Trans‑Urals woman grows giant cabbage
Oksana Tronina, a resident of Kataiysk (Kurgan Oblast, Trans‑Urals, Russia), grew cabbage heads in her garden weighing over 15 kilograms (33 lb). She told a 45.RU correspondent about her bountiful harvest.
She has been gardening for 15 years. On her small plot she grows what she jokingly calls the «standard set»: cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, pumpkins, carrots, beets, potatoes, onions. The gardener says that to bring in a rich harvest you need good seeds. She buys professional‑grade seeds from an online store. Only for tomatoes does she take seeds from «packets».
— I switched to them long ago after trying to grow vegetables from these seeds once. I liked the result — the yield is better and the vegetables are higher quality, with no rejects. For example, carrots can be forked or small. You also have to thin them on the bed. If you use professional seeds, they come calibrated to a specific size. They are treated, a specific color. I sow them one by one, which means there’s no need to thin, — explains Oksana.
She carefully selects seeds for other vegetables too. This year she managed to grow 15‑kilogram (33 lb) heads of the Dutch hybrid «Megaton». She admits that is not her biggest cabbage. About seven years ago she had heads weighing 19 kilograms (42 lb). Carrots grew to 50 centimeters (1 ft 8 in) in length.
— «Megaton» is a mid‑late variety. It’s mostly for preserves, for fermenting. I make winter seasoning mixes for borscht (beet soup), rassolnik (pickle soup), and solyanka (meat‑and‑pickle soup) from it. We also keep it fresh. It’s very tasty too and stores well if you create good conditions, — explains Oksana.
She notes that good seedlings produce a good harvest. For example, only when planting cabbage in open ground does she use «Fertika» fertilizer.
— It has a long‑lasting effect, and I don’t use any other fertilizers. I don’t fertilize my vegetables at all. Only watering and pest control — otherwise pests can leave you with no harvest at all, — the gardener said.
Oksana also grows flowers. Her plot has petunias, lilies, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, and marigolds.
— Gardening is my life. I can’t imagine sitting in an apartment and growing nothing. Working with plants gives me only positive emotions. It’s a joy to look at flowers and bring in a good harvest, — Oksana admits.
