A good harvest allows you to get only strong and resistant to the negative effects of external factors seedlings. For this reason, sowing should be given special attention.It is important not only to choose high-quality seeds, but also to follow the rules for caring for young sprouts.

Variety selection. There are many varieties of seeds on the market. They differ in taste and ripening. Allocate early, middle and late varieties. terms Late-ripening differ in high keeping quality. Early and mid-season are for salads and seasonal dishes. Which one to choose depends on the conditions on the site and the purpose of the crop.
Soil preparation. The soil for cabbage is prepared in the fall. The mixture prepared independently on the basis of turf, humus, ash and earth from the site is considered optimal. If there is no opportunity to prepare the soil on your own, then it is used already purchased. It is important that it be fertile and breathable. Ready soil should be treated with an antiseptic to prevent diseases in seedlings.
Preparation of seeds. Seed material must be sorted out in advance for germination.Put suitable seeds for 10 minutes in an antiseptic solution, and then harden. It consists in placing the seeds in warm water and then in cold water. To increase germination and accelerate the germination of seedlings, the use of growth stimulants allows.
Sowing seeds. When planting cabbage, the scheme is followed - no more than 2 seeds per 1 centimeter. You can also use peat tablets. One goes 2 seedlings. Before planting, the soil is watered. Sowing material is deepened by 1 centimeter. Seedling containers are covered with foil. When the seeds are planted, they are removed on a warm windowsill.
Temperature regime. The first days the seedlings are kept at a temperature of 20 degrees.

The first sprouts hatch in 4-5 days. As soon as the first shoots hatch, the film should be opened. In the future, you should follow the rules for caring for seedlings.

How to plant cabbage: seedling care

The appearance of the first sprouts requires a change in the rules of care.

Temperature regime. After the appearance of sprouts and until the formation of one true leaf, seedlings should be kept at a temperature of 6-8 degrees. This allows the plants to harden off and prevents overstretching. After the formation of the sheet, the temperature is raised to 16 degrees during the day. At night, 8-10 degrees are considered optimal conditions. Seedlings feel best on cool loggias.
Light mode. Seedling containers are kept on light windowsills. In the morning and evening hours, the sprouts need additional lighting. Daylight hours must be at least 12 hours.
Watering and loosening. Cabbage seedlings require regular watering. Stagnation of moisture provokes the development of black legs and rot. Therefore, the top layer of soil is loosened. Loosening knocks down the resulting crust and provides oxygen access to the root system.
Antiseptic treatment. A week after germination, the soil is treated with a solution of manganese or copper sulfate.
Seedling picking. If the seeds were planted in one container, then the plants need a pick. It avoids thickening and provides the plants with the right amount of nutrition. When picking, seedlings are placed at a distance of 5-6 centimeters from each other.

When the time comes for planting seedlings in open ground, preparatory work should be carried out. Preparation of seedlings consists in changing the irrigation regime, hardening and fertilizing.

Before planting cabbage in the ground, watering the plants is stopped for 7 days. The last time water is added 2 hours before disembarkation.
Feeding with mineral fertilizers is done 2 weeks before planting cabbage seedlings.
Hardening is carried out at least 2 weeks before planting cabbage. It consists in the removal of plants in the open air. The duration starts from 20 minutes and reaches several hours by the end of hardening.

Planting cabbage in open ground: timing features

The timing of planting seedlings directly depends on the selected variety. All varieties of cabbage are divided into early, medium and late. They differ in the timing of the onset of technical maturity of the crop.

Early ripe varieties. They have a short maturation period. Technical maturity occurs within 2-3 months after germination.
Mid-ripening varieties. They have a longer maturation period. On average, it is up to 5 months from the moment the first shoots appear.
Late-ripening varieties. The crop ripens only 7 months after the germination of cabbage seeds.

Based on the timing of technical maturity, gardeners choose when to plant cabbage seedlings.For early ripe varieties, this period falls on the first decade of March. Thus, by the end of May, by the first days of June, the seedlings will reach the required size for transfer to a permanent place.

Mid-ripening varieties are planted from mid-March to mid-April. Late-ripening seeds are sown in early April. Before the onset of autumn frosts, the crop reaches technical maturity and is suitable for long-term storage.

Cabbage is planted in the ground no earlier than 45 days after seed germination. Most gardeners agree that a number of signs serve as a readiness for transfer to a permanent place.

You can plant seedlings of cabbage in the ground if:

hardening period passed;
there is a formed root system;
no diseases and pests on plants;
developed from 4 to 8 true leaves;
height reaches 20 centimeters.

It is important to consider weather conditions. After planting cabbage in the ground, seedlings should not experience severe frosts.

Weather conditions must meet the requirements:

the soil warmed up to a temperature of at least 10 degrees;
air temperature at night does not drop below 8-10 degrees;
the bird cherry has faded.

For most gardeners, bird cherry blossoms indicate the last night frost. This moment is a mark when active work on planting seedlings can begin. When planting cabbage in the Urals and in the northern regions, the dates are moved 1-2 weeks later, for the southern regions, planting is done a little earlier.

How to plant cabbage seedlings in open ground

Before planting cabbage in open ground with seedlings, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work. It consists in choosing the right place, preparing the ridges.

Choice of location. It is necessary to plant cabbage in open ground in the right area. For ridges, a place is chosen in a lowland, without located trees and buildings nearby. The area must be lit. On one ridge, plants are planted no more than 3 years in a row. Best friends for seedlings are onions, carrots, garlic, cucumbers. After them, the heads of cabbage are tied well, the harvest is abundant. Cabbage grows poorly after radish, radish.
Preparing the soil. Speaking about what kind of soil cabbage loves, gardeners prefer loam with humus content. It retains moisture well. Ridges are prepared in advance, in the autumn. In the spring they are dug up, leveled, mineral fertilizers are added.Growing plants in acidic soil is not recommended. It must first be limed.
Disembarkation. You can plant cabbage in open ground when the last frosts have passed. Seedlings are preliminarily prepared. Before planting seedlings, harden them off and minimize watering. The time of transfer of plants to a permanent place is chosen not sunny. It can be in the early morning or in the evening; an overcast day is considered ideal. Sand, peat and a little wood ash are added to the hole during planting. At what distance to plant cabbage depends on the plant variety. It is not necessary to thicken the landing. The minimum scheme should be 45 by 25 centimeters. For medium and late-ripening varieties, the distance between plants is increased. The seedlings are deepened to the lower leaves.

In case of planting large volumes of seedlings, a special planter comes to the rescue. It semi-automatically allows you to place plants in the wells. This method is actively used on large farms. Seeders are used to sow seeds for seedlings.

How to plant cabbage: the rules of agricultural technology

After planting the cabbage in the ground, it needs to be properly cared for. Plants are unpretentious. Features of agricultural technology come down to timely watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds.

Required measures include the treatment of seedlings with solutions from pests and diseases. Cabbage leaf has a wax coating, for this reason water and other liquid compounds roll off it. So that the antiseptic solution remains on the sheet, soap or shampoo can be added to it. For a 10 liter bucket, use no more than 1 teaspoon.

After planting cabbage in the open field and during the formation of heads, it needs top dressing. It provides plants with essential nutrients and minerals.

Feeding is carried out in 3 stages.

1 time required no later than 2 weeks after planting cabbage seedlings in open ground. The optimal compositions are ammonium nitrate solution, mullein or bird droppings.
Feed 2 times 20 days after 1 fertilization. The best composition for stage 2: a mixture of ammonium nitrate with superphosphate and potassium chloride. The drugs are taken in a ratio of 1:2:1. One plant takes at least a liter of solution.
3 feeding is carried out 20 days after the second. Wood ash is used for it. The third stage can be excluded. It is necessary for poor plant development and poor head formation.

Most gardeners say, “We plant cabbage every year. By following the simple rules of agricultural technology and taking into account the characteristics of the variety, we get an excellent harvest.” Cabbage is an undemanding crop that grows well in any region.