Cabbage Sugarloaf

Sugarloaf cabbage is a late-ripening high-yielding variety with excellent taste. Due to its improved characteristics, the vegetable has a high resistance to temperature fluctuations, drought and frost, and its attractive appearance and resistance to deformation during transportation attract not only small gardeners, but also large agricultural holdings. The juicy and crispy harvested crop without coarse veins has a universal purpose and is used for preparing various dishes, preserving and fermenting.

Cabbage Sugarloaf is the result of painstaking selection work of Moscow engineers and vegetable growers of the Sedek agricultural holding. A special contribution to the breeding of the variety was made by specialists Dubinin S.V., Dubinina I.N. and Lukyanenko A.N. In 2008, the variety was officially registered and entered the wholesale and retail sale. For many years, the culture has occupied a leading position in the ranking of late-ripening varieties and is in demand both on private household plots and on large farm lands. Regardless of climatic latitudes, the variety is intended for cultivation in open areas. The harvested white cabbage has a universal purpose and is used not only for the preparation of vitamin salads and hot dishes, but also for preservation, fermentation and freezing.

Advantages:

• universal purpose;

• high yield;

• high percentage of sugars;

• lack of rough veins;

• rich vitamin and mineral composition;

• long storage period;

• resistance to low temperatures;

• high rates of keeping quality and transportability;

• attractive appearance;

• maximum retention of nutritional value throughout the entire shelf life;

• resistance to prolonged absence of water;

• high percentage of seed germination;

• the possibility of self-collecting seeds;

• high immune response to the most common diseases and pests.

Disadvantages:

• the need for constant compliance with crop rotation;

• congenital tendency to cracking;

• the impossibility of a tighter fit;

• a high percentage of vulnerability to the cruciferous flea;

• growing only in sunny areas.

Cabbage Sugarloaf refers to late-ripening vegetables that have a strong spreading rosette. The diameter of the leafy rosette is about 80 cm, and the height is 40 cm. Large leaf plates have a rounded shape with slight waviness at the edges. The superficial leaves are painted in a gray-green color scheme with a matte sheen and are covered with small bubbles. Round-shaped heads of cabbage with an average weight of about 3.5 kg are formed on a small stump. However, subject to all agrotechnical rules of cultivation, you can get a crop of much greater weight. The inside of the cabbage is white with a juicy and crispy texture. The density of the head of cabbage is high.

Due to its juicy and crunchy structure, the absence of hard veins, as well as sweetish notes, the late-ripening variety is used as the main ingredient in the preparation of various cold and hot culinary masterpieces. The harvested crop can be canned, pickled, fermented and even frozen. Due to its rich vitamin composition, the vegetable is widely used for preparing vitamin salads in the season of colds and viral infections.

The ripening period of a late-ripening variety is 110-120 days. However, depending on the region of cultivation and weather conditions, this indicator can shift towards either decrease or increase. Cabbage acquires the maximum amount of sugars and vitamins 60 days after harvesting. It is the matured heads of cabbage that are considered fully ripe and suitable for human consumption.

Sugarloaf cabbage belongs to high-yield varieties that are capable of forming an average of 65 to 70 tons of juicy and tough heads of cabbage on an area of ​​1 hectare, and up to 6 kg of vegetables can grow on an area of ​​1 m2.

Despite the unpretentiousness and simplicity of growing Sugarloaf cabbage, in order to obtain juicy, crispy heads of cabbage without damage and flaws, agricultural breeders recommend following the basic rules of planting and care when growing it. The late-ripening variety is grown by the seedling method. Planting prepared seed material must be carried out in the second or third decade of April. Before sowing, the seeds must be soaked in a special disinfectant solution and treated with drugs to stimulate growth. It is necessary to use a mixture of peat, turf and sand as a nutrient soil. Due to the fact that young shoots are difficult to tolerate picking, farmers recommend planting seeds immediately directly into special peat containers.

After the appearance of 4-5 true leaves and the threat of frost has passed, the plants can be transplanted to a permanent place of growth. To obtain large and juicy fruits, seedlings must be planted in well-lit areas, protected from strong currents of cold winds. Due to the presence of spreading leaf plates and the formation of large heads, as well as to prevent thickening, the plants must be planted at a distance from each other. The standard planting scheme is 60 by 60 cm. The planted bushes must be watered abundantly, fed with nitrogen-containing preparations, and the entire root zone must be mulched.

Caring for cabbage consists of a set of standard activities that will not cause difficulties even for novice gardeners. Plants need regular weeding, loosening and weeding. Several times during the season, the bushes must be earthed to the level of the lower leaves and fed with rotted manure

It is necessary to water the site several times a month, taking into account weather conditions and precipitation. Despite the resistance of the variety to drought, during the period of head formation, the amount of water must be significantly increased.

Harvesting should be done in sunny and dry weather. Before storing the heads of cabbage, dry them well and remove all damaged leaves. For storage, you can use a basement or a cold room with stable indicators of humidity and temperature.

Before choosing a given variety for cultivation, it is necessary to carefully study its resistance to diseases and pests. Sugarloaf cabbage has a high immune response to the most common viral and bacterial diseases. However, if agricultural technology is not followed, the variety may suffer from bacteriosis, downy mildew, keel and fusarium. Pests such as cabbage, aphids, cruciferous bugs and thrips can reduce the yield, spoil the appearance of the heads of cabbage, and sometimes lead to the death of green spaces. As a preventive measure, experienced farmers recommend regularly treating areas with special chemical and biological preparations, as well as planting nearby plants that will scare away harmful insects.