Late cabbage Sugarloaf: characteristics and description of the variety, reviews

Description of cabbage Sugarloaf

The variety has been zoned for the West Siberian region. However, according to reviews and supporting photos from vegetable growers, Sugarloaf cabbage has taken root well in the middle zone. Today, land owners are increasingly paying attention to Siberian cold-resistant varieties. This is due to climate change. And in the Moscow region, recurring night frosts are not uncommon at the end of May, or even at the beginning of June.

According to the description of the Sugarloaf cabbage variety and its photos taken by vegetable growers, the plant forms a powerful leaf rosette up to 40 cm high and up to 80 cm in diameter. The outer leaves are large, round, and somewhat loose. The head of cabbage is not completely covered. The color of the outer leaf blades is rich, green. However, from a distance they appear gray due to a strong waxy coating.

The inner leaves are much denser, with a slightly wrinkled surface and a wavy edge. Their color is light green. The plaque is weakly expressed. The leaf blades are fleshy and juicy, tightly adjacent to each other. Forks have a regular, round shape. Sometimes you come across flat-rounded specimens. The average weight of cabbage heads is 2.5-3.5 kg. The outer stalk is large, the inner one is small and rarely reaches a length of 7 cm.

Opinions about the taste of Sugarloaf cabbage are positive. Most often they are rated as good and excellent. The cabbage is sweet, juicy with increased crunchiness.

Interesting fact! Heads of Sugarloaf cabbage are not afraid of early frosts. On the contrary, many experienced vegetable growers prefer to remove it after the plantings have been exposed to light frosts. According to them, in this case, a large amount of sugar accumulates in the leaves. The main thing is not to overdo it and not leave cabbage on the field when the frost is 10-15 degrees.

In addition, white cabbage Sugarloaf is undemanding to the composition of the soil and has a high immunity to diseases, which makes care much easier. For active growth and improved taste, it is necessary to ensure good lighting of the area and timely watering.

Optimal planting dates

Depending on the method chosen, the timing of planting cabbage will differ. If the seedlings are grown independently from seeds, then they should be sown in early April in containers that will be installed in a heated room. If you plan to grow cabbage from purchased seedlings, then it should be planted in open ground in late May - early June, at which time 4 true leaves will already be formed on each plant.

Characteristics of the cabbage variety Sugarloaf

It is not without reason that Sugarloaf cabbage can be grown in the harsh Siberian climate. This is a surprisingly frost-resistant and cold-resistant variety. Its young shoots are able to withstand return frosts of up to 3-5 degrees.

She does not stop pouring heads of cabbage even when cold and rainy weather sets in. In the autumn, it can also ripen on the vine. Slight night frosts will not affect the duration of its storage.

The Sugarloaf cabbage variety is considered to be relatively drought-resistant. The heads of cabbage will not die with a short-term lack of moisture, but the taste of the cabbage may deteriorate. In particular, the juiciness of its leaves decreases. Uneven watering of cabbage during the growing season increases its tendency to crack. The variety is also resistant to premature flowering.

According to the characteristics, Sugarloaf cabbage is a late-ripening, productive variety. It reaches biological maturity 150-160 days after emergence. The harvest collected at this time can be stored for 6-8 months if favorable conditions are created. Namely, if you select strong, dense heads of cabbage for storage, without cracks or other external damage, and place them in a cool room with good ventilation. Also, this cabbage can be transported over long distances.

Attention! It is worth noting that the Sugar Queen F and Sugar F1 varieties have recently appeared on the market. Unlike SG, they are hybrid. The first is distinguished by earlier ripening periods (120-150 days). The second one sets heads of cabbage well in dry weather. However, both varieties of cabbage are inferior to SG in taste.

The yield of cabbage Sugarloaf is 400-550 c/ha. It can be increased only by increasing the yield of marketable vegetables. It is only 93% mainly due to its tendency to crack. Timely and regular watering and careful attitude to the application of organic fertilizers will help to avoid this.

Cabbage is versatile in use. It can be fermented and pickled. And of course, use it fresh for preparing salads, first courses and side dishes.

Botanical description

Late cabbage belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family.
The crop is two-year-old; in the first growing season, the nutritious parts of vegetables - heads of cabbage - are formed; from the second season of cultivation, seeds are obtained. Cabbage stems are low, completely leafy, the thickened parts are called “stalks”. The root system of vegetables is taprooted, well branched, reaching a depth of up to 50 cm (dimensions depend on the variety). The bluish-green foliage is large, juicy, fleshy, and forms dense basal rosettes on the stems, in which vitamin heads are formed. The crops are cultivated as annuals.

Among the features of late cabbage varieties are:

1. Long-term storage (up to 9 months).
2. High degree of productivity.
3. Resistance to common diseases and pests.
4. Use for salting, pickling, pickling.
5. Increased cold resistance due to a long ripening period.
6. Improved taste during storage.
7. Large sizes of dense heads of cabbage.
8. Possibility of harvesting heads of cabbage using a mechanized method.
9. Medicinal properties of late vegetables.

Important!

Late cabbage varieties are less prone to nitrate accumulation.

When does it ripen?

Late-ripening vegetables ripen within 130–245 days. To speed up the emergence of seedlings, it is recommended to treat vegetable seeds with growth accelerators before planting and use film covers.

How is it used?

Late-ripening cabbage varieties are great for:

1. Winter preparations, salting, pickling.
2. Used as therapeutic agents in medicine. Late cabbage juice helps reduce sugar, improves intestinal function, and has healing, rejuvenating, and regenerating properties.
3. Applications in cosmetology: creating masks, scrubs, creams.

Due to their dense leafy texture, late cabbage varieties are ideal for long-term storage. In favorable conditions, the keeping quality of heads of cabbage is observed for 9 months. During storage, the taste properties of vegetables improve.

How to distinguish late-ripening from early-ripening?

• Late cabbage is distinguished by a large number (from 25 to 30 pieces) of petiole leaves formed on the stalks. In early varieties their number is half as much.
• Late vegetables are much squat in the stems, the size of the heads of cabbage is larger, and the consistency is very tight and dense.
• The foliage of late varieties is darker, while early cabbage has a rich green hue.

When should you grow this type?

Late-ripening vegetables are cultivated for:

• bookmarks for long-term storage;
• pickling, salting, pickling vegetables;
• transportation of products;
• obtaining larger cabbage;
• increasing productivity;
• in case of using mechanized cleaning.

Attention!

Late cabbage varieties are grown mainly by seedlings, so that the heads of cabbage ripen well in the beds after transplanting the crops into open ground.

Planting Cabbage Sugarloaf

It is impossible to grow a full-fledged crop of Sugarloaf cabbage in the middle zone, and especially in Siberia, without seedlings. Sowing in the ground is possible only in the southern regions, where by the beginning of May the air warms up to 15-18 degrees Celsius.

Growing seedlings

But there is also good news. Due to their frost resistance, Sugarloaf cabbage seeds can be planted in greenhouses and greenhouses, as well as under temporary shelters, starting from mid-April.

This will free the window sills from unnecessary containers and avoid such unpleasant procedures as additional lighting and hardening of seedlings.

For seedlings, Sugarloaf cabbage is planted in large containers or directly into the ground in greenhouses. It is first mixed with compost or humus. If necessary, add sand or peat as a leavening agent.

Cabbage seeds are sown on moist soil in increments of 3*5 cm. It is not worth sowing more often. The variety has good germination, so the seed does not require additional preparation.

With the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings are watered, the soil is periodically loosened, and fed with fertilizers such as “Kornevin” or “Zircon”. When grown at home, provide additional lighting. If necessary, plantings are thinned out, leaving at least 4-5 cm between shoots.

Transplantation into the ground

To grow Sugarloaf cabbage, choose well-lit places. However, you should not plant it on the southern slopes. Sunlight shining on the beds throughout the day can slow down the formation of heads and their filling.

In terms of soil composition, Sugarloaf prefers areas with loose and fertile soils. You should not plant cabbage two years in a row in the same place, or after other cruciferous vegetables. The main thing is that the soil is well drained and the area is not swampy.

Growing the variety

To make the process of growing the Sugarloaf cabbage variety as simple and understandable as possible, we will consider the main nuances of germinating seeds for seedlings and planting them in open ground.

Seed preparation

The key to healthy seedlings, the further cultivation of which will make it possible to obtain a good harvest, is the pre-sowing treatment of seed material. Purchased seeds are usually already processed, but extra stimulation will not harm them. To do this, prepare a nutrient solution based on water (1 l) and potassium humate (1 g).

Important! If you are not sure of the quality of the seeds you purchased or collected yourself, it is better to carry out a procedure for rejecting low-quality seed material: dissolve 2 tbsp in 1 liter of water. l. salt, add seeds and mix - low-quality ones will float to the surface, viable ones will settle

salt, add seeds and mix - low-quality ones will float to the surface, viable ones will settle.

You need to take water at room temperature and thoroughly dissolve the fertilizer in it. The seeds should be soaked in this liquid for 12 hours, then rinsed under running water and dried with a paper towel. After soaking, the seeds should be spread out on a newspaper, which is placed on a well-lit windowsill, and left to dry for a day.

Growing seedlings

In order to grow seedlings you need:

1. Prepare the soil for sowing: mix 1 part peat, 1 part humus, 0.5 parts turf soil, 0.5 parts sand.
2. Buy peat glasses, plastic glasses or a large container. Pour in the prepared soil mixture and leave to warm up. The optimal soil temperature for sowing seeds is +17°C.
3. When the soil reaches the desired temperature, 2-3 depressions should be made in the center of each glass. In a common container, you need to make grooves 1.5 cm deep. The seeds need to be laid out at a distance of 5 cm from each other. Maintain a distance of 5 cm between rows.
4. The seeds are sprinkled with soil without compacting them to simplify the germination process.
5. The soil is regularly sprayed with a spray bottle with water at room temperature until the first shoots appear - then each plant is watered at the root. It is necessary to water crops once every 2 days, seedlings – once every 3 days.
6. Plastic film is stretched over the container or glasses to maintain the required level of humidity and stimulate rapid seed germination. The film is removed daily for 1 hour to ventilate the container to avoid the development of mold fungi, which can destroy future seedlings. After the shoots appear, the film is removed completely.
7. The container or glasses are placed on a well-lit windowsill, the temperature in the room is maintained at +25°C during the first time of cultivation, after germination, the temperature can be reduced to +20°C.
8. When the seedlings grow a little, they should be thinned out so that a distance of 5 cm is maintained between each plant; it is better to leave 1 of the strongest and most developed plants in each glass.
9. 2 weeks after seed germination, the seedlings need to be fed with purchased complex fertilizer for vegetables, according to the instructions.

Find out what to do if your cauliflower blooms.

Transplanting seedlings into the ground

Before transplanting seedlings into open ground, it is necessary to apply the last dose of fertilizer. To do this, 2 weeks before planting, the plants are fed with a nutrient solution based on 1 liter of water, 1.5 g of potassium sulfate and 1.5 g of urea. 1 week before planting, seedlings begin to be prepared for new growing conditions. Containers with plants are taken outside in the daytime, first for 1 hour, increasing the amount of time by 1 hour every day.

Choose a site for planting seedlings that is sunny and without drafts. Suitable soil for cabbage is slightly acidic or neutral. A good place for growing cabbage is considered to be an area where legumes, potatoes or onions previously grew.

The process of planting seedlings is as follows:

1. Prepare the bed in advance for planting seedlings. A month before planting, the site should be dug up, the soil should be loosened, and rotted manure or compost should be added.
2. Small depressions are made in the soil so that the root system of the plant can be placed in them along with a lump of earth.
3. Add a mixture of urea (3 g), superphosphate (5 g) and potassium sulfur (4 g) into the well, water well (1-2 l).
4. Remove each plant from a glass or container and place it in the hole, fix the seedling with a liquid mixture of water and soil, and sprinkle the substrate on top.

Important! It is forbidden to plant cabbage in one area for more than 2 years in a row, as it greatly depletes the soil and you can get a meager harvest the next season.

Rules of care

Caring for Sugarloaf cabbage is no more difficult than planting it:

• Regular and even watering throughout the growing season.
• Feeding mainly with complex fertilizers containing nitrogen compounds.
• Weeding and loosening the soil.

Attention! Watering should be regular, but not frequent and abundant. Otherwise, the percentage of marketable product yield decreases. Overuse of organic fertilizers also leads to cracking of forks.

Diseases and pests

The Sugarloaf cabbage variety has good resistance to diseases and pests, but can sometimes be affected by certain diseases:

• clubroot – affecting the root system of the vegetable, which provokes the development of fungus on the roots. To prevent the disease, it is very important to observe crop rotation, regularly remove and destroy weeds and plant debris from the site. When diseased specimens are identified (fading, with growths on the roots), they are immediately removed from the garden bed, the remaining plants are treated with “Topaz”, “Fundazol”, according to the instructions;

• fusarium wilt – causing cabbage leaves to wilt with simultaneous yellowing. The main danger of this disease is that it is impossible to cure diseased plants, so affected specimens are immediately removed from the garden bed. The best way to protect the crop is to carry out prevention, which consists of thoroughly digging the soil in the autumn and treating it with Fitosporin, observing crop rotation;

• vascular bacteriosis – provoking yellowing of leaves, darkening of veins and complete death of the leaf. Disease prevention measures include maintaining crop rotation and timely removal of weeds from the area. Vascular bacteriosis can be treated with the drug “Binoram”, according to the instructions;

• black leg – a fungal disease that provokes thinning of the root collar and rotting of the lower part of the cabbage stem. Preventive measures that relate to pre-sowing soil treatment with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate are considered effective. Blackleg cannot be cured, so diseased plants are removed before they infect healthy ones.

Among the pests that can affect the variety are:

• aphids - small silver-white insects that settle on the back of the leaf and feed on the sap of the plant, gradually leading to the death of the leaf blades. The main signs of a pest appearing on a plant are slower growth, leaves turning pink, leaf blades curling and dying. It is recommended to fight aphids with the preparations “Karbofos” and “Iskra”, which are sprayed on the affected plants. To prevent cabbage from being infected by aphids, you can plant carrots or tomatoes between the rows of seedlings; the insect usually does not tolerate such proximity;

• cabbage fly - an insect whose appearance is very similar to an ordinary fly. The cabbage fly lays eggs in the soil at the end of May; over time, the larvae hatch from them and begin to eat the root system of the cabbage. Signs of plant damage: rotting roots, wilting of bushes, coloring of the lower leaves gray. The plant is treated with Thiophos, according to the instructions;
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• cruciferous flea beetles - small oblong brown beetles that live in the soil, which in the spring feed on young cabbage leaves, leaving ulcers on the leaves. Often, from cruciferous flea beetles, a young plant dies completely, while an older one grows poorly and forms loose small heads of cabbage, unsuitable for long-term storage. Mass distribution of the insect is possible only with excessive dry air and irregular watering; in rainy, cloudy weather, the beetles hide in the ground. If a plant is affected by such pests, it is necessary to treat the bushes with Karbofos or Aktara, according to the instructions.

Reviews of cabbage variety Sugarloaf

Olesya, 32 years old, Tomsk In our area it is difficult to find cabbage that will have a late ripening period, excellent taste, and will be stored for a long time. Sugarloaf meets all three requirements. And most importantly - not too whimsical. There are cracked heads of cabbage. I let them pickle.

Nina, 40 years old, Smolensk I liked Sugarloaf for its excellent taste. Juicy and sweet. It is quite suitable for our latitudes. Not afraid of late frosts and summer heat. If it took up less space, it would be an ideal late look for storage.

Harvest and storage

In cold regions, the harvest is harvested at the end of September - beginning of October, in the southern regions - until the end of November.

How and when to collect

Sugarloaf will become sweeter if left in the garden until the first frost. If cabbage is cut early, it will taste bitter. This will go away after the heads have been left for a month. The harvest is harvested in dry weather. Cut the heads of cabbage with a sharp knife, leaving a stump of about 4 cm.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

After harvesting, the top leaves are removed from the cabbage heads and the heads are dried. With excess moisture, vegetables begin to rot. Dense heads without cracking are suitable for long-term storage.

The sugar loaf is placed on wooden shelves in a checkerboard pattern. The storage room must be dry, dark, with a ventilation system. Cabbage remains fresh for a long time at temperatures from -1 to +4°C and humidity 80-95%.

When to harvest

Depending on where the heads of cabbage go, they choose the time when to harvest them. For winter storage, remove the forks in mid-to-late October.

Choose a dry day for harvesting after the first frost begins. There is no need to leave the heads of cabbage in the cold for a long time, otherwise they will begin to rot.

For storage, dense forks are placed in basements or cellars, where the air temperature will be within zero degrees and the humidity will be 85 percent. Place the heads of cabbage with the stalks down in slatted boxes. You can hang forks on poles. You can watch the video on how to properly store heads of late varieties.

If all stages of growing a vegetable are successful, then the harvest will be harvested on time. Ripe heads of cabbage will retain their juiciness and taste for a long time, and dishes made from them will benefit humans.