Are cabbage seedlings afraid of frost?

We can no longer imagine our diet without cabbage. Someone prefers it fresh, but it is also good fermented, as well as boiled, stewed and even fried, separately and as part of assorted snacks and dishes. Cabbage gained its popularity due to its low calorie content and rich content of vitamins A, B1, B2, C, calcium. The vegetable is resistant to cold, which is important for the middle zone and northern latitudes. However, due to prolonged exposure to low temperatures, cabbage loses its nutritional value.

General temperature requirements

A comfortable temperature for growing cabbage is 15–20 ° C. Heat above +25 is oppressive, and the head of cabbage will not form in such heat. It is necessary to moisten the soil well and maintain a high humidity of the surrounding air. Seasoned seedlings are not afraid of spring frosts down to -5 °. In autumn, cabbage will withstand frosts down to –8 ° C.

Despite this, cabbage seedlings are susceptible to prolonged cold (below –10 ° C). In such conditions and with improper care, the vegetable often releases flower-bearing shoots. Normally, they appear only in the second year of the plant's life - this property is used to collect its own cabbage seeds.

If the peduncles appeared in the first year of life, they must be removed immediately, otherwise the cabbage will be unsuitable for food: the head of cabbage will not form, the plant will send all the nutrients to flowers and fruits to the detriment of foliage.

Advice! In order not to get flowers instead of heads of cabbage, experienced gardeners recommend growing cabbage from seeds, and not buying ready-made seedlings.

The right conditions for seeds and seedlings

Before sowing, the seeds are kept in cold water (+ 2 ° C) for 24 hours. This procedure increases germination and makes the culture hardy. There are already fully prepared cabbage seeds on sale, which are colored with bright colors. However, they will also need soaking if they have been stored for a long time.

Planting time is determined taking into account varietal characteristics and climatic conditions. The time required for growing seedlings is subtracted from the planned time of relocation to open ground.

Advice! It is recommended to disinfect seeds for planting. To do this, they are kept in hot water for 20 minutes, then immersed in cold water for 2 minutes and dried.

These terms are different for different varieties:

• in red and white cabbage - 50-60 days;
• broccoli - 45 days;
• color - 50 days;
• Savoyard - 30-50 days;
• kohlrabi - 35 days.

Based on this, early white and red varieties are planted in the middle lane on March 5-10, late species - on March 15-30, and mid-season varieties - around April 15-20. Colored and broccoli are planted in two runs: first on March 15, and then in the second half of May. By the end of April, Brussels sprouts are sown, and on March 15 - kohlrabi... Seedlings are grown in an open, lighted area.

Seedling soil composition

The seeds should be sown in soft, but not too loose seedling soil containing 80% peat, about 5% sand and 20% turf. It is recommended to add compost to improve the quality and fertility of the soil. For 10 liters of soil, you can also add 1 tbsp. l. lime, 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate, 3 tbsp. l. ash.

The soil mixture must be poured into containers for seedlings, thoroughly leveled and poured with a solution of potassium permanganate. On the surface of the earth, make grooves with an interval of 3 cm. The seeds are sown in these hollows with an interval of 1 cm and sprinkled with the same prepared soil. Pour gently with warm water.

A box with seedlings is placed on the windowsill, the soil is sprayed with water once a day.The seeds will sprout on the 5-7th day while maintaining the temperature of + 18-20 ° C. When sprouts appear, the box with cabbage is taken out to a cool room with a temperature not higher than + 7-8 ° C. If the seedlings are left in a warm place, then it will be reach out and most likely die.

Sapling picking technology

After 10 days, you need to pick. Before the procedure, cabbage seedlings should be watered with a solution of potassium permanganate. Then the seedlings are dived, seated in containers measuring 6 × 6 centimeters, which are filled with the same soil. Each bush must be deepened to the cotyledonous leaves.

Containers with dived seedlings are placed on the windowsill, where the temperature is + 17-18 ° C, for 4-5 days to take root. Then the temperature drops during the day to + 12-15 ° C, and at night - + 10 ° C-12 ° C. Watering the seedlings is performed when the soil dries up. Water temperature - + 18-20 ° C. The room must have good ventilation.

Caring for cabbage seedlings

In the first two weeks, the growth of seedlings is very slow, then it becomes active. Plants are planted with five to six true leaves. 2-3 weeks before moving to open ground, they begin to harden cabbage seedlings with low temperature and light. For this, containers in the daytime are taken out into the street or in a cold place.

Advice! It is not recommended to keep a box with cabbage seedlings at home. When you go to the dacha, take it with you. If the snow has not yet melted, then it is necessary to rake it out and put the box on cold soil. It is necessary to choose an open area heated by the sun. You can additionally install arcs on which to stretch the film. Under such conditions, the emergence of seedlings can be expected on the 10-12th day.

If there is a greenhouse in the garden, it is recommended to put a box with cabbage seedlings in it, while the installation of additional arches with a film is not required. An exception is necessary only for cauliflower seedlings, which do not tolerate frost. White-headed, savoy, Brussels sprouts and other varieties and species withstand cold down to -5 ° C.

The first foliar feeding is carried out when the seedlings have 2 true leaves. To do this, make an aqueous solution of a preparation containing trace elements. The next time the fertilizer is applied at the beginning of the hardening course, using a small watering can. For this, urea and potassium sulfate (one tablespoon each) are dissolved in 10 liters of water.

Landing in a permanent place

White cabbage is transplanted into the ground in the following terms:

• early maturing varieties - from April 20 to May 5;
• mid-season - May 21-31;
• late ripening - May 15-20.

The spacing between the rows of plants of an early variety should be 0.5 m, and the gap between bushes in a row should be 0.25 m.For mid-season and late varieties, these indicators are 0.6 m and 0.35 m, respectively. Planting is best done on a cloudy day. or evening time.

An hour or two before transplanting, the plants must be thoroughly watered with clean water. When moving into the hole, about a liter of water is poured, the seedlings are deepened to the lower true leaves and added dropwise. The seedlings should be shaded for the first three days. After 3-5 days, new ones are planted instead of dried bushes.

Advice! If your dacha has a capital glass greenhouse, sow cabbage with seeds right in it, and not in a box. Indeed, since early spring, the soil in the greenhouse is perfectly heated by the sun.

So, cold conditions for growing seedlings are the key to a healthy cabbage harvest, however, prolonged frosts should be avoided. By following our advice, you will have excellent viable cabbage seedlings that can develop into large, strong and tasty heads of cabbage.