How to grow Chinese cabbage in your garden?

Until recently, Chinese cabbage was exclusively imported. Progress continues, and varieties suitable for cultivation in central Russia have emerged.

By growing Chinese cabbage, you can get cabbage heads twice per season:

1. Growing seedlings in spring.
2. Growing outdoors in midsummer.

Growing Chinese cabbage from seedlings

The growth period of early varieties of Chinese cabbage is about 60 days. Therefore, seedlings are planted in mid-April.

Seedlings are sown in trays or peat tablets, 3-4 seeds per tray. For sowing in trays, prepare the soil by mixing equal parts peat and turf soil with the addition of dolomite flour.

The seeds are disinfected by soaking them in a pink solution of potassium permanganate, then rinsed with water. The seeds are spread on the soil surface and covered with a centimeter of soil. The containers with the seeds are covered with glass and placed in a dark, warm place for germination.

After three weeks the seedlings can be planted in open groundHoles for the seedlings are made according to a 25 x 30 cm pattern. Well-rotted compost or peat is added to the hole. The cabbage, along with the root ball, is moved into the hole. The soil around the plant is compacted and watered thoroughly.

Each seedling is mulched. Mulch will prevent excess water evaporation and the formation of a crust on the soil surface.

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Growing Chinese cabbage in open ground

Napa cabbage is sown in holes in mid-May, once the risk of night frosts has passed. Napa cabbage prefers a sunny, draft-free location. The soil should contain a high amount of humus.

Dig holes for the seedlings 30-35 cm apart. Add ash or dolomite flour to the hole. Water well. Place 3-4 Napa cabbage seeds per hole.

When the seedlings reach 1-2 true leaves, thin them out so that there's one seedling per plant. If there's a shortage of seedlings or if you're growing a rare variety, transplant the extra seedlings to other locations. Mulch the holes.

Feed Chinese cabbage every 15 to 20 days using mullein or complex mineral fertilizers. A chicken manure infusion solution is also suitable. Soak the manure in water at a ratio of 1:5 and let it steep for a week.

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The infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. Apply it under each plant, making sure the solution does not come into contact with the plant.

Fertilizing ends in August, a month before harvesting. Chinese cabbage Cabbage can be left in the beds until the first frost (until October). Immediately after removal from the beds, the cabbage is wrapped in plastic and stored in a room with an air temperature of +2 to +4°C.

Chinese cabbage can be stored for 2-3 months.