Everyone knows Chinese cabbage, mostly from Asian cuisine. However, growing Chinese cabbage in your own garden is not as common in this country as planting lettuce, tomatoes or herbs. Growing Chinese cabbage is not difficult.
How to grow Chinese cabbage in the garden?
Chinese cabbage can be easily grown in the garden by planting it in a wind-protected, sunny or partially shaded location in late July to early August, fertilizing regularly, keeping the soil moist and protecting it from pests such as cabbage white butterflies. The harvest takes place from October to November.
Right time
You plant Chinese cabbage at the end of July, at the beginning of August at the latest, as a secondary crop after early potatoes, early peas or strawberries.
You can grow the young plants yourself from seeds or buy them ready-made.
Some commercially available varieties:
- Garnet
- Bilko F1
- Richi F1
- Parkin F 1
- Green Rocket F1
It is important not to plant the cabbage too early (otherwise it will bloom) and not too late (otherwise the head will no longer be able to develop).
Correct location
Chinese cabbage prefers a sunny or partially shaded location protected from the wind. Since it is a heavy feeder, it is recommended to dig up the bed beforehand with compost or manure. Bush beans, peas, lettuce, spinach and carrots ensure a he althy coexistence in the bed.
A little care
Due to the rapid development of cabbage, regular fertilizer application (approx. every 10-14 days) is necessary. Even more important is keeping the soil sufficiently moist to counteract the infestation of flea beetles (€17.00 on Amazon), which can damage Chinese cabbage.
Regularly checking the leaves and stretching bird protection nets over the plants helps against the cabbage white butterfly, which likes to lay its eggs on the underside of young cabbage plants.
Plants affected by club root will wilt and become stunted. The only solution here is to completely remove the affected plants.
A bountiful harvest
Chinese cabbage can be left on the bed for a long time as it can tolerate light frost. As soon as firm heads have formed, they can be harvested from October to November in frost-free weather. You take the cabbage with the roots out of the ground and plant it in moist sand in the cellar, where it stays until January. It stays fresh and crunchy in the fridge for a few weeks.
Tips & Tricks
Anyone who plants Chinese cabbage in the garden must note that cabbage beds must be left to rest for 2 to 3 years before they can be planted with cabbage again. Therefore, if you are content with 5-10 plants, then no crop rotation plan is necessary.