Cabbage Farming
Cabbage is a vegetable which is used as a relish on top of other green vegetables. It does well in altitude ranges from 700 to 2200 m and it has high water requirements of around 500 rain fed water which has to be evenly distributed.
You can also grow cabbage under irrigation system. This article will give in detail about the steps required for you to grow cabbages.
How to Grow Cabbage
To grow cabbage follow the below steps.
1. Site selection
The first step to grow your cabbage is to select the best site where you will grow your Cabbage. Make sure the selected site has high soil fertility, and has a soil pH of the range of 6.0 to 6.5 which is considered optimal. The site needs also to be away from livestock or any animal which could endanger the Cabbage or interfere it's growing.
When setting the site, make sure the chosen place is close to a water source if the production will be under irrigation.
Could also sound good, if it is closer to the market for easy transportation when they mature ready for selling.
In addition, the selected site soil needs to be of loamy type, which needs to be well drained as well. You could also apply organic manure to improve its fertility and structure.
2. Ploughing or Gardening
The second step required for you to cultivate Cabbage is to plough the selected site. In this case, if you are to grow your cabbage in a home garden, you plough it too then make some seed bed.
Ploughing can be done using heavy machine when Cabbage is grown in large scale or you could alternatively hire human labour.
3. Make planting holes
The third step required to grow cabbage is to make planting holes where you will be planting your cabbage.
Make sure the planting hole has a deep of about ¼ an inch. The planting spacing needs to be about 60 cm x 60 cm, but this depends on the type of variety, as other varieties could do well on a spacing of 60 cm x 45 cm.
4. Direct seeding or transplanting
The fourth step to cultivate Cabbage is to direct sow the Cabbage seed or sowing in a nursery bed, then later transplant to actual field where you have made the planting holes.
When you opt for direct seeding, make sure you water immediately as soon as you have direct sown the Cabbage seed. And you maintain watering throughout the growing period, which takes around 90 days on average.
When you opt for transplanting, you will first need to establish a nursery bed, where you will sow your seeds and later transplant after around 2 weeks. Once you transplant your cabbage seedlings, make sure you water the field frequently throughout its growing period.
5. Watering or irrigating
Once you have planted your seed or transplanted your cabbage seedings, the next step is to irrigate them frequently throughout the Cabbage growing period, which take a range of 90-110 days depending on type of variety.
6. Fertilizer application
For optimal yield, make sure you apply 200 to 250 kg nitrogen per hectare, but this depends on nutrient requirements of your soil. So make sure you analyze the soil nutrient content before any fertilizer is applied.
7. Pest and disease control
As a leafy vegetable, cabbage is prone to different pest and diseases, so make sure you keep them in check through chemical, natural, cultural and combination of these methods in controlling pest and diseases in your Cabbage field.
8. Harvesting
After around 90 days your cabbage will be ready for harvesting and it is at this time when you need to find potential buyers. You harvest mature Cabbage by hand with a knife or sickle.
In conclusion, this article has taken a look at 8 steps required for you to cultivate cabbage.