Planting, growing and caring for red cabbage outdoors

Red cabbage is a type of white cabbage. Its main feature lies in the color of the leaves, which are colored purple and have a purple tint. 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 such a plant.

These include:

• Topaz. This variety ripens quite quickly, since literally 90 days after planting the seedlings in the soil, the first ripe fruits can be harvested. A feature of Topaz can be considered its dense and large heads of purple cabbage. The fruits have excellent taste. They are recommended to be consumed fresh, as they contain many vitamins.
• Mars. This variety can be classified as a mid-late variety of vegetables. The first crop only ripens four months after planting. The fruits of this red cabbage variety 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 of cabbage 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 is the cone-shaped fruit. They are colored bright purple and weigh about two kilograms. Kalibos is a great variety for just about any region of the country, as it copes well with low temperatures and high humidity levels.
• Anthracite. Cabbage is a mid-season vegetable. Its heads of cabbage fully ripen three and a half months after planting on the site. The fruits, like most other red cabbage varieties, are purple in color. They are quite dense and weigh 1-2 kilograms.
• Schwarzkopf. This variety was recently bred by German breeders, as can be understood from its name. It is grown by many vegetable growers on their site, as it is one of the most productive. The other advantages of Schwarzkopf cabbage include its resistance to droughts and the duration of storage of the harvested crop.

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Growing seedlings

For healthy cabbage to grow, it must be grown and cared for properly. Most 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 the period of its ripening.

Seed preparation

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

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

For this, the seeds are placed in small gauze bags and dipped into a container with water heated to 50 degrees. The water temperature should not be more than 50 degrees, as this can negatively 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, add 30 g of crushed garlic to a glass of water. Then seeds are added to the container, soaked for 40-50 minutes and washed with water.

You should also take care of the germination of the 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

Planting seeds begins with the preparation of planting tanks. First, they should be filled with soil. In this case, the layer of earth should be small and 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 the containers, you can start planting. Small grooves with a depth of 1-2 cm are dug in the ground. The distance between them should be about 5 cm. Several seeds are placed in each hole, which must be immediately sprinkled with soil. After that, all containers with cabbage are placed on the windowsill until the first shoots appear.

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Planting seedlings

Cabbage seedlings should be planted in the ground in late spring or early summer, when the soil warms up well.

Site selection

Agrotechnics for growing cabbage includes the selection of the most suitable site. During the selection, you should carefully inspect the area and pay attention to some parameters. The area for cabbage must be cultivated. It is also necessary to carefully examine the land on the territory. It must contain black soil for the plant to grow better. The soil should have a high 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 pickles 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 is fed with fertilizers. In autumn, it is better to add organic fertilizers to the soil, since 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 is acidic, then a little ash and lime can be added with them.

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 located 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 plant roots. After all the holes are created, they should be watered with water and a little fertilizer added to them. During planting, all seedlings are placed in an upright position in holes, covered with earth and watered.

Conclusion

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