Peking cabbage is the vegetable that makes excellent salads. She has an amazing taste, it is enriched with various vitamins and nutrients. To date, breeders have bred varieties of this crop that are similar in composition, but have a completely different appearance.

Peking cabbage is one of the healthiest vegetables for the human body. Every year it is gaining more and more popularity; many use it to prepare signature dishes.

General information about culture

Peking cabbage is a biennial plant, but it is grown using the same methods as for an annual crop. The vegetable has a light yellow or bright green foliage tint. The cabbage has juicy, tender leaves with a white vein, the head of cabbage has a loose structure. The leaves of the vegetable have a serrated or beautiful wavy shape at the edges.

A distinctive feature of Peking cabbage is the absence of stalk. When preparing soups or pickled dishes, you can safely use the head of this vegetable, and cabbage foliage is used for nutritious salads. Pickled Chinese cabbage is especially popular in Asia, here such a dish is called kimchi. Most Asians believe that if you eat kimchi, you can prolong your life.

Chinese cabbage

The country of origin of this type of cabbage is China, after which it was actively cultivated in Japan and Korea. After a while, the culture became popular in Asia as well as in many European countries. Now the culture is grown even in the Urals and in central Russia.

The composition of Peking cabbage is replete with vitamins and nutrients. The main advantage of this type is that the vegetable is able to maintain its useful qualities in the winter season. Cabbage is useful for the human body, since its composition includes the following components:

  • mineral salts and amino acids;
  • organic acids;
  • proteins;
  • vitamins of group C, K, A and B.

Doctors often note the healing properties of Peking cabbage, with the help of which it is quite possible to strengthen the immune system and heal gastric ulcers. For diseases of the cardiovascular system, experts recommend that patients include Peking cabbage in their diet.

Note! The vegetable contains lysine, which cleanses the blood and helps to destroy foreign proteins.

Features of growing Chinese cabbage

Planting a vegetable is possible both as a seedling method in open ground conditions, and in the form of seedlings, which are pre-grown in greenhouses.

Planting cabbage in open ground with seedlings according to the lunar calendar

In the process of planting cabbage in open ground, it is necessary to first dig the planting holes, maintaining a distance of at least 30 cm, after which they need to be fertilized with humus. The sowing depth of planting material should be no more than 2 cm, and on top of the seeds it will be necessary to sprinkle with rotted ash and cover with a greenhouse film. The first shoots are fixed after one week.

To get a good harvest, the seeds of Peking cabbage can be planted in the garden, but the stage of the right timing is very important here. Seeds should be sown in the second half of spring, namely from April 1 to April 20, or in the summer season - in the 20th of July to August 10 inclusive.

In order to obtain an early harvest of a vegetable, seedlings can be grown, the seeds for which are sown in the month of March.

Important! At the end of June, seedlings are planted only if homemade preparations for the winter will be prepared from it.

This culture prefers loose soil more, it is for this reason that when sowing it is always recommended to mix humus and coconut substrate in a 1: 2 ratio. The depth of immersion of seeds in the soil is usually 1 cm, and the planting container with soil should be stored in a warm and dark room, which is hidden from pets and children. As soon as the first shoots appear, they need to provide sufficient light by transferring the seedling pots to a place that is well lit.

Watering the seedlings is necessary only after the final drying of the upper earthen coma. A couple of days before the intended planting of seedlings in the ground, it is necessary to stop watering the plant. After a month, it is possible to plant Peking cabbage in open ground.

Planting Chinese cabbage

There is no need to resort to culture picking, it does not like new places and takes root very badly on them. Seating or replanting a plant so as not to disturb the root system will not work. You can replace the picking procedure by sowing seeds into peat tablets or separate containers. Before planting Chinese cabbage seedlings in the soil, it needs to be hardened. Young plants must be kept in the fresh air for 2 hours, after which this time increases. Cabbage should be planted in a permanent place only when it can spend exactly 24 hours outside.

It is recommended to choose a loose and well-drained soil for planting a crop.

Important! Beets and tomatoes are a bad predecessor and neighbor for Peking cabbage, so it is strictly forbidden to plant it in areas after these vegetables.

Experienced gardeners recommend preparing a garden bed for planting from early autumn, digging up the soil and fertilizing it with lime. Re-digging will be needed with the onset of spring, and humus is often used for fertilization.

Excellent conditions for "Peking" are created in the greenhouse. Growing cabbage in a greenhouse requires strict adherence to two points:

  • exclude the use of unheated greenhouses, since you need to adhere to a certain temperature regime - 15-20 degrees above zero;
  • the air should be humid - the norm is about 80 percent.

Failure to comply with the above rules will lead to the formation of a peduncle, and the risk of cabbage being affected by various diseases will increase several times.

Gardeners prefer the greenhouse method of growing Chinese cabbage for several reasons, including self-regulation of daylight hours and maintaining the optimum temperature. Greenhouses also protect crop sprouts from severe frosts, and if the room is insulated, this will make it possible to grow vegetables in the winter.

On a note! The plant is especially sensitive to temperature extremes and frosts, especially at a young age. It is imperative to use a non-woven fabric so that the cabbage is not injured and blooms in time.

Protecting the culture with a canvas helps the vegetable not be afraid of heat and direct sunlight in summer, as well as excess moisture. The sprouts will be hidden from parasites such as the cruciferous flea, which feed on cabbage juice. The soil mulching method retains moisture, preventing weeds from actively growing.

You can achieve excellent yields by pouring warm water on cabbage once every 7 days.

Saplings

Regular feeding has a beneficial effect on the vegetable. It is recommended to resort to the first feeding 2 weeks after the seedlings have been planted in the ground. Grass, chicken droppings or mullein are chosen as fertilizers; each sprout of cabbage requires 1 liter of such a mixture. If the crop was planted in April, then you need to feed it no more than 3 times, and if in June - no less than 2 times.

To obtain good ovaries, it is recommended to act according to the scheme and prepare such a remedy: mix 9 liters of cold water with 1 liter of hot water, and dissolve boric acid (2 g) in it, thoroughly spray the cabbage with the resulting mixture.

Correct collection and storage of crops

Cabbage varieties for Siberia: open ground

It is worth noting that late-ripening Peking cabbage, which ripens in the second half of September, has a long shelf life. If there is enough leaves on the head of cabbage, the cabbage will be stored for a long time in a room where the air humidity is high. Each head of Peking cabbage must be protected with a layer of plastic wrap. Every day, you need to inspect the cabbage for rotten or dried leaves, which are removed if necessary.

Important! It is strictly forbidden to store Chinese cabbage next to apples, the compatibility of these crops is reduced to zero. A substance that is part of apples can harm a vegetable and cause it to wither.

A balcony or refrigerator is used to store the resulting crop. There should be no condensation on the balcony, otherwise the vegetables may simply rot. Cabbage can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 4 months. Freezing, souring or drying methods can increase the shelf life of the crop.

When drying "Peking" it should be cut into strips and placed in the oven, which has been preheated to 100 degrees, the door must be left ajar. After 4 hours, the cabbage is fully cooked.

Peking cabbage is a wonderful healthy plant that serves as a decoration for any festive table. Growing it is not at all difficult, since it does not require special care. The culture is distinguished by its unique taste and useful properties. Every gardener should know how to plant Peking cabbage in open ground and try to grow it on his own in his garden plot.