How to grow Chinese cabbage in a greenhouse

Growing Chinese cabbage makes sense. It keeps well after harvesting, contains a wealth of nutrients, is delicious, and cooks quickly. If you have a greenhouse at your dacha or country house, it's easy to provide your family with delicious heads of cabbage.

During the season, which in closed ground lasts from early spring to late autumn, 2-3 harvests can be obtained.

About the characteristics of Chinese cabbage

Chinese cabbage is a short-day crop. This should be taken into account when planning planting times. A full harvest can be achieved by planting cabbage in early spring, late summer, or early fall.

This vegetable also has specific temperature and humidity requirements. Napa cabbage doesn't like heat; its best temperature range is 15 to 20°C, with humidity levels of 70-75%.

The reason for bolting may be:

• daylight hours lasting more than 12 hours;
• temperature fluctuations;
• lack of regularity in watering.

Which one to choose? Let's look at the varieties.

Some cabbage varieties (hybrids) are planted in the greenhouse in the spring, while others are planted in the fall. There are also universal varieties that are equally suitable for spring and fall plantings. For higher yields, hybrids are preferred. They are marked "F1" next to the name on the seed packets.

When choosing a particular variety of Chinese cabbage, the heads are evaluated to determine the desired quality. Varietal characteristics vary. One variety has a long shelf life, another does not, and a third is ideal for pickling.

When purchasing seeds, the most important factor to consider is the variety's ripening time. This information helps determine the period when the heads are ready for harvesting, calculate planting time, plan the planting pattern, and create a work plan. According to reviews from gardeners growing Chinese cabbage in greenhouses, the following hybrids have proven successful when sown in spring:

1. Spring Beauty. An early-ripening crop with good bolting resistance, rarely susceptible to disease, and high yield. The growing season lasts 55 to 65 days, heads weigh 2 kg, and yields approximately 7 kg/sq. m.
2. Spring Jade. Up to 9 kg of heads are harvested from 1 m² of area, each weighing at least 2 kg, with larger specimens weighing up to 3 kg. Heads form early. The period from sowing to harvesting is only 50 days. The variety has excellent immunity and flavor.

In the fall, gardeners prefer to plant varieties with long shelf life. If the goal is to harvest early in the spring for summer consumption, cabbage is sown in the fall for winter storage. The characteristics of hybrids suitable for this purpose are listed in the table.

Characteristic	Autumn Jade F1	Sentyabrina F1	Autumn beauty
head weight	from 3 to 3.5 kg	from 0.8 to 1.5 kg	from 1.5 to 2.5 kg
ripening periods	from 40 to 45 days	50 days	from 55 to 60 days
appointment	for salads, pickling, storage	for salads, cooking	used in cooking, used for preparing salads
diseases	resistant to downy mildew and viral mosaic	immunity to major cruciferous diseases	no flowering, disease immunity, shade tolerance, cold-resistant

Chinese Selection and Miss China are versatile varieties, producing good yields when planted in spring and fall. These varieties ripen early, with heads harvested after 45-55 days. Fruits weigh a respectable 4 kg.

Greenhouse and growing conditions

Any greenhouse design is suitable for growing Chinese cabbage. The basic requirements for the structure are:

• warm;
• no drafts;
• has good ventilation.

To maintain the desired temperature during the cold season, the greenhouse is equipped with heating devices. During seed germination, the air temperature should be maintained at 20°C, for a week after sprouting at 10°C, and throughout the growing season at 15°C at night and 20-22°C during the day.

To form heads, the crop requires 10 hours of daylight. During winter and inclement weather, the plantings require supplemental lighting. To create artificial lighting in the greenhouse, install:

• phytolamps;
• incandescent lamps;
• fluorescent lamps.

The greenhouse soil is watered with a potassium permanganate solution. This treatment is carried out 5 days before planting Chinese cabbage. Organic matter (compost, vermicompost, humus, peat, ash) is added to the soil, and mineral fertilizers are added if necessary. The plant prefers light and fertile soil mixtures.

Rules for planting Chinese cabbage

Planting times depend on the type of greenhouse. In heated structures, Chinese cabbage seeds can be sown as early as March. In unheated plastic and polycarbonate greenhouses, Chinese cabbage is sown in April.

The manufacturer always indicates the optimal planting pattern for the variety on seed packets. This should be followed when marking out furrows. Standard requirements:

• the distance between rows is 30-40 cm;
• seed consumption 2 g/m²;
• filling depth from 1 to 1.5 cm.

To obtain an early harvest, transplant seedlings into a greenhouse. Keep in mind that the crop does not like to be pricked out. Sow the seeds for seedlings in individual containers and transplant them into the ground using the recommended 30x40 cm pattern, using the transshipment method.

Care

Even after preparing the greenhouse soil for cabbage planting, don't forget about fertilizing. From germination to harvest, apply fertilizer at least twice when planting in late summer and three times when sowing in early spring. Chinese cabbage requires nitrogen. It responds best to infusions made from freshly mown grass, cow manure, and chicken manure.

Raw materials	Quantity (kg)	Water (l)
mullein	1	10
chicken manure	0.5	10
grass	1	9

The infusion should be left to steep for a week, using 1 liter per plant. To speed up head formation, spray the cabbage leaves with a boric acid solution. Dilute it only in hot water; it doesn't dissolve in cold water. Take 2 grams of the powder and pour it into 1 liter of boiling water. Once the acid has dissolved, add 9 liters of water and spray the cabbage leaves.

Cabbage beds are watered regularly, ensuring that the soil in the greenhouse does not dry out or become waterlogged. Both negatively impact the harvest. Overwatering can lead to root rot, while insufficient moisture impairs the taste and affects the size of the cabbage head.

Throughout the season, keep the soil clean. Loosen the soil and remove weeds. Chinese cabbage plantings can be attacked by insects. The most dangerous pest is the flea beetle. It is especially dangerous for young plants. To repel insects, dust the beds in the greenhouse with:

• ash;
• tobacco dust;
• hot pepper.

How to store

Once the heads have become firm and elastic, they are cut. When cutting, leave at least 2-3 bracts on the rosette. Spring and summer harvests do not store well. Cabbage is used in salads, first and second courses. Harvested in the fall can be stored until spring.

The storage requirements are simple. The air temperature should not rise above 5°C or fall below 0°C. The air should be moderately humid. To prevent the cabbage heads from drying out, they are wrapped in several layers of cling film and placed in boxes during storage.

Reviews

Mikhail, Stary Oskol

I trick my Pekingese to prevent it from bolting. I sow the seeds in peat pellets in early April (between the 5th and 10th). When the seedlings emerge, I cover them with cardboard boxes after 6:00 PM. After transplanting them to the greenhouse, I repeat the process of covering the beds with black spunbond.

Nadezhda, Leningrad Oblast

It was a hot summer, and I had to save my cabbage from flea beetles. I sprayed it with a strong solution of black and red pepper. I added liquid soap to help them stick. I can't say it was 100% effective, but most of the fleas stuck.

Natalia, Moscow region

Last season, I planted the Monaco hybrid. It performed excellently. There was no bolting, and the heads were firm and large, weighing up to 2 kg. I planted them in the spring and in the second half of summer. Both yields were excellent. The hybrid has a 100% germination rate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTgrG7sM0EY

Conclusion

Growing a superb harvest of Chinese cabbage in a greenhouse isn't difficult. To achieve good results, you need to purchase a good hybrid, time the planting correctly, and remember to water and feed the cabbage.