White cabbage "Minica" F1

White cabbage "Minica" F1.
Ultra-early hybrid variety for summer culture: growing season 70 days (!).
Sowing seedlings in early March. Pick in the phase of cotyledons. Landing in the ground at the end of April - beginning of May according to the scheme 30x50 cm (under film shelters).
From planting seedlings to harvesting 45 days. The rosette of leaves is small, compact, 40-50 cm in diameter.
Head of cabbage is round, light green, weighing 0.5-1.0 kg, medium density. The outer color is light green, white-yellow on the cut. Excellent taste.
This hybrid is characterized by high yield, good commercial qualities of heads of cabbage and simultaneous ripening. Very resistant to cracking.
Recommended for fresh consumption.
Please note that ... "Minika" F1 is very convenient for quick harvesting, because the bulk of the crop ripens at the same time.
Very early planting is possible - the plants can withstand spring frosts down to -5 degrees. The leaf is tender, with a lot of vitamin C - great for making healthy and tasty salads, juice, as well as for all types of home cooking.
1.0 g = 250-300 seeds.

* Early maturing varieties.
The main purpose of planting early maturing varieties is to get a harvest in early or mid-summer. Each region has its own optimal sowing time for seedlings. But we must remember that cabbage is a light-loving culture, and illumination is necessary for very early crops. In addition, one cannot ignore the timing of planting seedlings in open ground or under a temporary film shelter.
How to calculate the seed sowing time?
From the date of possible planting of seedlings, we calculate the optimal age of the plants: 45-50 (but not more) days - and we get the time of sowing seeds for seedlings.
In the climatic conditions of Estonia, it is possible to start sowing varieties of early white cabbage in greenhouses from 10 to 25 March.
In indoor conditions, the most acceptable sowing time is March 20-25. The first crop can then be taken in late June - early July.
The potting mix is ​​prepared in advance. Use a composition of equal parts of sod land and humus with the addition of sand or peat (or sawdust). The main thing is that the soil is not contaminated with pathogens that infect cabbage crops. Soil mixtures are prepared in the fall, checking their purity in advance.
Before planting, the seeds can be treated with a growth stimulant (Epin or Cirkon, for example).
Potassium humate is poured over the soil after sowing the seeds, after 10 days and 5 days before planting the seedlings in the ground with a working solution (0.5 g per 10 l of water), consuming 5 l per 1 sq. m for each watering. Seeds are sown in a small box (or pots) at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. For 2-3 days (until the emergence of mass shoots), the temperature is maintained up to + 12 + 14 so that the seedlings do not stretch out.
If the box (or pot) is on the windowsill, then try to fence it off with a film or something else from the room air.
Seedlings are usually not watered. Water abundantly before or immediately after sowing. After germination, a minimum of watering is required to avoid "black leg" disease. But at the same time it is necessary to ensure that the soil does not dry out, since the air in our apartments is very dry. You can water the plants a little, with a drop method, with a weak solution of potassium permanganate at room temperature.
10-12 days after germination (with the appearance of the first true leaf), the seedlings dive into pots, cups or other containers with a diameter of 7-11 cm. The soil mixture is the same as for sowing seeds. After picking the seedlings, the temperature is maintained at +18 +20 ° С, then reduced to +15 +18 ° С and +10 +12 ° С at night.
If possible, the cut seedlings are grown (planting according to the 5x5 cm scheme) in heated film greenhouses, which are then occupied with cucumbers or other crops. Watering is very moderate. However, it must be remembered that overdrying the soil leads to premature aging of the seedlings, which means that the yield will be reduced.
The first feeding of seedlings can be done 7-10 days after the pick - mullein diluted in water (1:10) with the addition of superphosphate 3 g per 1 liter, or bird droppings diluted with water (1:15).
The second and third feeding can be given the same or a different composition: ammonium nitrate 3-4 g, superphosphate - 4 g and potassium chloride - 2 g per 1 liter of water. In one of the dressings, it is desirable to use microfertilizers: for 1 liter of water 0.1-0.2 g of boric acid, 0.15-0.20 g of copper sulfate, 0.05-0.1 g of potassium permanganate and zinc sulfate.
It is very important to make sure that the plants do not stretch out. On warm frost-free days, pots and boxes can be displayed on the balcony, and brought into the room at night. But on frost-free nights, you can leave seedlings on the balcony. And when growing seedlings, the greenhouse is constantly ventilated in accordance with the weather conditions.
Seedlings are hardened 7-10 days before planting in the ground. For this, greenhouses are ventilated around the clock, and the seedlings grown in the room are transferred to the balcony for day and night.
Correctly grown seedlings have 5-6 true leaves before planting (with early sowing in mid-March) or 4 leaves when sowing at the end of March. It should be squat: the length from the root collar to the apical bud (“heart”) is no more than 3 cm, the cotyledons are intense green, the hypocotyledonous knee (the stem under the cotyledons) is green or purple, without the slightest signs of damage from the “black leg”.
Early cabbage is planted (depending on weather conditions) in open ground in late April - early May, and in film greenhouses or under temporary shelters - two weeks earlier. Landing scheme 60x35x40 or 50x50 cm.
The area for early cabbage should be fertile, protected from northern winds. Seedlings are planted in well-watered holes, and covered with soil from above by 2-3 cm.After 10 days after planting, the plants are fed with a 0.5% solution of ammonium nitrate or liquid organic fertilizers (diluted mullein or bird droppings, 1-1.5 liters per plant ). The second feeding is carried out during the period of active growth of the leaf rosette.
We remind you that a properly grown seedling should have 5-6 true (non-cotyledonous) leaves before planting and a height of 20-25 cm (when determining the quality of seedlings, its height is considered from the root collar to the end of leaf border).

Eng.: White Cabbage. Bot.: Brassica oleracea L. convar. capitata (L.).