How to grow cabbages in a hot and dry climate
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When I exalt the merit of cabbage , I adjudicate to limit myself , but it ’s a tough task . Besides containing an astonishingly gamy amount of vitamin C , cabbage is also the most productive brassica per square pes , and its look can be pleasurably sweet , especially if it weathers a few frosts . But because chilly weather sweetens cabbage , many tender - clime gardeners do n’t bother with it .
I do . I grow bread in hot , dry , Sacramento , California . Although I make a special effort , I would n’t call it a bother . I apply sensible growing techniques for red-hot clime , most of which work in other zone .
Last summertime , I drop dead on a pursuit to find wampum that would originate well in my climate and work well in my kitchen . I grew five types — a flat ( or drum ) head , a cone-shaped head , a red , a savoy , and a tripping - green pear-shaped straits — each mean for a different culinary use .
Of kings and coles
To make cabbage recipes suitable of the regal table , you need the right bread for the correct design . Red cabbage ’s vibrant color and beauty good will any garden . And in the kitchen , our all - time favorite moolah recipe is red cabbage braise in wine with sausage . regrettably , cerise cabbage has always been hard to grow well here , so I chose four to see which would produce the best fountainhead : ‘ Red Rodan ’ , ‘ Scarlet O’Hara ’ , ‘ Bountiful Garden Red ’ , and ‘ Rougette ’ .
Coleslaw needs a tight - head clams that crack when turn off . That way you sleep together it will stay crunchy . ‘ Early Jersey Wakefield ’ bring in this category and is usually the first clams of the time of year to be harvested . In search of the sodding coleslaw sugar for hot climates , I take ‘ Copenhagen Market ’ , a round - head , and ‘ Rio Verde ’ , a crunchy cabbage with a conical condition .
savoy cabbage are a must for stuffed cabbage . Their large , slackly wad leave make them well-heeled to devise as whole , stuffed heads , or with single leaves removed and occupy . ‘ Red Verone ’ savoy is my current favorite , but to extend the time of year I decide to try ‘ January King ’ and ‘ Chieftain ’ savoy .
Sauerkraut require a full-grown , unshakable head word without too much colour . Last yr ’s sauerkraut was too green , credibly because there were too many outer leaves on minuscule head . I decided to judge ‘ Early Dutch compressed Head ’ , ‘ Copenhagen Market ’ , and ‘ Titanic ’ , all regard as to be first-class for sauerkraut .
Shifting the season to beat the heat
Winter here lie of some fog and pelting with temperatures ranging from 30 ° to 60 ° atomic number 9 . Those nippy days that dulcify cabbage and Brussels sprouts are few if any . Summer afternoon are frequently in the 100s . Spring - seed genus Brassica never produce anything deserving eat up — it ’s just too spicy . The time for me to engraft is August through former September , for cabbage that ’s ready to eat from November through early February .
nerveless - mood gardeners should clock their planting so the cabbage matures during those weeks with nerveless temperatures . To calculate this date , you involve to know whether the moolah you are growing is an early- , mid- , or late - time of year variety . Early - season kind mature in 60 to 80 days , mid - season eccentric in 80 to 90 day , late - time of year in 90 to 110 days .
When I constitute in August , transplants are not an option . The greenhouse is too spicy , and plant do n’t burgeon forth well . unmediated seeding works much well but requires some extra labor . With good bed provision , mulch , and irrigation , cabbage can be coaxed up even in the August heat .
I prepare my beds in July , digging in compost made from flat coat - up tree clippings and rabbit manure . Because cabbage is a heavy feeder , I propagate extra rabbit manure over the planting beds , along with a 2 - in . layer of mulch .
After mulch the bed , water it well to keep the soil coolheaded and speed germination . Pull away the 2 - in . layer of mulch in rows about 20 in . apart . Dig 2 - in.-deep jam in the soil , space at 12 - in . interval . Gently firm the ground to control the seed wo n’t sink farther . Place five seeds at the bottom of each hole and track them with a tablespoon of damp soil and ¼ cup of rice hulls or vermiculite , which do n’t compact , making it easy for the seedling to push through . Germination have three to five day .
Each plant needs plenty of growing room to reach its potential . So as soon as the seedling germinate , snip off all but two plants . Do n’t pull out the excess seedlings because you might damage those remaining . Keep the dirt damp but not wet . When the seedlings have two rightful leaves snip off the modest plant . Do not transplant . You require all of the benefits of direct seeding so do n’t disturb your plants .
During the next two calendar month , your dinero will grow freehanded loose leaves and then begin to form heads . mourning band are not much of a trouble with decent mulch . changeless attending to water keeps the plants growing cursorily . If you do not have a rich compost manure , give the cabbages weekly feedings of half - forcefulness Pisces the Fishes photographic emulsion .
Pesky cabbage butterflies
By far the biggest pest for my brassicas is the white cabbage butterfly and her full cousin . In climates where heat is not a problem , the entire seam can be covered after seeding with spun polyester row blanket . This prevents butterflies from laying testicle on the new industrial plant . Some gardeners also try out using butterfly stroke nets to catch the butterflies for squishing .
Row blanket keep cabbage moths from laying eggs on plants .
shekels protected under row screen .
Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt ) is an effective organic control . It will stamp out many dissimilar kinds of caterpillars , so use it selectively or you may also kill the butterfly you relish . Bt is most effective sprayed in the early morning or evening . Be certain to spray the total works , include the undersides of the leaves . Monitor the damage and keep a practiced perspective on the problem . Plants with six or more leaves can well deal with 15 % of the leaf surface being eat on . inordinate damage requires repeat spray . Rain or overhead watering laundry off the Bt , take a leak additional spray necessary .
As soon as the plants have 6 - in . heads , pull off one of the leaves near the forming head and taste . If the leafage is beginning to sample sweet and crunchy , the cabbage will be quick before long . If not , be patient and wait for the discernment to mellow . The plants will store sugar in response to cooler conditions . When the cabbages are ready to harvest , take a sharp tongue and cut the head off the industrial plant . I pull up the plants after the capitulum is harvested , but you may lead them in the ground , and several golf game - formal - sizing , loose - folio head will spring up just below the cut .
Picking the winners
In late January I picked the success of the yr ’s trials . It was really tardily in the red wampum family . ‘ Bountiful Garden ’ and ‘ Rougette ’ give out to bring out any solid heads . ‘ Red Rodan ’ bring forth a very little but tight 4 - in . head . ‘ Scarlet O’Hara ’ was all-encompassing with a 6 - in . tight headspring and was the most colorful of the red ; it gets my voter turnout .
‘ Early Jersey Wakefield ’ was the early coleslaw dough and made tasty but strongly flavored slaw . In a cooler climate , the strong taste would in all probability be mitigated . ‘ Copenhagen ’ was a disappointment . The heads were tight and crunchy , and the smell was mild , but moulding billet appear throughout the leaves . ‘ Rio Verde ’ had a mild tone but did n’t mold tight heads . ‘ Titanic ’ was three workweek later than ‘ Early Jersey Wakefield ’ and had fuddled head and a nice modest tone .
‘ Red Verone ’ still claim top charge in the savoy category . The heads are nicely formed , the color outstanding , and the flavor soft . ‘ January King ’ savoy had small , tight heads . ‘ Chieftain ’ savoy had very loose heads that were not well formed , but the leaf had a lovely texture that wait great in the garden .
‘ Early Dutch Flat Head ’ produced decent head for sauerkraut . ‘ Titanic ’ also did well . The heads were tight , heavy , and tear up easily . The sauerkraut made from both varieties fermented nicely .
Next year ’s selections ? ‘ Early Jersey Wakefield ’ for early slaw ; ‘ Titanic ’ to continue the season ; ‘ Scarlet O’Hara ’ for the best of the reds ; ‘ Red Verone ’ savoy cabbage for stuffing ; and either or both ‘ Early Dutch two-dimensional Head ’ or ‘ Titanic ’ for sauerkraut .
Pick a stack from the cabbage while when heads firm up and sweeten . From left to right wing : ‘ Scarlet O’Hara ’ , ‘ Early dutch Flat Head ’ , ‘ Titanic ’ , ‘ Chieftain ’ savoy , ‘ Red Verone ’ savoy .
You can grow cabbages in both hot and cool climates if you adjust your planting schedule to the prevailing conditions.Photo: Boyd Hagen
‘ Red Verone ’ savoy is a regal knockout with a mild flavor .
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A 2-inch layer of rice hulls provides protection from drying or burning out.
Row covers keep cabbage moths from laying eggs on plants.
Cabbage protected under row covers.
Pick a batch from the cabbage patch when heads firm up and sweeten. From left to right: ‘Scarlet O’Hara’, ‘Early dutch Flat Head’, ‘Titanic’, ‘Chieftain’ savoy, ‘Red Verone’ savoy.
‘Red Verone’ savoy is a regal beauty with a mild flavor.
