The French phrase ‘mon petit chou’ literally means ‘my little cabbage.’ It is a term of endearment, which could be used for a child or even a romantic partner, as it figuratively means ‘my little sweetheart.’ It reflects adjectives like smallness, roundness and cuteness, just like a cabbage. There’s even an old folk tale that says new babies are found under cabbage leaves. This folk tale even inspired the Cabbage Patch Kids doll, which became a craze and even featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine in 1983.

But this doesn’t mean that cabbages are always small, plump and round. They can be massive in size as well. In the USA, regular contests are held to judge the biggest cabbage harvest. At one such event in 2012, an Alaskan farmer presented a cabbage that weighed a jaw-dropping 138.25 pounds, or almost 63 kilogrammes. On average, however, a cabbage weighs between 500 to 1,000 grams.

Being easy to grow and nutritious to consume, the cabbage is equally popular among those who grow their plants indoors or outside. The health benefits, nutritional contents and the seed-sowing method and prerequisites of cabbage plantation were discussed in last week’s columns. This week’s column will focus on the process of seed germination, the seedling stage, and the stage where we might start to refer to it as ‘mon petit chou’ as well.

Cabbage seeds that were sown or kept aside in shade during mid-October to late October will start to germinate within seven to 14 days in favourable conditions, depending on the quality of seed and soil, temperature and the age of the seeds.

While the round and plump cabbage is easy to grow, even minor missteps, such as over-hydration or limited sunlight exposure, can compromise its produce…

At this time, the cover is removed from the pot or the seedling tray. The container is then shifted to a place where there is direct early morning sunlight exposure of at least one to two hours. The sunlight is gradually increased and the exposure hours are increased from morning to noon. If sunlight is absent or insufficient, it could result in weakened and lanky seedlings, which take much longer to grow into mature plants — if they survive. It is also the time to put in place a regular watering schedule, as the soil will begin to dry off quickly due to direct sunlight.

One of the key requirements while transitioning from the seed to the seedling stage is the stability of climate and temperature. The growing seedling simply abhors fluctuating temperatures. Hence, it is very important to have prior knowledge of the possible temperature for the next 15 days. Any surge in mercury during this phase would drastically impact the growth and life of the cabbage plant seedling. The seedling may suffer shock and manifest the indications of stunted growth. It could even cause the seedling to die.

The size of the container at the permanent location of the cabbage plant should be at least 10 inches and ideally 12 inches. A smaller-sized container would negatively impact the size of the final harvest. I always try to grow my seasonal cabbage crop in two of my makeshift raised-beds at my residence.

In case the cabbage seedlings are being grown in open ground, then a distance of at least one square foot should be ensured between the planted cabbage seedlings on either side. This spacing improves aeration between plants and significantly reduces the possibility of pests and infections.

At this stage, the seedling and the surrounding soil has to be boosted with any of the organic nitrogen-based fertilisers after every 15 days. One may use a chemical fertiliser as well, but I would suggest keeping your food producing plants as organic as possible.

For nitrogen-based fertiliser, decomposed cow manure and decomposed chicken manure are inexpensive options, along with compost, which is also widely available throughout the country at different plants and seeds stores and nurseries.

However, it has to be kept in mind that the fertiliser should be reduced once the cabbage head formation stage begins. If fertiliser is used during the head formation stage, it will result in more leaves on the plant, rather than the compaction and formation of the eventual harvest.

The increase in sunlight exposure hours also takes up the water requirements of the plant. The key is to water the cabbage plant deep, which means that the soil should be saturated to a depth of eight inches. However, good drainage has to be ensured as well, otherwise pooling of water may result in issues such as root rot, fungal infections or pest attack.

Please send your queries and emails to doctree101@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 13th, 2024