Cabbage is a vegetable from which you can make a lot of excellent salads. However, it is not only famous for its amazing taste, but also provides the body with nutrients and vitamins. Today there are a huge number of different varieties of vegetables, they are all just saturated with vitamins and differ in appearance. One of the most beneficial to the body is Chinese cabbage, which in recent years has become more and more popular among chefs from around the world.
Table of contents
What is Chinese cabbage?
Beijing cabbage is a biennial plant that is grown as an annual. Depending on the variety, it has leaves of a light yellow or bright green color. This plant is a loose head with juicy tender leaves that have a white vein. The edges of the leaves have a beautiful wavy or jagged shape.
The peculiarity of the variety is that it does not have a stalk. A head of cabbage plants are thrown into the soup or pickled, and the leaves are used mainly for the preparation of salads. Asia is famous for pickled Peking cabbage. They call this dish kimchi and many believe that it prolongs life.
Feature and history of origin of the vegetable
Beijing cabbage appeared in China a few thousand years ago, then it came to Korea and Japan, and over time spread to Asian countries. After some time, this vegetable became popular in Europe, as well as in our country.
Beneficial features
Why peking is becoming increasingly popular? This plant is a source of nutrients and vitamins. The main advantage of the variety is that even in winter it does not lose its vitamins and benefits the body.
The most important beneficial substances that are included in its composition include:
- protein;
- mineral salts;
- vitamins C, A, K, PP, and a group of vitamins B;
- amino acids;
- organic acids.
In addition, the "peking" has healing properties. She helps:
- in cardiovascular diseases;
- stomach ulcer;
- strengthens the immune system;
- prolongs the life of man.
The right way to plant Chinese cabbage at home
What a gardener does not dream to please himself and others with new achievements and grow Chinese cabbage at home. To grow this plant from seeds, you can plant them immediately in open ground, or you can grow seedlings first. Planting Chinese cabbage at home in Belarus and Moscow region and in the Urals and in Siberia follows the same pattern.
The only difference is when to start sowing the seeds and the time when the vegetable begins to bloom. If you decide to use the first method, then you should punch the holes 30 cm apart from each other and pour humus into them. Seeds are sown to a depth of no more than 2 cm. From above they are sprinkled with ashes and covered with foil. After a week you can see the first shoots.
Seed planting scheme
What to do and how to plant seeds in the country or in the garden to get a good harvest? It is necessary to choose the right time for planting. Duration of cabbage planting:
- spring from April 20 to April 20;
- in the summer from July 19 to August 9.
Growing and caring for seedlings
If you want to get an early harvest, then the “peking” for seedlings should be sown at the end of March. And if you want to enjoy the harvest in the winter, then the seedlings should be planted in the second half of June.
A loose soil is suitable for this plant, because for sowing it is best to use a mixture of humus (1 kg) with a coconut substrate (2 kg).
Seeds are immersed in the ground no more than 1 cm and put in a dark and warm room. When the first sprouts appear in 3 days, they should be transferred to the illuminated place.
It is necessary to care for Chinese cabbage no more than for usual white or color.
In general, the shoots will be ready for planting in a month, when they will have 4 leaves each.
Why not make a pick?
This plant does not like picking and takes a long time in a new place. Transplanting or planting seedlings while preserving the roots will not work. Getting used to the new place will take a long time. Therefore, it is not recommended to dive - it is better to initially sow in separate tanks or peat tablets.
When can be planted in open ground
Before planting seedlings in open ground, it must be hardened. To do this, take young sprouts to fresh air, first for a couple of hours, then gradually stay longer on the street. When they are able to spend a day on the street, then the seedlings will be ready for landing on a permanent place.
As for the soil for this vegetable, it should be well drained and loose. An excellent option would be loamy soil. In addition, the plant of this variety should not be planted on the place where tomatoes and beets were previously grown.
The ground for planting such a wonderful variety is beginning to be prepared in the autumn. To do this, dig up the soil and make it lime. When the soil is dug up in the spring, then humus is added to it.
How to grow and care for peking in the greenhouse
"Peking" feels great in the greenhouse. However, for this it is necessary to strictly follow 2 rules:
- Observe the temperature regime from 15 to 20 degrees - so an unheated greenhouse will not work;
- Humidity should be in the range of 70-80%.
If you do not comply with these standards, it may form a peduncle, as well as the plant will be exposed to various diseases.
The advantage of growing Chinese cabbage in a greenhouse is that you can independently adjust the length of the day and maintain the optimum temperature. A greenhouse will also help protect your crop from frost. And if it is heated at you, then you can grow this plant even in winter.
Care rules
This plant loves moisture, coolness and light.Particularly sensitive to temperature changes and frosts are young shoots. Therefore, in order to protect them and allow them to bloom, it is necessary to cover with a non-woven cloth.
In addition, the canvas will also protect the vegetable from direct sunlight on particularly hot days. And it also helps to remove excess moisture and hide the sprouts from the cruciferous flea that loves to profit from it. It will be useful to make and mulch the soil, which will retain moisture and prevent the emergence of weeds.
Fertilizing influence it fruitfully. The first feeding is carried out 14 days after planting in open ground.
Particularly useful infusions of chicken manure, grass or mullein. Under each plant poured a liter of this fertilizer. If cabbage was planted in the spring, then fertilizing should be carried out 3 times, and if in the summer, then 2 times.
If you want to get a good ovary, then it is necessary to drop 2 g of boric acid in a liter of hot water and in 9 l of cold water and treat it with a peking solution.
Harvesting and Storage
To vegetable lay in the cellar as long as possible, it is better to give preference to the varieties that are collected in September. And also the more leaves will remain with the head of cabbage, the longer the plant will be stored. In addition, it will lie longer if it is placed in a room with high humidity. In addition, each head is well wrapped in plastic wrap. It should also be every 14 days to inspect each head, remove dried or rotten leaves.
Cabbage can also be stored in the refrigerator or on the balcony. The main thing is that it does not form condensate, and the temperature does not fall less than 0 degrees.
In general, when storing cabbage on a balcony or refrigerator, you should follow the same rules as when stored in a cellar.
You should also know that the vegetable will lie in such conditions from 1 to 4 months. If you want it to last longer, you can use the following storage methods:
- leaven;
- drying;
- freezing.
The first method is sourdough. It is one of the easiest ways to store. The starter recipe is very simple: you need 10 kg of slaw to pour 600 ml of water and add 100 mg of vinegar, 2 tsp. salt and sugar, and also squeezed through a press 2 cloves of garlic. Further under the pressure, all this should be in a room with room temperature for about a day, and then 14 days in the cold.
To dry the peking, it is cut into strips and placed in an oven heated to 100 degrees and opened the door slightly. It will be ready in 4 hours, after which the dried vegetable is placed in cotton bags.
As you can see, Beijing cabbage is a wonderful plant that will look like decoration on any table. Do not be afraid to take up the cultivation of peking, because it is not picky in the care and very helpful. Therefore, each gardener should be allocated a place in his summer cottage Peking cabbage.
It seems to me that the photo is not Chinese cabbage, but leaf lettuce. On the Internet a lot of these photos of Beijing cabbage. Why did you need a photo of lettuce for peking?