Cabbage Gift

The selection of vegetable varieties in recent years has advanced far ahead, and today summer residents have a huge choice. And yet, not every gardener chooses improved hybrids. Many people prefer varieties that have proven themselves over decades of cultivation. This sort is the Gift. This is one of the most famous cabbage subspecies.

The gift is a very old variety. It has been cultivated since 1961 and has been in the State Register for a long time. The Gribovskaya Experimental Station became the originator of the cabbage. Now this enterprise has a different name - the Federal Center for Vegetable Growing. The plant was planned to be cultivated industrially, but it unexpectedly fell to the taste of ordinary summer residents. Now it is grown both for themselves and for sale.

The variety in question is white. They grow it in the open field, paying a lot of attention to watering, to which the cabbage responds with rich yields and good-sized heads of cabbage, suitable for various types of processing.

Let us note some of the virtues of culture that made it so popular:

• almost complete absence of cracking;

• not particularly large stump;

• the ability to acclimatize in different temperature conditions;

• the ability to preserve the original appearance of heads of cabbage for six months;

• no damage during transportation;

• decent and friendly germination of grains.

You need to grow the Gift only on fertile and well-fertilized soil. The variety is picky about moisture, feeding and lighting. These are its main disadvantages, noted by summer residents.

The gift forms a medium-sized leaf rosette. Its diameter is usually 72-105 centimeters. The semi-raised strong rosette contains medium-sized wrinkled gray-green foliage. The shape of the leaves can be either oval or round; a weak waxy coating is visible on the surface. The edges of the leaf are slightly wavy. Both the outer and inner stalks differ in average length.

Heads of cabbage are formed round or round-flat, have medium size. The standard weight of the fruit ranges from 2.5 to 4 kilograms, the forks are very dense in structure. The outer part of the head of cabbage is painted in a gray-green shade, while the inner part is completely light, almost white. Cabbage Gift has a high content of ascorbic acid - from 26 to 41 mg per 100 grams.

The cabbage of this variety is characterized by particularly juicy leaves. It tastes great, both fresh and processed. Cabbage leaves are perfect for vitamin salads, they can be put on cabbage rolls, cut for borscht or vegetable soup. Often, this variety is also chosen for fermentation.

The gift fully matures in 115-135 days. Similar terms are inherent in medium-late varieties.Harvesting from plantations is carried out from September to October.

A serious advantage of the Gift is its excellent yield. Moreover, it depends little on the climate, which distinguishes the variety from others. With conventional agricultural techniques, an average of 90 tons can be obtained from one hectare of beds. If you increase the care, then you can achieve all 100 tons. The marketability of the harvested heads of cabbage reaches 99%.

Cabbage Podarok was initially zoned for all regions of Russia. The originators did their best so that summer residents could grow such a crop not only from the relatively warm Central region, but also people from Siberia, the Ural territory of the country.

For planting, it is worth choosing last year's seeds, since they have the highest percentage of germination. The grains can be sown directly into the ground, or first grow seedlings from them. The second method is more productive, since this way the Gift will ripen earlier and give a larger harvest.

In the period from 5 to 15 April, cabbage seeds are planted for seedlings. The soil and containers are prepared in the traditional way, and the seeds themselves are planted either in separate cups (allows you to avoid picking later), or in a common container (picking is required at the second leaf stage).

If you plant the material within the above terms, then by May 20-25 it will be completely ready for transplanting into open ground. Wells are formed in the substrate, they are well moistened. Young shoots are planted according to the 60x60 centimeters scheme, which is traditional for most varieties. You need to deepen the sprout to the bottom sheet, then sprinkle it with dry earth. The last step is to cover the cabbage sprouts. The footage can be filmed in 14 days.

The gift prefers abundant watering. The first irrigation is carried out on the third day after planting the shoots, while each square meter of soil will require the introduction of about 8 liters of liquid. Further watering is carried out once every couple of days, but gradually the frequency is reduced, bringing it to once a week. However, along with a decrease in the frequency of watering, there is an increase in fluid consumption. When watering once a week, about 15 liters are used per square meter.

Please note: the above recommendations are given for normal conditions. If it rains heavily, you cannot water, the risk of fungus is too high. And in case of heat, on the contrary, it is worth paying increased attention to soil moisture. Any irrigation is stopped 21 days before heading out.

Weeds growing on the plantation are removed as soon as they germinate. The land is plowed on average once a week, a couple of hours after irrigation or precipitation. In addition, it is worth worrying about hilling. Initially, it is carried out three weeks after disembarkation, then it is carried out every 14 days. The procedure is aimed at enhanced root development and additional protection.

Feeding for the Gift looks standard. 14 days after planting, the soil is fertilized with urea, and after another three weeks potassium and superphosphate are added. The same top dressing will be needed two months after planting, but it is needed only if the land is not too fertile. Some gardeners limit themselves to complex mixtures, buying them in stores.

For a Gift, a light loam would be a good solution. The substrate should be non-acidic and very loose. Ground waters close to the surface must not be allowed. It is forbidden to plant a crop in very poor substrates. In the fall, it is worthwhile to carry out work to improve them.

Cabbage Gift tolerates any climate fluctuations. It grows well in both cool and hot conditions. They grow it in open ground conditions, without resorting to the help of greenhouses. The only condition for effective growth is an area evenly lit by the sun without the slightest shadow.

The variety in question resists many diseases, although its resistance is far from modern hybrids. Usually the Gift is struck by the keel and black leg. It is simple to avoid diseases, it is only important to properly prepare the seeds for planting, pay attention to the quality of the soil and follow the irrigation regime. It is worth remembering about crop rotation.

But the variety already has more pests. These are cabbage flies, and scoops, and aphids, cruciferous fleas, and slugs. Prevention helps a lot. But there is another solution - covering material. Some gardeners do not remove it 2 weeks after planting, but leave it until the maturity of the heads of cabbage. Such an idea will completely protect against parasites. The main thing is to choose a material with moisture and air permeability.