CHINESE CABBAGE
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Once you've prepared the ground in this fashion, use the
corner of a hoe to make several inch-deep furrows spaced 20
inches apart . . . then water the furrows, sow the seed
sparsely in the wet trenches, and cover them with a half
inch of soil. In addition to showing where the seeds have
been planted, your furrows act to [A] keep water around the
seedlings' roots, and [B] concentrate the sun's warmth a
small amount. Both actions will help get the young plants
off to a faster start.
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Let the seedlings come up four to five inches before you
thin them to stand a foot apart. If you intend to replant
the thinnings, don't just. pull them from dry soil (a
procedure which tends to damage tender root tissues).
Instead, soak the ground well first, then scoop
each young plant out of the ground in such a way as to keep
a good-sized ball of moist soil around its roots. Should
you choose not to save the uprooted plants, you
can—if you want—use their tender foliage in
salads or in cooking.
Once started, your cabbages mustn't be allowed to
endure extended dry periods . Drought conditions give
rise to short, loose heads with leaves that have a
decidedly strong taste and somewhat leathery texture. That
doesn't mean, however, that you should water the plants
constantly . . . just give them a good mulch (old manure is
particularly satisfactory) and see to it that the soil
never becomes parched.
Happily, few insects seem to relish the taste of a
vigorously growing Chinese cabbage. Bugs do chew
holes in the plant's outer leaves now and then, but these
leaves are destined to be torn off and discarded anyway.
All I can say is, I've never lost a crop of
Chinese cabbage to insects (and I don't use
insecticides, ever).
As your crop matures, pick the most mature heads first.
It's easy to identify fully ripened heads: simply reach
down and squeeze the plant in the center. If your fingers
meet with firm resistance consider the head "mature".
