Red cabbage variety: planting, growing and care in the open field

Red cabbage is a type of white cabbage. Its main feature is the color of the leaves, which are purple and have a purple hue. It is because of this that red cabbage got its name. Another difference of this vegetable is that it ripens much later than white cabbage varieties.

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 seedlings in the soil, you can collect the first ripened fruits. A feature of Topaz can be considered its dense and large heads of purple color. The fruits have excellent taste. They are recommended to be consumed fresh, as they contain many vitamins.
Mars. This variety can be attributed to the medium-late varieties of vegetables. The first crop 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 mass of one head of cabbage can reach one and a half kilograms. However, if you properly care for red cabbage, then the weight of some heads can increase up to two kilograms.
Kalibos. Mid-season red cabbage, which begins to ripen 115-120 days after transplanting seedlings into the ground. A distinctive feature of the variety are the fruits of a cone-shaped shape.They are painted in a bright purple color and weigh about two kilograms. Kalibos is an excellent variety for almost any region of the country, as it copes well with low temperatures and high levels of humidity.
Anthracite. Cabbage is a mid-season vegetable. Her 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, which can be understood from its name. It is grown by many vegetable growers on their site, as it is one of the most productive. Other advantages of Schwarzkopf cabbage include its resistance to drought and the duration of storage of the harvested crop.

Growing seedlings

In order for he althy cabbage to grow, it must be grown and cared for properly.Most vegetable growers grow this vegetable in seedlings. It is recommended to plant seeds to obtain young bushes in mid-March. At the same time, it must be planted at intervals of several days in order to somehow extend its ripening period.

Seed preparation

In order for cabbage to grow better, it is necessary to prepare its seeds in advance. Quite often, before planting, disinfection of the seed is carried out. This procedure is carried out to get rid of fungi and bacteria that may be on the seeds.

The most effective seed treatment method is the heat method, during which all the seeds are soaked in warm water.

To do this, the seeds are placed in small bags of gauze and lowered into a container of water heated to 50 degrees. The water temperature should not exceed 50 degrees, as this may adversely affect the germination of seeds.

Ordinary garlic can also be used for disinfection. To do this, you will have to create a special garlic mixture. To prepare it, 30 g of crushed garlic is added 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

Sowing seeds begins with the preparation of planting containers. To begin with, they should be filled with soil. At the same time, the layer of earth should be small and be 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 with the preparation of containers, you can start 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 immediately be sprinkled with soil. After that, 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 warms up well.

Select site

Agricultural cultivation of cabbage includes the selection of the most suitable site. When choosing, you should carefully examine the area and pay attention to some parameters. The plot for cabbage must be cultivated. It is also necessary to carefully examine the land in the territory. It must contain black soil in order for the plant to grow better. The soil should have an increased level of acidity and contain a large amount of nutrients.

In addition, you need to take into account the crops that were grown on the site earlier. 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 territory is completely cleared of plant residues and fed with fertilizers. In autumn, it is better to add organic fertilizers to the soil, as they take a long time to convert nutrients. After fertilization, the entire area is dug up.

A few days before planting seedlings, mineral fertilizers are added to the soil. If the soil has high acidity, then along with them you can add a little ash with lime.

Landing

First, on the site, you need to mark the places 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 plants. After all the holes have been created, they should be watered and a little fertilizer added to them. During planting, all seedlings in a vertical position are placed in holes, sprinkled with earth and watered.

Conclusion

Even people who have never done it before can grow red cabbage. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with how it is planted and cared for in the open field.