How to sow cabbage correctly before winter
Sowing cabbage before winter is a completely effective procedure that ensures a good harvest. It is important to follow all the rules of agricultural technology and planting dates. Vegetables sown in autumn are served much earlier than usual. One of the advantages of this method is that you don’t have to deal with seedlings in the spring.
Is it possible to sow cabbage before winter?
Does cabbage grow if planted before winter? Yes, but it is important to choose the right timing, since the weather should be slightly frosty and the ground should freeze a little. Only in this case the seeds will not wake up ahead of time. At the same time, a thaw should not be expected.
The land is prepared in advance: apply fertilizers, loosen and dig.
What varieties can be planted in autumn
From white cabbage Medium and late-ripening varieties are better suited for winter sowing. Early ones are not planted because they begin to grow even at low temperatures, and during spring frosts they often die.
Any variety is suitable: before winter, not only white cabbage is planted, but also Beijing, red cabbage, Savoy, colored, broccoli. It all depends on what vegetables the gardener wants to see on the table earlier than the standard deadlines.
In any case, some of the seeds will freeze, so they buy 2 times more than in the spring. The minimum amount of planting material should be 20% more than usual. Even under the most favorable climatic conditions and care, some plants will not survive the winter and will die naturally.
Growing cabbage before winter
The only downside to planting for the winter - autumn chores, when most summer residents have already closed the season. However, as a result, gardeners receive a harvest a month earlier than the standard deadlines. Winter cabbage is distinguished by its juiciness and special taste. The amount of vitamins in it is higher than that of plants planted in spring.
When to plant
Most often, cabbage does not sprout for one reason - the planting time was chosen incorrectly.. The crop can germinate even at low temperatures, so it cannot be planted in early autumn. The seeds must not germinate, otherwise winter frosts will kill them. For this reason, the material is not prepared in advance and is dispensed with without soaking.
Planting is carried out when the temperature is around 0°C, and snow has fallen or is expected to cover the ground in the near future. It is optimal if the soil in the beds is frozen and does not thaw. Seeds should not be watered in such weather: the soil should be dry.
Note! In the northern regions, suitable planting days for cabbage are at the end of October, in the middle zone - late October - early November, in the south - the last ten days of November.
When planting in a greenhouse, the dates can be postponed a couple of weeks later.. In closed ground, it is not recommended to get carried away with watering so that the cabbage leaves do not turn black. After the seedlings have germinated, the air in the greenhouse must be sufficiently humid.
How to prepare a bed
Preparation of the bed for cabbage begins in the fall, a month before sowing. To improve the soil structure, add fertilizers with phosphorus and potassium.
Ash, sand or compost are additionally added to clayey and heavy soil.. Slightly alkaline soil is suitable for the crop, since cabbage will not grow at high acidity.Choose a sunny, elevated place so that moisture does not stagnate. Raised beds are great.
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How and when to plant cabbage for seedlings and in open ground
How to sow
Only dry seeds are used for planting.. It's better if they are large.
Important! You will definitely need a covering material (for example, humus). They fill bags with it and keep them in a warm place until the seeds are planted in the ground. Instead of humus, spruce branches are used, which are laid 15–20 cm thick.
There are 2 types of sowing:
- Into the furrows. After fertilizing and loosening the soil, planting furrows about 5 cm deep are cut and covered with film or boards to prevent the soil from being washed away by rain before sowing. When the weather is suitable, the seeds are sprinkled in a row, but more often than usual, since some of them will die.
- On the ground surface. Planting material is evenly scattered and covered with earth, which is distributed with a rake. Sawdust or fallen leaves are used as covering material. They will maintain the desired temperature and prevent the seeds from freezing until spring.
For any type of planting, buy twice as many seeds as in the spring.
Autumn cabbage care
Caring for cabbage in September - November (depending on climatic conditions) is minimal: immediately after planting, cover the crop and do not water it. All basic procedures are carried out in the spring. After germination, the plants are thinned out so that they have enough space. Fertilizers are applied to the sprouts: humus and mineral mixtures.
Advice! To get rid of caterpillars, in the spring the plantings are treated with ash through a sieve.
Watering is required only in spring, it should be plentiful: once every 10 days, 25 liters of water or every 4 days, 10 liters.In the absence of normal moisture, the cabbage will begin to crack and the harvest will be lost. Fertilizing is carried out twice: during the first waterings and a week before harvesting.
Some vegetable growers It is recommended to carry out spring work in the waxing moon phaseto ensure active growth and a large harvest.
Harvest dates
Winter cabbage is harvested 2 months after In the spring the temperature will be positive. This is at least a month earlier than when planting even early varieties at the usual time.
Conclusion
Even experienced gardeners who annually plant vegetables and herbs in the fall do not always conduct such experiments with cabbage. Varieties of this crop: from cabbage to Beijing and Brussels sprouts, take root in winter, and in the spring they delight with a large early harvest.
It is important to buy a little more seeds, since some will die anyway, and also not to make a mistake with the planting time. The main care for seedlings will be in the spring, when they sprout. The beds are prepared a month before sowing.