A selection of the best varieties of cabbage for winter storage and recommendations for growing it

In order for cabbage to be stored all winter without losing its taste and beneficial properties, it is important to study the requirements for varieties for storage and choose the most suitable crop for your region. Equally important are the quality of the seed, the rules of cultivation and harvesting.

Requirements for cabbage variety for storage

Not every culture is suitable for long-term storage. Early-ripening varieties are not planted for the winter; mid-ripening varieties are left for only 2-3 months..

To ensure a complete supply of vegetables, use mid-late or late plants. Their advantages:

• excellent taste;
• high nutritional value;
• versatility in use: vegetables are consumed fresh, stored and processed;
• minimal amount of nitrates;
• long shelf life.

Late varieties of cabbage differ from early varieties in external characteristics: they have dense heads of cabbage with a green or white color, the leaves are quite tight and tightly pressed to each other.

The best cabbage varieties to store for the winter

We bring to your attention well-proven varieties and hybrids that gardeners most often select for long-term storage.

Kolobok F1

One of the most popular hybrids in all regions of Russia, can withstand storage for up to 7 months. The peculiarity of such vegetables is their white-yellow cut with a characteristic tint.

The average weight of a dense head of cabbage is 4.2 kg, green foliage.The duration of hybrid maturation is up to 150 days. Yields are high, up to 12 kg per 1 m².

Important! The bun often rots during storage, so vegetables are periodically checked for damage.

Snow White

A variety that gets its name from the white color of both the inner and outer foliage. The average weight of a vegetable is about 2.5–4 kg. Heads of cabbage do not spoil until 6-7 months or more; they are used for preparing baby food. The culture is resistant to most diseases. Productivity - 7–9 kg per m².

Wintering 1474

One of the most frost-resistant varieties with a blue-green color, bred specifically for cultivation in the northern regions. The taste of cabbage improves significantly after 3-4 months of storage.. Heads of cabbage do not spoil for up to 8 months.

The variety has a long growing season: up to 175 days from germination. It is resistant to fungal diseases, rot and cracking.

Sugarloaf

A late-ripening variety with a raised and spreading rosette of leaves. The leaves are large with a grayish-green color and a waxy coating, growing season - up to 150 days from the moment of germination. It is recommended to harvest after the onset of frost - this way the sugar content of the leaves will be higher. After a month of storage, the vegetables acquire a sweetish taste.

The variety is resistant to many diseases, including fusarium, bacteriosis, clubroot. In favorable conditions, Sugar Loaf will be stored until the end of spring.

Merchant's wife

Merchant's Wife is popular among farmers due to its excellent product and taste qualities. Mid-late variety with a growing season of up to 150 days, the heads of cabbage are dense without voids.The average weight of the fork is 2.5 kg, the color is green on the outside and white on the inside. The culture is resistant to diseases. The harvest is stored for up to 4 months.

Amager 611

Heads of cabbage reach ripeness in 145–148 days and grow to medium size. The leaves are smooth, the edges are coarsely wavy, tightly pressed to each other.

The variety is resistant to low temperatures, average yield per 1 m² — 5–7 kg. In low humidity conditions, cabbage does not spoil until April.

Important! During storage, Amager is subject to spot necrosis and gray rot. To prevent diseases, vegetables are kept completely dry and kept at a constant temperature of 0...+2°C.

How to choose a variety

In order not to be disappointed in the planted crop, they carefully select seeds. Main criteria:

1. 

   Cabbage Kupchikha

   Growing region. There are suitable varieties of cabbage for certain areas; information about the optimal cultivation location can be found on the seed packet. The longer the growing season, the warmer the region for planting the vegetable should be.

2. Ripening time. Depending on the purpose of using cabbage, varieties are selected according to ripening time. The early ones contain little sugar, their leaves are tender and soft, suitable for fresh consumption. Mid-ripening ones contain more useful substances, late ones are best suited for long-term storage and pickling. It is better to plant several varieties with different types of ripening at once in order to enjoy cabbage for as long as possible.
3. Local selection. To be sure of a rich harvest, choose varieties bred in the growing region.

Before purchasing seeds, you should ask the seller for a quality certificate: this will protect you from buying a fake.

Features of growing and harvesting

When preparing cabbage for long-term storage it is important to adhere to the rules of its cultivation and collection of ripe vegetables:

1. It is best to plant cabbage in an area where peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots previously grew. You can't expect a good harvest after corn.
2. Light or loamy soil is optimal. Heads of cabbage grown on sandy loam soil do not last as long.
3. Fertilizers can both extend and reduce the shelf life of cabbage. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers will increase the shelf life. Cabbage grown in nitrogen-rich soil will quickly deteriorate: its foliage has a reduced amount of dry matter, which is why the leaves are susceptible to rotting.
4. The crop is harvested when the daytime temperature is +2...+8°C, and frosts down to -3°C occur at night. Previously collected heads of cabbage quickly begin to wither.
5. Vegetables are collected in dry weather so that they do not have to be dried further. The forks are cut with a sharp knife, leaving 2-3 cm of the stalk. The stalks are left hanging for storage.
6. The top leaves are not removed, leaving at least 2-3 covering leaves that will protect the cabbage from diseases and mechanical damage.
7. Before wintering, the heads of cabbage are sorted: only whole specimens are left, without signs of lethargy, rot, disease or the presence of pests. Medium-sized vegetables that are firm and round, slightly flattened, are best. Loose heads of cabbage are unsuitable for storage.

It can be useful:

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Nuances for different regions

Climatic conditions in different latitudes differ greatly from each other, therefore Each region has its own characteristics of agricultural technology.

In outskirts of Moscow

The predominance of cloudy days and unstable weather in spring create difficulties in the early stages of crop cultivation. To achieve a good harvest, take into account some features:

• cabbage is planted in open ground with seeds, the seedlings are covered until the onset of stable warm weather;
• choose mid-ripening or mid-late varieties, since the late ones will not have time to ripen;
• In the absence of precipitation in summer, the plantings are regularly watered.

In Siberia

Harsh climatic conditions grow cabbage in open ground from seeds is excluded, so the seedling method is used.

Attention! Due to the short summer, it is better to avoid planting late varieties with a long growing season. Mid-season and mid-late-season plants are preferred.

Specially varieties adapted to harsh climates: Sibiryachka 60, Vyuga, Nadezhda, Tochka.

Seedlings are planted in open ground in the second half of May, at first the beds are covered. In August, mid-season cabbage is harvested for fresh consumption or pickling. Mid-late vegetables are harvested in September.

In the Urals

The unstable Ural climate is characterized by sudden changes in temperature and intense movement of air masses:

• seedlings are grown in warm beds, in greenhouses or at home;
• in May, plants are planted in open ground, the area is covered with dense spunbond: it will protect the crop from pests and low temperatures;
• To protect against cold weather, the beds are mulched with black film.

Varieties grow well in the region Nadezhda and Vyuga, hybrids of Atria, Aggressor, Megaton.

In the middle lane

The middle zone is characterized by a moderate continental climate with humid summers and moderately frosty winters. Here cabbage is grown in seedlings. It is optimal to plant late-ripening hybrids, the ripening period of which is from 160 to 170 days.

Conclusion

To preserve cabbage for the winter without losing its taste and benefits, mid-late or late varieties are planted. Climatic features are taken into account: the longer the growing season of a crop, the warmer it should be in the region where it is grown. Heads of cabbage are collected at +2…+8°С; damaged specimens are not suitable for storage.