Brassica oleracea
DESCRIPTION
Unbelievably beautiful, fast-growing and delicious leaves that are packed with beneficial nutrients: there are many reasons to grow this red-purple pointed cabbage! The leaves are best enjoyed raw or lightly blanched. This is a heritage variety dating back to the 19th century. Cover to protect against pests. Frost-resistant.
LIFE CYCLE: ONE YEAR
COLOR: REDDISH PURPLE
GROWING POSITION: SUN
SEEDS/BAG: APPROX. 50 PCS
PRE-CULTIVATION
SOWING TIME: MARCH-APRIL
SOWING DEPTH: 1 CM
GROOMING TIME: 5-15 DGR
FINAL PLANTING
PLANT SPACING: 45 CM
ROW SPACING: 45 CM
HARVEST FESTIVAL: APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS AFTER SOWING
GROWING AND HARVESTING LEAF CABBAGE Growing location : The pointed cabbage develops best in a sunny position with more than 6-7 hours of sun/day.
AT SOWING Sow the spike cabbage indoors in March-May depending on how early a harvest you want. Place the briquette in lukewarm water and let it swell. Place on a dish or growing tray. Stick a seed about 1 cm into the growing briquette and cover the seed with some of the briquette's coconut fibers. It can also be sown in smaller pots filled with seeding soil.
Mark the seeds with markers. Write the variety and date on the seeds to keep track of what was grown and when.
Cover the seeds with a transparent cover with air holes. Tip – use a greenhouse with a plastic lid and place a capillary mat in the bottom to provide an even and good water supply. Place on a heating floor or heating mat for extra fast germination.
Water regularly with lukewarm water throughout the season – the seeds should always be moist!
1-2 WEEKS AFTER SOWING Provide light. As soon as the seed has germinated and emerged, usually after 5-15 days, it needs a lot of light. Remove the cover and place in a bright and cooler place.
RETRAINING Replant the plant when it has 4 leaves, to give it more space. Plant it in a pot measuring approximately 10x10 cm, which is filled with nutritious soil. To get sturdy plants, cabbage can be planted slightly deeper in the soil when replanting and transplanting. Here the plant can then grow before it is time to transplant.
FINAL PLANTING Harden off when the risk of frost is over, which means slowly accustoming the plant to life outdoors
. Start with an hour or so each day and gradually increase the time outdoors. Avoid direct sunlight, which is too strong for the tender leaves. After a week or so, it is ready for permanent life outdoors.
Plant the plant in its growing location, for example in the open field or on a pallet collar, with 45 cm plant spacing and 45 cm row spacing in nutrient-rich planting soil. See below for more information on how to prepare the growing location.
Provide water and nutrients . Spring cabbage has a high need for water and nutrients. Therefore, make sure to continuously provide nutrients in the form of manure - see more information here about fertilizer
Fertilizer - New Botanic Protect . Unfortunately, caterpillars from various types of butterflies love cabbage. The best protection is to cover the crop with cabbage netting to keep the bugs away. Harvest . Spring cabbage is harvested when the heads are full grown but not yet cracked. Harvest preferably in the morning when the cabbage has collected liquid, making the entire plant firm and crispy. Refrigerate as soon as possible after harvest for best quality and shelf life. PREPARE EXISTING GROWING SITE Clear weeds and loosen the soil with a hoe, 20-30 cm deep.
Fertilize. Mix the soil with fertilizer, e.g. pelleted chicken manure or vegetable fertilizer. Dose according to the information on the packaging. You can also fertilize with well-rotted manure from e.g. horse or cow. Cow manure can also be purchased in bags and dosed according to the instructions on the bag. For well-rotted manure from stables: 1-3 liters/m2 (depending on the amount of litter in the manure and how well it is well-rotted).
Improve the soil. For extra good structure, you can add compost, bark mulch or biochar. The advantage of well-rotted manure is that it also adds structure and humus to the soil. If you use pelleted manure, make sure to improve the soil extra.
PREPARE NEW GROWING SITE/PALLET COLLAR/POT Grow in pallet collars. A standard pallet collar, 80x120 cm, holds about 200 l. For most crops, 2 pallet collars on top of each other are sufficient. Recipe for soil for a double pallet collar: 5 bags of potting soil, 2 bags of cow manure, 1 bag of biochar
.
