Savoy Cabbage: Varieties And Agricultural Technology

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Plant savoy cabbage - you won't regret it

What kind of vegetable is this - savoy cabbage? I look at her and am surprised: the head of cabbage looks like the head of our usual white-headed lady, only the leaves are somehow chewed, as if they are badly crushed. It is not clear why she was born and who needs her? She lies on the counter of the hypermarket all so unhappy, with withered leaves, no one even looks at her.

She languished in the old days on the shelves, although her prices were penny. Everyone knows white cabbage. She does not stale in stores, everyone loves her and tries to grow her in their beds, choosing for her the best pieces of land among hundreds of hectares clogged with all sorts of plantings.

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But if you look closely, the Savoy cabbage is a miracle, how good it is, downright beauty. And not at all the leaves chewed on her, but simply bubbly, because the delicate soft tissues between the veins grow faster than these very veins. Bubbles are elastic and scattered over the leaf in a strictly defined order, which is set by the veins running away from the main leaf petiole. It turns out a curly structure, consisting of velvet leaves spread out in all directions with a loose head of cabbage in the center.

And yet, what is it about it that the prices for this cabbage have now skyrocketed, and only a few gourmets can afford to buy this vegetable brought from abroad? First of all, it's just delicious, but few people know about it. For some reason, everyone thinks that cabbage is cabbage, so it's better to eat white cabbage: it has been tested over the years.

Savoy cabbage became known in Russia as early as the 19th century, but it still cannot win the hearts of gardeners. Our gardeners always treat new crops with great prejudice, they don't even want to try anything new. They didn’t want to try potatoes, root celery, broccoli and even radishes, without which there are no vegetable gardens now. All this had to be implemented almost by force. Everyone was quite happy with the turnip.

Savoy cabbage will not be introduced by force. I would like to think that over time, people will appreciate its merits, as they have already begun to understand the benefits of, for example, broccoli, stalked celery and other crops. Of course, it has a big, according to our Russian concepts, drawback: it cannot be fermented for the winter, and fresh it is not stored for long. But broccoli is neither stored nor fermented. But it can be frozen. Savoy cabbage is also suitable for freezing: it fully retains all its useful properties.

Let's see, what are the benefits of savoy cabbage? After all, now it is considered fashionable to eat not only what is tasty, but also what is useful.

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Vitamins: Savoy cabbage is rich in vitamins and minerals - they are much more in it than in white cabbage. It is especially rich in vitamin C.

Vegetable proteins: there are twice as many of them in savoy cabbage than in the same white cabbage. Therefore, cabbage soup from it is much tastier, vegetable stews and cutlets - too.

This cabbage is valuable for dietary nutrition because the fiber in its leaves is very soft. It is especially attractive for the elderly, and is recommended for citizens with high blood pressure. In all developed countries, savoy cabbage in terms of usefulness unconditionally stands today at a higher level than white cabbage.

Is it difficult to grow it in home gardens? Is she capricious in our climate? Let's pay attention to the fact that this cabbage is superior to white cabbage in cold resistance. Thus, hardened seedlings can withstand frosts down to –4 ° С, adult cabbage - up to –6… -7 ° С. Frozen heads of cabbage usually go away if brought into a cool room.

Savoy cabbage is grown in the same way as cabbage, through seedlings. Seedlings of this cabbage are very light-requiring, i.e. in the future, a head of cabbage will be tied from it only if it has received a sufficient amount of solar energy. Such seedlings have a strong stocky appearance. If the seedlings are elongated, they will not tie the head.

It is very difficult to obtain high-quality seedlings on window sills, where the double dusty glass windows of city apartments absorb a significant part of the solar energy. Therefore, one should not rush to sow seeds. Better to wait for the opportunity to use a balcony, veranda or loggia, where there is a combination of healthy open sun and fresh air. This opportunity appears in late March - early April. It is not too late to sow seeds and in mid-April - this is already on your site, under a film or in a greenhouse. During the day, the film must be opened so that the sun illuminates the seedlings. Seedlings grown in such conditions are not afraid of any weather troubles - frost and snow, which sometimes falls on young seedlings.

Seeds for seedlings are sown to a depth of 0.5–1 cm according to a 3x5 cm scheme or individually - each plant in its own container with a volume of at least 200 ml. The crops are covered with glass or foil. In a few days, when shoots appear, the film can be removed, the crops can be placed in the brightest and coolest place - 10 … 12 ° С during the day and 5 … 6 ° С at night - these are the desired temperatures.

When the plants become crowded - usually in the phase of the first true leaf - the seedlings need to be cut open, preferably in separate pots. The root tip - about 1/3 part - can be pinched for better branching. If the seedlings are grown under a film in a summer cottage, the seeds can be sown less often - 5x10 cm - and do without picking.

Seedlings can be planted in open ground starting from the first decade of May. Before planting, it must be hardened, if it has not been accustomed to the open sun and wind in advance, otherwise it will receive ultraviolet burns and may even suffer from slight frosts.

The planting site of the Savoy cabbage must be illuminated by the sun all day, otherwise it will not tie heads. Only very short shading is permissible. Any soil is suitable, but always well moistened. In autumn, the site of future plantings must be dug to a depth of at least 30 cm. Chalk or lime must be added to acidic soils to bring the acidity to 5.5–5.6 pH. On fertile soils, this cabbage grows even at higher acidity, but it can suffer from keels. Poor soils must be well fertilized, because this cabbage, like white cabbage, gives good yields only on fertile soils. Therefore, it is necessary to add 1–2 buckets of manure or compost and 70–80 g of complete mineral fertilizer for each square meter of area.

Seedlings are planted according to the scheme 40x50 cm for early varieties and 50x60 cm for later varieties. It is advisable to do this in cloudy weather and better in the evening, when the plants have calmed down. When planting, the seedlings are buried to the first true leaves, watered abundantly and sheltered from the sun for several days until the seedlings take root. It is convenient to cover the seedlings with a large plastic bottle with a cut-off bottom. From the inside of the bottle, the plant is covered with a newspaper from the sun. During the day, the cork from the bottle is removed, at night they are put back on. A few days later, when the seedlings take root and start growing, the shelter must be removed completely, otherwise the seedlings will stretch out.

Caring for Savoy cabbage is exactly the same as for white cabbage: water, loosen, weed, huddle, collect cabbage and moth eggs, and fight slugs. If the soil is not very fertile, and the cabbage grows poorly, you can carry out 2-3 feeding with slurry, herbal infusion (nettle, horsetail), you can add mineral fertilizer to it - 1 tbsp. spoon on a bucket of infusion.

About varieties

In July, the earliest varieties of Savoy cabbage begin to spin the leaves into heads of cabbage: Zolotaya early - a variety resistant to cracking, gives consistently high yields. The same can be said about the variety Yubileinaya 2170. The new variety Pirozhkovaya produces cone-shaped heads of cabbage weighing up to 1 kg.

The early varieties of Savoy cabbage have one unpleasant characteristic - their tendency to flowering. Seedlings that have been sitting for a long time at low temperatures in May of 5 … 10 ° С can bloom before the formation of heads of cabbage. Therefore, in a cool spring, it must be covered with lutrasil in the beds for insulation.

Mid-season hybrids (no varieties): Hybrid F1Croma - gives dense heads of cabbage. Hybrid F1 Melissa gives stable yields, is resistant to cracking, well stored.

Medium late varieties. The old tried and tested variety Vertu 1340 - gives large heads of cabbage, resistant to cracking, but poorly stored. It is used for fresh consumption in the autumn-winter period. Dutch hybrid F1Ovass - resistant to adverse conditions, to many diseases. This is a very beautiful cabbage, velvety, with smooth heads of cabbage, usually 3-4 kg in weight. In warm summer, it behaves like a mid-season variety. You can't let him outgrow: he grew a little - and into the kitchen. Otherwise, pests can damage, and the head of cabbage can crack. Uralochka variety - heads of cabbage are quite dense, up to 2 kg. The leaves are large, strongly bubbly. Resistant to cracking.

Late varieties are ready at the end of September - October. Their heads of cabbage are larger and denser than those of the earlier varieties. Late varieties are well stored in the basement, only the outer leaves dry out.

This cabbage can be dried for the winter. To do this, cut the inner, thinnest and most delicate leaves into strips, dry them at a temperature of 50-60 ° C. At the same time, the leaves acquire a gray tint, however, when cooked, they become white.

There are many other very interesting varieties abroad, because this cabbage is very popular there. However, most of these varieties are slightly frost-resistant and love heat, which we do not have so much. But the above varieties grow very well with us. You can always find a place for them in the garden and plant Savoy cabbage instead of several heads of white cabbage. Gourmets should not miss this opportunity, and they will not regret such a replacement. After all, this cabbage is very good if it is skillfully cooked.

Read the next part. Savoy Cabbage Recipes →