2009 Overview Napa Cabbage

Chinese Napa Cabbage (F1), sweet and crunchy.

Same growing requirement as regular cabbage, seedlings were

transplanted in mid August and harvested at the end of October.

This one weighted in at 7.1 lb,
(Head 4.4 lb, outer leaves 2.7 lb)

I made kimchi with it and use the outer leaves for soup.

Napa is cold hardy, relatively disease resistance and pest free.

(It could be the F1 seeds, or fall planting is less prone to diseases.)

Total of 87 days from seed to harvest in fall planting, can be

grown in winter if protected from frost and snow,

good candidate for wintersow.

Napa growing in large container, picture taken on 10/28.

Same Napa growing in container, picture taken on 12/31.

Our overnight temperature ranges from 3F - 19F (-16C - 7C),

We have had snow on and off since mid October,

the cabbages are loosely covered with a layer of row cover.

Napa growing in cold frame, picture taken today Jan 2, 2010.

Behind the Napa cabbages are red and yellow beets.

Napa cabbages and Japanese turnips growing in low tunnels,

this bed is infested with cabbage maggots, I dusted the plants

with a mixture of diatomaceous earth and hot pepper powder,

few days later I drenched the soil around the plants with

filtered lime water. Ten days later I water around the plants

with filtered lime water again, hopefully this treatment can

curtail some the infestation.  The plants look fine now,

none of them has shown signs of wilting YET, wish me luck.

(Picture taken on 12/31/2009)