Review of the Kharkov winter cabbage variety: reviews, characteristics and cultivation features

Kharkov winter - popular among vegetable growers variety late-ripening white cabbage, which has many positive characteristics. To get the best result, spending a minimum of effort and time, you should familiarize yourself in advance with the rules for planting vegetables and the requirements for caring for them.

What kind of variety is this

Kharkov winter is a white cabbage bred by Ukrainian breeders of the Research Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing as a result of crossing the varieties Amager 611 and Dauerweiss.

The variety was approved for use in Russia (with the exception of the Northern, East Siberian and Far Eastern regions) in 1976.

Description and characteristics

The variety is distinguished by late ripening - 150-170 days pass from mass germination to technical maturity of heads of cabbage. Marketable yield – 11-12 kg/sq.m. m.

Kharkov winter without problems tolerates an increase in air temperature up to +40°C and a drop to -3°C, so it is not afraid of the first autumn and return spring frosts. Cabbage easily tolerates lack of moisture - drought does not negatively affect yield, taste and marketability.

Consumer qualities

The variety is characterized by round or slightly flattened, dense, medium-sized heads of cabbage, the diameter of which is 30-40 cm, and the weight varies from 2.7 to 4.7 kg.

The covering leaves are white-green with a bluish tint, smooth or slightly wrinkled, covered with a waxy coating. They fit tightly to the head of cabbage and protect the forks from heat or frost. When cut, the heads of cabbage are mostly white, but in the center it turns into cream, and the parts adjacent to the covering leaves may be greenish. The stalk reaches a length of 15-20 cm, while being quite thin. There are no hard veins or leaf bases inside the heads of cabbage.

The variety is distinguished by its sweet taste, high sugar content, juiciness and pronounced cabbage aroma of leaves. Kharkov winter contains a lot of vitamin C, fiber and microelements, including potassium, sulfur and zinc. The variety produces virtually no waste - approximately 93% of the vegetable is consumed.

Cabbage of this variety is consumed fresh, fermented, used for preparing salads and hot dishes, stewed and included in the filling for pies, as well as preserve, salted and marinated.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Advantages of the variety:

• uniform ripening of the crop;
• resistance to drought, pests and diseases;
• no tendency to crack;
• long-term storage, good shelf life and transportability;
• universal application;
• high yield.

The Kharkov winter has no significant disadvantages. Minor disadvantages include the possibility of the heads of cabbage falling over due to the long stalk - they may have to be propped up and hilled up.

Features of cultivation

Kharkov winter grows well in loose, light and fertile soil with good moisture and air permeability and neutral (pH 6.5-7) or weak (pH 7-7.5) acidity. The best option is sandstones and loams.

This is a light-loving plant, so the planting site is chosen on the south side of the site.

Reference. Cabbage can be planted in the same place after four years.The best predecessors are onions, potatoes, cucumbers and legumes.

Landing

This variety of cabbage can be grown using seedless and seedling methods. In the first case, sowing seeds in open ground is carried out at the end of April - beginning of May, in the second - approximately 1.5 months before transplanting the plants into the ground. In regions with a temperate climate, this time occurs at the beginning of April.

The substrate for growing seedlings can be bought at a garden store or prepared yourself by mixing equal parts of peat, river sand and turf soil and adding 2 tbsp to 10 liters of the resulting mixture. l. wood ash and 1 tbsp. l. dolomite flour and superphosphate.

7-10 days before sowing the seeds, the soil mixture is frozen, calcined in the oven or spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.

To avoid the development of diseases, seeds are 30-40 minutes in advance. soaked in a solution of manganese or fungicides. To improve germination, planting material is dipped in hot (+50°C) water, then laid out on cloth and put in a cool place at a temperature of +5°C for 12 hours.

The substrate is poured into the prepared containers and the seeds are scattered over its surface, buried by about 0.5 cm. The containers are covered with polyethylene to create a greenhouse effect and put away in a warm (+22...+25°C) place. After emergence of shoots, the film is removed.

Water the seedlings with warm, settled water with the addition of potassium permanganate as the top layer of soil dries, feed them twice with a solution of cow manure, provide them with daylight for at least 12 hours and dive when 2-3 leaves appear on the seedlings.

Important! Seedlings stop watering 7 days before transplanting into the ground.

Transplanting seedlings:

1. Prepare the soil on the site - dig it up, add it to each square meter. m.a bucket of humus, 2-3 buckets of sand, 1-1.5 kg of chalk or dolomite flour and mineral fertilizers.
2. Prepare the beds at a distance of 60-70 cm from each other.
3. Make planting holes in them 5-10 cm deep.
4. Place the plants in them so that the distance between them is 35-40 cm.

The timing of transplanting seedlings depends on the date of sowing the seeds, on average it is mid or late May.

Care

During the first week after transplanting into the ground, the seedlings are watered daily, then 1-2 times a week, pouring 15-20 liters of water under each plant.

Feeding is applied four times per season:

• 2 weeks after planting the seedlings - a solution of cow manure;
• after another 14 days - also a solution of manure;
• after 6 weeks - phosphorus fertilizers (nitrophoska);
• on the 9th week after planting the seedlings - a solution of nitrophoska or cow manure.

To improve moisture and air permeability, the soil is regularly loosened to a depth of 5-7 cm and weeded, removing weeds.

Hilling is carried out as necessary. Most often, the procedure is carried out on days 10 and 40 after planting.

Protection from diseases and pests

The variety is resistant to most diseases typical of cabbage, including mucous bacteriosis, fusarium wilt, rot and necrosis, and thanks to the waxy coating that covers the leaves of cabbage, the crop is not affected by flea beetles and aphids.

To prevent diseases and pest attacks, plants are treated with fungicidal (Fitoverm, Inta-Vir, Decis) and insecticidal (Herold, Aliot, Muhoed) preparations.

If cabbage is planted in acidic and heavy soil, it may be affected by clubroot. To avoid this, choose the site correctly and prepare the soil.

Among pests, slugs are the most dangerous.To combat them, scatter a mixture of 2 liters of wood ash, 2 tbsp. l. table salt, 2 tbsp. l. ground black pepper and 2 tbsp. l. mustard powder.

Harvest and storage

The harvest is harvested 150-170 days after emergence on a clear and dry day. In a temperate climate this is mid-September or the second half of October. It is advisable to arrive before frost, because, despite the frost resistance of the variety, prolonged exposure to low temperatures leads to rotting of the heads of cabbage during storage.

Reference. There is no need to rush into harvesting – the heads of cabbage of this variety do not crack, even if they remain in the beds for a long time.

The collected heads of cabbage are carefully inspected and sorted, removing cabbage debris and setting aside small non-standard specimens for prompt consumption. After this, the crop is laid out under a canopy and left to dry for about 5 hours. If you leave cabbage in the sun, it will begin to wilt.

Store harvest in a dark, cool (0...+2°C) place with good ventilation and air humidity of 85-95% for six months. To increase the shelf life, the heads of cabbage are pulled out from the beds, rather than cut, and then hung by the stalk, head down.

Farmer reviews

Experienced vegetable growers speak positively about Kharkov winter cabbage.

Galina, Tula region: “I first bought Kharkov winter seedlings about 6 years ago and since then I have been growing only this variety. My garden conditions are not the best - there is a lot of shade, and the soil is not ideal, however, the yield is always high: there is enough cabbage for a large family throughout the winter. I store the harvest in the basement, the cabbage does not spoil until the early varieties begin to ripen.”

Inna, Bryansk: “We have been growing this variety for a long time, more than 10 years for sure. Once upon a time, a saleswoman in a store recommended Kharkov winter seeds to her husband, and we are still grateful to her for that. The yield is consistently high, the heads of cabbage are large, tasty, they store well, and I can’t call care too labor-intensive either.”

Anton, Moscow region: “The variety is excellent, but in the first year I almost ruined the plantings because I watered them too often and abundantly. As a result, the roots almost began to rot. Thanks to the neighbors who then taught me how to save the harvest - just stop watering. I don’t make such mistakes anymore and every year I harvest a rich harvest of tasty and beautiful cabbage, which, moreover, stores well.”

Conclusion

Kharkov Winter is a variety of Ukrainian selection that has a number of advantages, while having virtually no disadvantages. Among the main advantages of cabbage are its universal use, excellent shelf life and consistently high yields with simple care, which consists only of timely fulfillment of basic agrotechnical requirements.