Many gardeners want to grow not only the usual vegetable crops, but also not so often found. Brussels sprouts are not some kind of exotic, but not everyone grows them. To get a good harvest, you need to work a little. In familiarization with the features of agricultural technology of this culture, this review will come to your aid.

The origin and description of the culture

Thanks to the work of Belgian vegetable growers, an unusual vegetable appeared, called Brussels sprouts. Later, she “migrated” to Germany, Holland and France. In the middle of the XIX century it appeared in Russia, but did not receive much popularity. Outwardly, it is very different from the usual leaf relative.

Consider what this plant looks like:

• stem height up to 50-60 cm;
• the stem is studded with medium-sized leaves located on thin petioles;
• small (up to 10–20 g) heads are formed at the base of leaves;
• on one instance grows to 40 or more fruits.

Brussels sprouts - a two-year-old plant. In the first year, heads are formed on it, and in the second year, flower-bearing shoots are formed on it. After pollinating yellow flowers collected in a brush, pods with a large number of small seeds are formed (in 1 g there are up to 200-300 pieces).

Did you know? On the island of Jersey, which is located in the English Channel, grows "Jersey" cabbage. It has a height of up to 4 m and edible leaves. But locals mainly use its stems, which are used to make furniture parts.

Popular cultivars

Among the most popular varieties include:

• Boxer (F1). Medium late variety bred in the Netherlands. Technical maturity occurs 140 days after disembarkation. Dense, medium-sized heads have a round shape. The quantity of products from 1 m² is about 1.5–1.7 kg. It is characterized by increased resistance to disease and low temperature;
• Hercules bred in Russia. This is a late-ripening variety, from sowing to harvest takes about 150-160 days. On a stem about 50-60 cm high, up to 30 salad-colored heads are formed, weighing up to 10 g. Yield is about 0.4-0.5 kg per 1 m². Resistant to cold and disease;
• Dolmik (F1). The homeland of origin is considered the Netherlands. This is one of the early varieties. Goosebumps are green-yellow in color, weighing about 17–20 g. Harvest from 1 m² within 2–2.5 kg. The product is used fresh and is also used for freezing;
• Curl - late ripening (170 days) variety bred in the Czech Republic. On a high (up to 0.9 m) stem, up to 35 heads ripen, weighing about 15 g. Yield - 2.4 kg / m²;
• Casio - Another variety of Czech selection. Refers to varieties of medium ripening (185 days). Goabies, weighing up to 10 g, are placed on the stem in the amount of 60–70 pieces. From 1 m² you can collect about 2-3 kg of products;
• Rosella - German variety, medium early (160 days) ripening period. On the bush, up to 50 fruits ripen weighing about 13 g. The value of the variety is in the friendly ripening of the crop (up to 1.7 kg per 1 m²). It is used fresh and for processing.

Optimal timing for growing

Depending on the type of cabbage, planting seeds for seedlings is somewhat different in timing. From mid-March, you can sow early varieties, and later - after April 10. Seedlings are planted in open ground from mid-May to early June.

Growing brussel sprouts

The growing season of Brussels sprouts lasts from 120 to 180 days (depending on the variety). Therefore, in order to get a full crop, it must be grown from seeds through seedlings. Let's consider this process in stages.

Growing seedlings

You can grow seedlings in a greenhouse, in a nursery, on a glazed balcony or loggia, and even on a windowsill.

The most important thing is to adhere to certain rules:

• the soil must be nutritious and loose. You can use a mixture of peat, sand and turf (1 part each);
• if desired, you can prepare the seeds for sowing, which consists of 15 minutes warming up in water (+ 50 ° C), then lower the seeds for a couple of minutes in cold water and soak for 10 hours in a solution of growth regulators (for example, "Zircon" or “Albit”), and then put it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for another day. After this, the seeds need to be slightly dried at room temperature so that they become crumbly and can be sown;
• the seeds are planted to a depth of about 1 cm according to a pattern of approximately 3 × 6 cm. Separate containers can be used. Plantings are watered with a warm, slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate;
• the temperature during this period is maintained at + 20 ° C. After emergence, it decreases to + 7 ° C during the day and about + 12 ° C at night. Humidity - within 70%;
• before the seedlings appear, light has no special role, but the seedlings that have appeared need to be provided with good lighting so that they do not stretch out;
• if seedlings do not grow in individual containers (pots or plastic or peat glasses), then they need to be dived. This is done in the phase of the first true leaf. To do this, they are well watered and removed with a lump of earth, transferring to a separate container. In this case, you can shorten the central root. The seedling is buried in the ground to cotyledon leaves;
• when 2 of this leaf appears, seedlings can be fed with a mixture of urea (15 g), potassium chloride (10 g) and superphosphate (15 g), diluted in 10 l of water;
• Irrigation is carried out as necessary with water at room temperature so that the soil is moistened, but not too wet;
• 14 days before planting in a permanent place, seedlings begin to harden. If it grows in a greenhouse, it is necessary to carry out ventilation, and if in containers, then take it to the street, in a place protected from drafts. Hardening time is gradually increasing.

Important! When picking or transplanting cabbage, you can not fill the plant above the cotyledon leaves, they should be above the surface of the soil.

Preparation of a plot for planting seedlings

In the garden for Brussels sprouts, plots that meet the following requirements are selected:

• the beds should be well lit, this vegetable does not like shading;
• soil enriched with organic matter, water- and breathable, with a reaction pH of at least 5.5. Loam with a pH of 6.7–7.4 is considered optimal;
• if vegetables have not yet been grown in the garden, then it is advisable to add a mixture of humus (1 bucket), 2 cups of ash and 0.5 cups of nitrophoska per 1 m². For disinfection, 1 or 2 weeks before planting, you can use the biological product "Fitosporin" (according to the instructions). The site is being dug up;
• The best precursors for the plant are legumes, grains, cucumbers or carrots. It is not advisable to plant after any cruciferous (cabbage, radish, radish, turnip).

Since Brussels sprouts grow slowly, gardeners often grow various vegetables in its aisles. Carrots, beets, beans, peas, spinach or celery get along well, but the proximity to onions or potatoes is undesirable.

Rules for planting seedlings

From mid-May, when about 5 true leaves appear near the seedlings, you can begin to plant it in the garden.

Let's figure out how to properly transplant plants:

• 7 days before transplanting, watering is stopped, and immediately before the process, seedlings are watered well;
• transplantation is carried out in the evening or on a cloudy day;
• having chosen the right place, holes are dug, the distance between which is 60 × 60 cm. The pits are made a little more than a lump of earth with roots;
• if no fertilizers were previously applied to the plot, then a handful of humus and about 5-6 g of nitrophoska are added to each hole;
• with a lump of earth, the bush is transferred to the hole, sprinkled with earth on cotyledonous leaves, the soil is compacted and watered.

Basic care rules

Now you need to figure out how to care for cabbage in order to get the optimal harvest.

Watering Rules

Cabbage is a water-loving vegetable, therefore:

• during the growing season spend up to 5-7 waterings;
• approximately 30–35 liters per 1 m² are used before heads are formed;
• from the moment of formation of heads for irrigation, up to 45 l per 1 m² is used;
• in case of frequent rains or dry weather, irrigation frequency and water flow rate must be adjusted.

Fertilizer application

From the beginning of growth to the end of the growing season, Brussels sprouts need a sufficient amount of nitrogen, potassium, as well as organics. If fertilizers were applied during planting, then at first additional feeding is not needed. Favorably respond to fertilizer plants during the formation of heads.

Depending on the soil, such top dressings are introduced:

• on rich soils, the introduction of nitrogen fertilizers at the first feeding (10-15 days after planting) in the form of urea or ammonium nitrate (about 7 g / m²) and potash in the form of potassium chloride (10 g / m²) is sufficient for the formation of fruits;
• in less fertile areas, 10 g of nitrate or urea, 10 g of superphosphate and 5 g of potassium sulfate per 1 m² are applied for the first time. Substances are introduced at a distance of 10 cm from plants and to a depth of 10 cm;
• when ovaries are formed, 10 g of urea, 15 g of superphosphate and 10 potassium chloride per 1 m² are applied, which are placed to a depth of 15 cm in the middle of the row spacing;
• the first feeding can be done using mullein diluted with water 1:10 or bird droppings (1:10). Under each plant, 0.5 l of liquid is applied.

Important! The use of fresh manure is not recommended, as it delays the formation of crops and worsens its quality and presentation (heads lose density and are worse stored).

Weeding and cultivation

An important role in the care of plantations is the cultivation of land under plants, which consists in removing weeds and loosening the soil. So that weeds do not interfere with the growth of vegetables, they should be regularly destroyed. Cultivation is carried out in order to ensure good permeability and saturation of the soil with air. Especially important is the first loosening immediately after the cabbage is planted, as in this case the earth is greatly crushed and compacted. In the future, after watering or heavy rains, in order to avoid the formation of a crust on the surface, it is also necessary to loosen the soil.

Hilling

Brussels sprouts are better not to spud, as this is more harmful than useful. The fact is that the largest fruits are formed in the axils of the lower leaves, and when they are earthed up, they can be damaged or rot, causing it to be heavily covered with earth. What will really be useful is “decapitation” - removal of the apical kidney.

How to pinch cabbage correctly and why it is needed, we will examine in more detail:

• removal of the upper kidney stops the growth of the bush and makes it possible to direct nutrients to the lateral buds. This provides a quick ripening of the heads, increasing their size, and also improves the quality of the fruit;
• in late August or early September, the apical kidney is removed;
• in late September - early October, the entire top is trimmed with underdeveloped axillary buds (they will no longer be able to produce full-fledged fruits, and they will pick up nutrients);
• often in later varieties, for some reason, cabbage heads do not form. This will help trim the top, which will direct forces not on growth, but on the formation of the crop.

Disease and Pest Prevention

In order to get a high-quality and plentiful crop, in addition to competent care, it is necessary to prevent the infection of cabbage with various diseases and pests:

1. Yellowness and wilting of bushes can cause fusarium. This disease often appears as a result of sudden temperature changes and high humidity. To prevent it, you can spray the plants with the biological preparation "Trichodermin" (in accordance with the instructions).
2. In wet weather, the appearance of white plaque can often be observed on the leaves - this powdery mildew. In order not to have to destroy diseased plants in the rainy summer, it is advisable to make a thin film shelter over the beds. But at the same time, the plants should be well ventilated.
3. A very serious threat keel cabbage. Its symptoms are drying out of the bushes and root damage (characteristic deformities and swelling). Basically, this threat appears on acidic soils, so spring liming is carried out as a preventive measure (200 g of lime per 1 m²).
4. If you do not notice in a timely manner aphids, then it can cause severe damage to the crop. At the beginning of its appearance, pollination of plants with ash and timely loosening of the soil will be effective. You can spray the bushes with a decoction of yarrow (1/3 of a bucket of raw materials is poured with boiling water and infused until it cools).
5. Young leaves are very fond of caterpillarsset aside by a butterfly cabbage. Therefore, at first, until the seedlings get stronger, it is desirable to cover the plants with a "non-woven" or special mesh. If pests have already appeared, then you can collect them and destroy them.

Among the preventive measures it is also necessary to carry out:

• crop rotation compliance. Do not plant cruciferous plants in one place (only after 3-4 years);
• destroy weeds on which many pests first settle;
• in autumn, it is necessary to destroy the remains of plants on the site in order to avoid the persistence of spores of various diseases on them;
• deep autumn digging of the soil (reduces the number of May beetle, bear and wireworm);
• plantings of plants such as tobacco and feverfew attract many enemies of pests.

Did you know? The United States plans to experimentally grow vegetables on the moon. The first specimens will be cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Scientists want to narrow the growing season to a moonlit night (28 of our days).

Harvest rules and storage

Harvesting times vary slightly depending on the variety. Early varieties are harvested in September, and later varieties in October.

There are some rules for collecting finished products:

• early ripening varieties are cleaned in one go. In this case, you can cut down the entire plant at the base;
• late varieties are harvested in 2-3 receptions. In the first call, the lower, ripened fruits are collected, giving the upper heads the opportunity to achieve technical maturity;
• a week before harvest, foliage is removed from the plant. Moreover, if harvesting is carried out at a time, then all the leaves are removed, and if in several steps, then the leaves break off in the area from which the crop will be harvested (start from the bottom of the plant);
• formed fruits are gently cut or broken out;
• if the crop is not completely ripe, and frosts have come down to -5 ° C, the whole plant is cut out and placed in a cool room for a couple of weeks. The heads are cut as needed;
• to extend the shelf life, cabbage bushes are dug up with roots and dug in a greenhouse or greenhouse, or the roots are sprinkled with sand in a container.

The collected heads are stored until January in a room with a temperature of about 0 ° C and a humidity of 90%.

We hope that in the article you can find answers to questions such as “when to plant cabbage” and “how to grow a quality crop”, as well as many others that will help you grow.