Tasty and beautiful: be sure to sow this type of cabbage
Kale is still a rare guest in summer cottages. And in vain. This plant has an amazing chemical composition, for which it is highly valued by vegans.
It contains a lot of calcium and protein in an easily digestible form, which means it can replace milk and meat in the diet of people who have given up these products.
In addition, like any cabbage, kale is a real multivitamin complex, it contains all the microelements necessary for the human body.
When it comes to growing, this cabbage has several advantages.
Agricultural technology is similar to agricultural technology for growing the familiar white cabbage.
An adult plant can withstand significant frosts, -15 is no obstacle for it. Therefore, fresh leaves can be consumed until winter, and in regions with a milder climate, kale sometimes "survives" until January.
There are several types of this cabbage, and all of them look impressive enough to become a flowerbed decoration. Especially varieties with large, lacy leaves. Many people plant it in flowerbeds exclusively for decorative purposes, because it looks beautiful not only in summer, but also after the first frosts.
How to Grow Kale
1. In early April, cabbage is sown for seedlings. It is better to sow in separate cups, since the plant does not respond well to transplantation. Therefore, sowing in open ground is preferable. It is carried out in the first ten days of May, the rows with crops are covered with film until shoots appear.
2. Like any cabbage, kale does not like acidic soils, so chalk, dolomite flour or ash should be added to the planting site. Ash is preferable, since in addition to the deoxidizing effect, it provides the plant with potassium and phosphorus, which are vital for it.
3. This is a cold-loving crop, so when growing seedlings, they must be kept at low temperatures. Daytime should not exceed +18 degrees. Nighttime should ideally be around +10. If the number of seedlings is small, you can put them in the refrigerator at night and on the windowsill during the day.
4. Cabbage loves good nutrition, so it needs to be fed regularly. The first feeding is done 7-10 days after germination, and then after one and a half to two weeks until August. Emphasis should be placed on potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. The plant needs nitrogen only at the initial stage, when it is actively growing leaves. It is most convenient to use special mineral complexes. They can be alternated with ash feeding.
Kale can be used in salads, soups, main courses, made into green smoothies, or frozen for future use.
Plants left in the flowerbed will delight you with fresh leaves even after the first frosts, which become more tender in taste after thawing.
