Cabbage does not belong to the early vegetables, however, it also has early varieties that allow us to enjoy this product already at the beginning of the summer period. The following article describes the varieties, their features, cultivation and harvesting.
Features of early cabbage
Early ripe cabbage varieties have a short growing season, which allows you to get a vegetable crop already in early June, and in some regions at the end of May. But, due to the fast ripening time, the heads of cabbage are usually small in size, loose in comparison with the later varieties and are prone to cracking.
For planting early cabbage, less land is required due to its small size, but abundant watering and increased bait are required due to intensive growth.
Early cabbage is distinguished by its taste, or rather, their not rich distinction. If mid- and late-ripening varieties can be distinguished by taste, then in the case of early cabbage this can only be done by a specialist.
On the other hand, this cabbage is very rich in vitamins and minerals. Due to the high water content in the leaves, these varieties are not suitable for harvesting and long-term storage. Usually they are used for salads and seasonal dishes.
The best early grades
There are quite a few varieties of early ripe cabbage, and lately there are more and more both domestic and imported hybrids. In order to determine which kind of cabbage you need for growing, you need to know their main characteristics.
It should be borne in mind that if a producer indicates that the whole cabbage growing region is all of Russia, he means that in the northern regions this vegetable can only be cultivated in greenhouses and greenhouses subject to certain conditions.
Grade | Growing region | Ripening period, day | Head weight kg | Productivity, t / ha |
Akira | Central and Southern | 90 | 1-2,5 | average |
Gribovsky 147 | All regions of Russia | 115 | 1-2 | 670 |
Dita | Central and Southern | 100 | 1 | high |
Dawn | Central | 107-118 | 1,6-2 | 500 |
Arctic | Northern | 95-100 | 1-1,6 | average |
Golden hectare | All regions of Russia, including Northern | 100-110 | 1,5-3 | 850 |
June | All regions of Russia | 90-110 | 1-2 | 650 |
Cossack | Central and Northwest | 95-110 | 1-1,5 | 460 |
Copenhagen market | Central and Southern | 115 | 1,5-2,5 | 400 |
Nozomi | North Caucasian | 90-100 | 1,3-2 | 315 |
Oracle | All regions of Russia | 85-90 | 1,2-1,7 | 256 |
Pandion | Central and Northern | 85-100 | 1-2 | 513 |
Parel | Central and Northern | 90-100 | 1-1,5 | 450 |
Sire | All regions of Russia | 80-90 | 1,5-2 | 259 |
Surprise | Central | 95-100 | 1-1,3 | average |
Taurus | Central | 95-100 | 5-6 | high |
Transfer | Central and Southern | 100 | 0,7-1,5 | 424 |
Tobia | Central and Northern | 90-100 | 3,5 | 760 |
Express | All regions of Russia | 90 | 1-1,3 | 380 |
Akira Cabbage
Gribovsky cabbage 147
Cabbage variety Dita
Cabbage Grade Zarya
Cabbage Grade Arctic
Cabbage variety Golden hectare
Cabbage Grade June
Cabbage grade Kazachok
Variety Copenhagen Market
Nozomi cabbage variety
Oracle cabbage variety
Pandion Cabbage
Variety Parel
Sire grade
Surprise Cabbage
Variety Taurus
Cabbage Grade Transfer
Cabbage variety Tobia
Variety cabbage Express
With a sufficiently large variety of varieties of early cabbage, the choice is quite difficult. It should be taken into account not only the yield of a particular species, but also its advantages and disadvantages.
- Akira This variety is not prone to cracking heads and tolerates transportation well. It is steady against decay, but is stored no more than 2 months.
- Gribovsky 147. This frost-resistant hybrid does not grow well on acidic soils. Differs in susceptibility to diseases such as keel and vascular bacteriosis. Heads of cabbage, with long-term cultivation, burst. Not subject to long storage.
- Dita. Like most varieties, it is stored for no more than 2 months. Not susceptible to cracking. Transportation is possible.
- Dawn. Despite the low density of the head, it is not prone to cracking.
- Arctic. This hybrid was developed specifically for the northern regions and is characterized by increased frost resistance. But when growing it should be remembered that he loves light and plentiful watering. Do not crack.
- Golden hectare. It is resistant not only to short-term frosts, but also to high temperatures. This variety is well resistant to cabbage diseases, but is not protected from keel. With abundant watering, it cracks and is not stored for long.
- June. The tested variety tolerates frosts well. Not susceptible to disease. Photophilous.
- Cossack. This cabbage grows well even on infertile soils. Like most varieties, she is not afraid of short-term frosts, but she does not tolerate heat well. This is one of the few varieties that is stored for a long time - up to 6 months. It does not crack, it is well transported.
- Copenhagen Market. Danish hybrid does not tolerate dimming during cultivation. It has a short shelf life, with an excess of moisture it is prone to cracking.
- Nozomi. It is resistant to cabbage diseases. It does not crack and is well transported. Cultivation requires a lot of sun.
- Oracle. This ultra early ripe variety is resistant to most diseases, does not crack and is excellently transported. It is stored longer than other representatives of this species.
- Pandion. The hybrid is resistant to cracking and transportation, but an increase or decrease in temperature during cultivation has a bad effect on the development of the plant.
- Parel. The frost-resistant variety is not prone to disease. The head of cabbage is not subject to cracking and tolerates transportation well. It has a high resistance to flowering.
- Sire. Collected all the advantages of early ripe cabbage, such as frost resistance, not prone to cracking and disease, successful transportation. Feels good on heavy soils and has a rather long shelf life compared to other varieties.
- Surprise. Heads of this hybrid are not prone to cracking.
- Taurus. This variety tolerates not only frosts, but also heat. Resistant to cabbage diseases such as vascular bacteriosis and fusariosis.
- Transfer. Despite resistance to most diseases, it suffers from an attack by the sacral flea. During cultivation, it needs to be loosened. The shelf life is limited.
- Tobia. This variety is stored for up to 3 months and tolerates transportation well. With abundant watering, it is prone to decay.
- Express. Ultra-early hybrid with a shelf life of up to 4 months. Its disadvantage is disease resistance and susceptibility to attack by pests.
Growing time
Most often, early varieties of cabbage are grown in seedlings in order to get the crop as early as possible. Usually seeds for seedlings are sown in mid or late March, depending on the region of planting. In order to determine exactly when to seed early cabbage, the following factors need to be considered:
- A variety of cabbage. What kind of cabbage are you going to use, and what seedlings should be of age before planting. This information is placed on the back in the description of the variety, the age of seedlings for planting in the soil can vary from 30 to 55 days.
- Landing area. What climate zone do you live in, and when will weather allow you to plant seedlings in the ground.
- The method of planting seedlings. Where are you going to plant seedlings: in a greenhouse, under a film or in open ground. Naturally, seedlings can be planted in the greenhouse 1-3 weeks earlier because the soil in it warms up better and faster.
- Moon calendar. Many gardeners, when planting plants, pay attention to the phases of the moon and plant cabbage in accordance with the recommendations of the lunar-sowing calendar. Now they are being deployed, with the recommendation of favorable planting days for each crop.
Calculating your landing time yourself is quite simple. See what age the seedlings are recommended by the manufacturer for planting in the ground. By this time, add 7-10 days for the emergence of seedlings and 7-10 days for the restoration of seedlings, if you want to grow them with a pick. Decide when you will plant seedlings in the ground and from this time count back the number of days received.
Landing preparation
Early cabbage needs a small piece of land, but it must be fertile. This plant is very photophilous, so it is advisable that the planting site is not obscured. The best predecessors for cabbage are legumes, cucumber, tomato, potatoes, onions on a turnip.
Cabbage crops grow very poorly on acidic and infertile soils. If you have just such a soil, and there is no way to significantly improve its condition, do not be discouraged. There are several varieties of early ripe cabbage, which grow even in infertile areas. An example of this variety is Cossack brand cabbage.
Landing is prepared in the fall. Dig up the earth to a depth of 30 cm and add manure or humus at the rate of 4 kg per square meter. m. How much fertilizer and lime to make are calculated based on the composition of the soil. On average, 40 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium chloride per 1 sq. M are consumed. m
In the spring, fertilizers are again added to the prepared soil: 40 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium chloride, 15 g of urea. They are sealed in the upper layer of the earth with a rake.
The listed fertilizers can be replaced with 60-90 g of nitroammophoska, if there are no mineral fertilizers, add 40 g ash for each well. Or you can buy specialized complex fertilizers specifically for cabbage, currently there is a large selection of such products on the shelves.
If fertilizers were not applied either in the fall or in the spring, then they are added during planting in each well. Fertilizers are very important for cabbage, especially mineral ones, because they are sources of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, so necessary for the normal development of the head:
- A lack of nitrogen is manifested by lethargy of the leaves and a change in their color to pale yellow, with severe starvation, the lower leaves turn blue or red.
- If the plant lacks potassium, dark spots appear on the leaves, which grow. The sheet fades, curls and may fall.
- With a lack of phosphorus, the leaves begin to darken, acquire a dark green, purple color, and the growth and development of the head stops.
Seedling method of growing
In order to get cabbage as early as possible, it is best to use the seedling method of cultivation. Thus, you will protect the plant at a young age from pests and diseases and ensure the formation of full heads of cabbage with a long growing season.
Preparing seeds for sowing
Seeds sold are usually already sorted and decontaminated and do not require additional processing. If you bought seeds of dubious quality, or use your own material, then it is necessary to carry out pre-sowing preparation.
Against keel and other fungal diseases, seeds are placed for 20 minutes in warm water, heated to 50 degrees. The water temperature is maintained at the same level. Then the seeds are placed in cool water for 3-5 minutes and dried thoroughly.
During the disinfection process, floating and small seeds are removed.
There are two ways to grow seedlings: potted and seedless. In both cases, the sowing of seeds can be made with further picking or without it.
Pot way
Recently, more often used potted seedlings. Its advantage is a good survival rate, because the root system is kept intact before planting.
If you want to grow seedlings of early cabbage without diving, then sowing should be carried out from late February to mid-March. Soil preparation for seedlings includes mixing the earth and humus in equal proportions and adding mineral fertilizers: 30 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium nitrate, 10 g of ammonium nitrate per bucket of the mixture. Or any complex fertilizer for cabbage.
Plants at a young age do not tolerate a high concentration of salts. Therefore, in seedlings based on humus, sod land, only half the dose of fertilizers is applied. In the absence of signs of starvation, seedlings are allowed not to be fed.
As a soil for seedlings, you can use transitional or lowland peat with the addition of sand and sawdust. In the absence of micronutrient fertilizers, ash at the rate of 2 cups per bucket is added to the soil mixture.
When the land is prepared for seedlings, you can start sowing:
- Sow 2-3 seeds of cabbage into each container to a depth of 1.5-2 cm to select the most successful seedling in the future. Following sowing, pour plenty of water at room temperature. For faster seed germination, pots can be covered with a film.
- Soak the seed at a temperature of 25 degrees until seedlings appear. Then lower the temperature to 8-10 degrees to avoid stretching the seedlings. With the advent of the first true leaflet, raise the temperature to 15-17 degrees during the day and up to 10 degrees at night.
- Lowering the temperature at night is necessary so that the seedlings do not grow pampered. Such seedlings do not take root well in the ground. Good seedlings ready for planting in the ground should be stocky and have 4-5 true leaves.
- Keep the soil moderately moist during cultivation to prevent the plant from becoming black-footed. If you find this disease, ventilate the room, and sprinkle dry sand on the ground with the plant. To protect against diseases, add potassium permanganate (3 g per 10 l of water) to irrigation water.
Beadless Way
When growing in large volumes or with a lack of seating, use a potless method of growing seedlings. To do this, lay the finished wet mixture in an even layer of 5-6 cm in the boxes and make grooves at a distance of 3-4 cm from one another.
In the phase of 1-2 real leaves, dive the seedlings into pots measuring 6 by 6 cm, or thinn the plants at a distance of 5-6 cm without picking. In seedless seedlings, only 10% of the volume of the root system is retained during the transplant.
A rootless method with preserving the root system
There is another way of growing seedlings, which does not involve the use of containers, but the root system is kept as untouched as possible. In this method, the pots are formed from a well-moistened soil mixture.
In order that the soil does not crumble during irrigation, mullein is added to it, as a binder. Its consumption should be no more than 0.5 liters per 1 bucket of the mixture. Be careful when preparing such a composition, because an excess of mullein will make the soil too dense, which will adversely affect the development of seedlings.
Place the wet mixture in an even layer of 5-6 cm in boxes or directly on covered ground in a greenhouse, slightly compact, and then cut to the entire height lengthwise and across, forming 6 by 6 cm cubes.
Reckless growing method
Early cabbage can be grown and seedling method, but in this case, the crop will ripen a little later. Most varieties of cabbage tolerate light frosts, but if you want to sow cabbage directly into the open ground, carefully read the annotation for the variety that you are going to cultivate.
Landing dates are determined by the region of residence and climatic conditions. For example, in central Russia, early cabbage can be planted in the first ten days of May. For this method, film shelters or plastic bottles are used if the disembarkation volume is small.
Sow the seeds with a margin in prepared, moistened soil to a depth of 2-3 cm and cover. In the future, make sure that the soil at the sowing places is always moist. When the plants form 3 true leaves (after about a month), the covering material can be removed.
Landing cabbage in the open ground
Cabbage, like most plants, grows best with the square method of planting, when the row spacing is equal to the step of planting. However, many gardeners plant cabbage with one row-spacing 60-70 cm wide for ease of care.
With this method of growing, the step of planting an early ripe cabbage is 30-35 cm. If you are late with the timing of planting seedlings or your plot is infertile, you need to increase the row spacing to 80 cm and plant the cabbage less often.
Before planting, inspect the seedlings - weak underdeveloped plants, as well as signs of the disease, discard. It is advisable to carry out sampling and planting seedlings in the afternoon, in the late afternoon.
Further actions look like this:
- form holes 10-12 cm deep;
- in each well, add a handful of humus and 2 tablespoons of ash or mineral fertilizers according to the instructions;
- thoroughly pour at least 2 liters of water;
- if the seedlings were grown in a potless way, dip the roots in a liquid solution of clay and mullein before planting its roots;
- when planting, deepen the root neck 2-4 cm to the first leaflet, but do not fall asleep on the apical bud;
- Squeeze the soil around the cabbage, water it and sprinkle it with dry soil so that the crust does not form;
After planting, it takes 10-14 days to root. At this time, the seedlings have a reduced frost resistance, so you need to build a film shelter above it.
About the cultivation of early cabbage - from planting seedlings in the ground to harvest - see the video:
Early cabbage care
Leaving consists in weeding, cultivation, regular watering and top dressing of plants. Watering is carried out on the second day after transplanting seedlings into the ground and is subsequently watered at least 1-2 times a week.
During the formation of the head of cabbage, cabbage experiences a particularly high demand for water. However, closer to harvesting dates, watering should be reduced to prevent cracking of the vegetable.
Usually spend two dressings. When the plant takes root, it is fed with mullein, diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 to 0.5 l per plant. When the heads of cabbage begin to be tied, cabbage is fed with nitrogen-potassium fertilizers.
It is important to maintain the soil under the cabbage in a loose state and not to allow it to dry out. Loosening is carried out after rains and watering. At the same time, cabbage can be slightly spud. Hilling promotes the appearance of secondary roots on the stem.
Growing cabbage in a greenhouse
When growing cabbage in greenhouses, they perform the same actions as when growing in open ground. But this method has several advantages:
- the crop can be obtained earlier, as the soil in the greenhouse warms up faster;
- in a greenhouse, it is easier to comply with the required temperature conditions;
- no need to worry about the weather, plants will not suffer from hail or strong wind;
- cabbage is more resistant to late blight in a greenhouse atmosphere;
- vegetables are much less affected by the invasion of harmful insects.
Head out as they mature, preventing them from cracking.
Cabbage disease
Of the diseases of cabbage in the open ground, vascular and mucous bacteriosis, a black leg, phomosis, and keel are widespread.
Preventive measures to combat bacteriosis and fomosis are as follows:
- Do not re-plant cabbage in the same area for 2-3 years;
- in autumn, remove all plant debris;
- Seed before sowing.
In order to prevent the plants from becoming ill with a black leg, renew the earth in greenhouses and greenhouses, and do not thicken the crops in any case. Also avoid excessive watering. Ventilate the air in the greenhouse regularly, and treat the frames with lime milk or formalin at the rate of 1 g per 4 liters of water. When planting seedlings, plants infected with a black leg, reject.
Kila is a fungal disease that affects the roots of a plant. The best conditions for its development arise in an acidic environment. Therefore, to prevent disease, acidic soils alkalize. Before planting seedlings, the soil can be shed with a solution of colloidal sulfur (40 g per 10 liters of water).
Cabbage pests
There are many chemicals on the market for controlling cabbage pests. If you don’t like using chemistry in your garden, wood ash will almost always be effective in controlling insects that infect cabbage.
Ashes are sprinkled with earth around the plants, which are then loosened to a shallow depth with an interval of 3-4 days. A solution of ash is also prepared for spraying cabbage leaves. Liquid soap (1 tbsp.spoon per 10 l) must be added to the solution so that it does not drip and linger on the treated surfaces.
Another effective tool often used to control cabbage pests is a mixture of dry mustard, black pepper and ash (mixture No. 1) or ash = + tobacco + ground pepper (mixture No. 2). From these compounds, you can also prepare a solution.
Pest name | Control measures |
Cruciferous flea |
|
Cabbage fly |
|
Snails and slugs |
|
Aphid |
|
Cabbage and Scoop |
|
Early Grade Reviews
Sergey, 47 years old, summer resident, Kaluga Region. Early ripe cabbage in our strip can be planted in late April. In early March, I put the seeds on a damp cloth and put them in the refrigerator for a week. Then in the heat and as soon as they hatch, I put them in pots on the windowsill.
Oleg, 31 years old, Tomsk region. He planted different varieties of cabbage, but Rinda was most liked, and from the early ones, Nozomi. Domestic seeds of these hybrids did not come from me, so it’s better not to take them, it is necessary to look for Dutch and Japanese. I grow seedlings in boxes, cover with glass from above.
Lily, 65 years old, gardener, Tatarstan. Of the early varieties, I liked the Pandion hybrid. Planted him in mid-March, and in late April, planted him in open ground. Harvest ripened in early June.
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In order to grow early varieties of cabbage, special knowledge of agricultural technology is not required. A little effort and zeal and the harvest will delight you with juicy and tasty heads of cabbage, which will make magnificent salads and rich stews!