Best Time and Way to Grow Cabbages
Cabbage is one of the most crucial vegetables in America. Growing cabbage is not that hard; in fact, it is very easy to grow cabbage. Last year, I grew cabbages in my garden and yielded much better than expected. Today, I will try to share my experience with you.
Best Time to Plant
There are actually three kinds of cabbage: winter cabbage, spring cabbage, and summer cabbage. For the last few years, I have grown all types of cabbage. Winter cabbage can be planted from April to May. If you ask me, I always planted winter cabbage according to the weather; most of the time, I planted cabbage in mid-April. As for spring cabbage, July to August is the perfect time to plant it. Last year, I also grew spring cabbage in my small garden, and the yield was pretty good. It actually takes 5 to 6 weeks for seedlings to mature. When seedlings have at least 3 to 4 leaves, it is the perfect time to plant them into the ground.
Soil Preparation
Soil is the most important factor for growing crops. Not just cabbage, but if you wish to plant any kind of vegetable, you must prepare the soil. Now let’s talk about how to prepare the soil. First of all, cabbage grows well in moist soils. We need to prepare moist soil before planting. So, we have to make the soil light. First, the land should be plowed 4 or 5 times with a tractor, and the required fertilizer should be evenly sprinkled on the land and mixed with the soil. After preparing the soil, we have to make beds to plant cabbages. The beds should be made 15–20 cm high and one meter wide from the ground. We also need to make a distance of about 30 cm between beds, and a drain should be kept between the beds.
Planting Methods
For planting cabbages, you can create your own grower or buy from a nursery. In my opinion, you should buy growers from a nursery because, if you ask me, making your own grower is a very difficult task. There is also no guarantee that you will get good-quality grower from your garden. So, you should buy grower from a nursery. How do you know that seedlings are ready to plant? Well, it’s pretty easy. To grow seeds into seedlings takes about 5 or 6 weeks. When you see that the seedlings have 3 or 4 adult leaves, then you should plant them in the ground. Afternoon is the perfect time to plant seedlings. Now, plant your seedlings into the prepared ground, leaving about 30 cm between each seedling. Then, you have to properly firm your cabbages into the ground and water the seedlings generously. Also, you should remember that you should not use too much force while planting, as that can damage your seedlings’ roots.
Use of Fertilizer
Fertilizer is a must-have for every kind of crop and vegetable. If you wish to have a better yield, you must use fertilizer and organic fertilizer. During soil preparation, we have to use both fertilizer and organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer is essential for faster growth. Last year, I planted cabbages on my 1/100 acre of land and used 150 kg of organic fertilizer, 1 kg of urea, 800 g of TSP, and 650 g of MOP. After sowing, 20–25 days later, you have to use urea and MOP fertilizer. And remember, light irrigation is needed after each fertilization.
Taking Care
If you wish to have a better yield from your cabbage garden, one thing you must do is take care of it. Without taking care, it’s very difficult to have a good yield. Sometimes rain can be a problem for a cabbage garden. If there is too much water on the land due to rain, you have to remove the water as quickly as possible. You also have to remember that water should not accumulate on the land for a long time. After 20 to 25 days of sowing, you have to remove the weeds from the land.
Harvest
Harvesting cabbage is a very easy task. There are actually various types of cabbage, such as winter cabbage and summer cabbage. If you plant summer cabbage, you will have a good harvest in late summer or late fall. Although cabbage can grow fast, it can be ready for harvest in 60 to 90 days. However, other cabbages, such as red cabbage or purple cabbage, take 180 days to grow. After 180 days, red cabbage or purple cabbage should be ready for harvest.
