Unusual heads of small-bubbled leaves can not only diversify your diet, but also add texture to a flower bed.
Savoy cabbage comes from the Mediterranean, and got its name from a small Italian county, whose inhabitants were actively engaged in its cultivation. This crop is a direct relative of white cabbage. In the first year of life, a biennial herbaceous plant forms a densely foliated stem from 15 to 40 cm high, and on it - a rosette of leaves and a head of oval, flattened or conical shape. There are also leafy species that form a bunch of apical leaves instead of a head of cabbage.
Savoy cabbage is attractive due to its unusual texture - its leaves are covered with a network of white veins and are covered with many bulges that create the effect of bubbles. It is painted in different shades of green, often with a bluish waxy coating.
How to grow savoy cabbage
There is an opinion that Savoy cabbage is more capricious than white cabbage and is more difficult to grow. However, in recent years, more and more gardeners are convinced that this is not so. The basic rules for sowing and caring for both types of cabbage are similar.
Like white cabbage, Savoy cabbage can be grown using seedlings or by direct sowing into the ground. It is better to sow early and mid-season cabbage varieties for seedlings (this allows you to reduce the time before harvesting), and late-ripening varieties can be sown directly into the beds.
Loose and moisture-intensive fertile soil with a neutral reaction (6.7-7.4 pH) is best suited for the crop. When planting on dense clay soil, you will need to add improvers - sand and peat. This can be done either in the spring, when preparing the bed, or in the fall, having also added organic fertilizers (compost, humus) and wood ash in advance to normalize acidity.
Savoy cabbage is unpretentious and quite cold-resistant, but for active growth and the formation of beautiful heads, it is better to plant it in a bright place, protected from gusts of wind. The optimal temperature parameters are considered to be 18-22 ° C, and regular watering helps to increase the yield.
Sowing savoy cabbage for seedlings
Savoy cabbage seeds are sown for seedlings approximately 35-40 days before the planned planting in the ground (the timing varies depending on the region). For sowing, you can use either a ready-made soil substrate from the store or a mixture of your own preparation. The key stage of preparation is the mandatory disinfection of the soil mixture by calcination or freezing.
To avoid the need for picking and minimize stress when transplanting seedlings to a permanent place, seeds can be immediately sown in individual containers. But sowing in a common seedling box with subsequent picking is also allowed.
A drainage layer of expanded clay should be placed on the bottom of the planting containers and the prepared soil should be poured in a layer of 4-5 cm. Then the seeds should be distributed over the surface of the soil and sprinkled on top so that they are buried no more than 1 cm. To create a greenhouse effect, the containers should be covered with film or a transparent lid, and then placed in a warm place until shoots appear.
The main care for crops consists of regular ventilation of the mini-greenhouse and timely moistening of the soil (do not allow it to dry out). After the shoots appear, the cover should be removed, and the containers with seedlings should be transferred to a bright room with a temperature of 12-17 ° C, protecting them from direct sunlight. With early sowing and short spring days, it is important to illuminate the plantings for 10-12 hours daily. Optimum maintenance temperature: during the day - 15-17 ° C, at night - 10-12 ° C.
Planting savoy cabbage in the ground
When sowing in nutritious soil, seedlings will not need additional feeding until planting in the garden bed. If the substrate is not "fat" enough, it is recommended to feed the seedlings about a week after picking with any liquid fertilizer for seedlings.
Since the "relocation" of Savoy cabbage to the garden bed occurs quite early (in late April - early May), then before planting in a permanent place, it is imperative to harden the seedlings. To do this, about two weeks before planting, the temperature in the room is lowered by frequent ventilation. Then the boxes are taken out to the balcony or greenhouse, leaving them there at first for an hour or two, and later increasing the time to a whole day.
Important! By the time of planting in the garden bed, the seedlings should have 2-3 pairs of true leaves and a fairly strong root system. The optimal height of the plants is 15-20 cm.
Savoy cabbage should be planted taking into account the "span" of its spreading leaves, leaving enough space for each plant. It is best to place the seedlings in a checkerboard pattern, determining the width between rows of 40-45 cm, and the distance between plants in a row of at least 35-40 cm (for early varieties of cabbage) and a maximum of 60 cm (for late varieties).
After watering and compacting the soil, the plantings can be mulched with compost or peat. If forecasters predict return frosts, then the planted plants should be covered with light agrotextile, stretching it over arcs.
Caring for savoy cabbage in a bed
As it grows, Savoy cabbage requires traditional care. It is recommended to water it infrequently (only after the top layer of soil dries out), but abundantly. Before the heads of cabbage begin to form, watering by sprinkling is allowed. It is also necessary to carry out 2-3 hillings per season so that the plants do not fall over under the weight of the heads of cabbage.
When grown on well-prepared soil (seasoned with organic matter, ash and complex fertilizers), two additional feedings during the growing season will be enough for Savoy cabbage.
The first time, fertilizers are applied 14 days after planting, using a mullein solution (1:10) with the addition of potassium humate.
A second feeding will be required in the initial phase of head formation - this time the plants can be watered with a solution of potassium monophosphate (1 teaspoon per 10 liters of water). It is useful to sprinkle the soil in the bed with wood ash - it will provide an additional portion of nutrition, and also protect the plantings from pests and diseases.
Savoy cabbage use and preparation
Savoy cabbage is used in fresh salads and stewed side dishes, for making cabbage rolls and as a filling for pies. The leaves of the "lacemaker" are not only beautiful - they contain a large number of vitamins and minerals, and in addition, there is no specific cabbage smell that many do not like.
Savoy cabbage is not suitable for fermentation - traditional sauerkraut cannot be made from it.
Cabbage of early maturing varieties is considered unsuitable for storage - it should be processed immediately after harvesting. Young heads of cabbage can be cut when they reach a weight of 500-800 g, to prevent them from cracking and rotting. With seedling cultivation, the time for the first harvest comes in June.
Late-ripening Savoy cabbage can be left in the beds until late autumn – frosts are not a problem for it. By the time of harvesting, the heads of cabbage reach quite large sizes and weigh up to 3 kg. It is believed that it is even useful to keep them "on the vine" at temperatures down to -6°C. For storing for the winter, it is worth choosing the heaviest heads – the larger the head, the longer it can be stored.
If you have already tried growing white cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and even Romanesco in the beds, it seems like it's time to add another type to your vegetable assortment.
