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Romance cabbage is a relatively new type of cabbage that is interesting for its appearance and taste. Caring for romanesco cabbage is not complicated, and anyone who wants can grow it on their plot.
Cabbage Romanesco appeared in Russia not so long ago. This vegetable, originally from Italy, was bred by breeders in the 90s of the 20th century as a hybrid of cauliflower and broccoli. Romanesco is also known as “Romanesque broccoli” or “coral cabbage”.It can grow anyone who planted the usual cabbage, although here there are some nuances.
The appearance of the vegetable is unusual: the romanesco cabbage inflorescences are rows of yellow-green cones growing close to each other, surrounded by green leaves. The height of some plants can reach 1 meter, and the cabbages gain weight up to half a kilo. The plant is an annual plant and is essentially a type of cauliflower.
Preparation of soil for growing cabbage Romanesco
For planting you need to pick and prepare a place. The best option for planting - a place where previously grew cucumbers, onions, tomatoes or potatoes. It is not recommended to plant romanesco in the place where other crucifers grew: turnips, turnips, cabbage, radishes, lettuce. General diseases and pests prevent this. Seed beds should be located on the well-lit side.
The soil should also be special: Romanesco cabbage does not like high acidity, but it feels great in alkaline soil, so it’s better to produce or add wood ash per plant of 0.3–0.5 kg per 1 square meter before planting seedlings. The cabbage will also respond well to compost.
The sowing of cabbage seeds takes place towards the end of April. The air temperature in the room where the seedlings will be located should be below +20 degrees, in a month the boxes with the sprouts should be placed in a cooler place. When growing cabbage romanesco you need to control the lighting so that the seedlings do not stretch out, water the plants as the topsoil dries.
After 40-60 days from the time of sowing, the seedlings are transferred to a permanent place at a distance of 60 cm from each other. The distance between the rows should be at least 0.5 meters. In advance, in accordance with the climatic conditions of the area, it is necessary to calculate the time of transplantation so that the setting of inflorescences falls on the summer period, when the average temperature will be + 17-18 degrees.
This is a very important point - the romance is demanding on the temperature conditions during sowing and ripening - unfavorable weather conditions may not allow inflorescences to develop.
Proper care for the Romanesco cabbage
It is easy to care for the Romanesque cabbage. Be sure to:
- Water it plentifully, but in such a way that the land does not have time to dry out and does not become swampy.
- Inspect the plant and remove pests, especially caterpillars, which devour the cabbage leaves. You can spray the plant with special solutions from insects, if the pests have already appeared. For prevention, it is recommended to plant plants next to cabbage that scare away pests: marigolds, marigolds, celery, mint, garlic.
- Loosen the soil around the plants, weed, preventing the weeds from growing.
- Feeding plants is also part of romanesco cabbage care. For her, organic and mineral fertilizers are suitable: mullein, superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride and others. It is necessary to make dressings no more than three times per growth period, in the same proportions as when caring for other types of cabbage.
Harvesting is possible after the final maturation of the head. If you remove with the removal, the cabbage will ripen and lose juiciness. It is better to store the harvest in frozen form all winter, it is stored fresh for no more than a week.
"Romanesque broccoli" is a dietary product rich in vitamins, fiber, trace elements, containing few calories, but nourishing. Carotene, vitamins C and B, zinc and mineral salts in romanesco more than in the usual broccoli and cauliflower. Recipes and photos of romanesco cabbage in cooked form can be found on the Internet. You can cook it by adding to the usual dishes instead of cauliflower or broccoli. For people who need to adhere to a healthy lifestyle, romanesco will be an excellent addition to the diet.
Observing the technology of cultivation and care, you can achieve a good crop of romanesco. Proper timing of planting and maturation of the plant, feeding, protection from pests, watering, lighting will not be difficult, you need to be more careful about the air temperature and then unusual cabbage will not only decorate any garden in summer and the table in winter.
