1+1 Cabbage exp – Desi Seeds

Caring for Cabbage exp

• When transplants reach 5 inches tall, thin to make sure they are still the desired length apart.
• Fertilize 3 weeks after transplanting.
• Keep soil moist with mulch and water 2 inches per week.
• Start cabbage seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost.
• See frost dates for your area here. Harden off plants over the course of a week.
• Transplant outdoors 2 to 3 weeks before the last expected frost date.
• Mulch thickly to retain moisture and regulate soil temperature.
• Practice crop rotation with cabbage year to year to avoid a build-up of soil-borne diseases.
• Although broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are closely related, cabbage will not tolerate them. Also, avoid proximity to strawberries and tomatoes.

Harvesting

• Harvest when heads reach desired size and are firm. This will take around 70 days for most green cabbage varieties.
• Most early varieties will produce 1- to 3-pound heads. Cut each cabbage head at its base with a sharp knife. After harvesting, bring inside or put in shade immediately.
• To get two crops from early cabbage plants, cut the cabbage head out of the plant, leaving the outer leaves and root in the garden.
• The plant will send up new head spinch them off until only four or so smaller heads remain.
• When these grow to tennis-ball size, they will be perfect for salad.
• After harvesting, remove the entire stem and root system from the soil to prevent disease build up.
• In proper root cellar conditions, cabbage will keep for up to 3 months.

Typical uses of Cabbage exp

Special features: NA

Culinary use: Cabbage is prepared and consumed in many ways. The simplest options include eating the vegetable raw or steaming it, though many cuisines pickle, stew, or braised cabbage.

Ornamental use: NA

Medicinal use:

• Cabbage is a good source of beta-carotene, vitamin C and fiber.
• Studies suggest that it, as well as other cruciferous vegetables, may reduce the risk of some cancers, especially those in the colorectal group.
• Purple cabbage also contains anthocyanins, which in other vegetables have been shown to have anti-carcinogenic properties.
• Along with other cole crops, cabbage is a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical that boosts DNA repair in cells.
• The Ancient Greeks recommended consuming the vegetable as a laxative, and used cabbage juice as an antidote for mushroom poisoning, for eye salves, and they prepared liniments with the plant to help bruises heal
• The cooling properties of the leaves were used in Britain as a treatment for trench foot in World War I, and as compresses for ulcers and breast abscesses.
• Accumulated scientific evidence corroborates that cabbage leaf treatment can reduce the pain and hardness of engorged breasts, and increase the duration of breast feeding.