No more buying: how to grow Chinese cabbage in the garden

Tasty and healthy Chinese cabbage can be grown in the garden. Experts note that the content of nutrients in Chinese cabbage is twice as high as in white cabbage. The plant does not have a characteristic cabbage flavor and odor, which is why it is widely used in fresh salads.

Chinese cabbage is a source of fiber, protein, amino acids, antioxidants, macro- and microelements. OBOZ.UA figured out how to grow this healthy vegetable in the garden.

Agronomic features of Chinese cabbage

• Planting period in open ground: May.
• Harvesting period: until October.
• Vegetation period: 50-70 days.

First of all, you should pay attention to the rules of crop rotation. Chinese cabbage can be planted in the beds where legumes, onions, garlic, pumpkins, and tomatoes grew last year. But after radish, turnip, and mustard, cabbage will not produce well.

Where to plant Chinese cabbage

Chinese cabbage should be planted on fertile, moist soils with a pH of 5-7. The crop will grow better on sandy loam and loamy soils rich in organic matter. It is better to prepare the site in advance in the fall by applying organic and mineral fertilizers.

You should not plant Chinese cabbage in freshly dug soil. Loose soil should be slightly compacted.

Optimal temperature

The most favorable temperature for growing is from +13 to +21°C, but the seeds begin to germinate at +4°C.

The seedling method of cultivation is best suited for the cultivation of this species. Seedling planting scheme: two- or three-line, in a row - plants every 20-30 cm, row spacing 30-35 cm, distance between rows - 60-70 cm.

It is better to plant plants in a row twice as often, and then thin out, using the thinned leaves for food.

Features of caring for Chinese cabbage

Care includes:

• weeding weeds;
• loosening row spacing;
• regular moderate watering;
• fertilizing;
• pest and disease control.

Experienced gardeners distinguish three stages of fertilizing Chinese cabbage. Mineral fertilizers should be applied every 20 days after planting seedlings.

The following scheme is optimal:

• the first feeding is the introduction of ammonium nitrate;
• second fertilization - ammonium nitrate + a complex of potassium-magnesium fertilizers;
• the third feeding is potassium sulfate.

Organic fertilizers will also come in handy. Approximately 14 days after planting in the open ground, cabbage can be fertilized with one of the fertilizers:

• Mullein infusion (diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10);
• infusion of chicken manure (1:20);
• herbal infusion (1:9).

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