Winter vegetable cultivation: Here’s a complete guide to reap riches

Vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, carrots and radish that are mostly grown in colder areas have become staples on our dining tables. October – November is the best time to start cultivating winter vegetables in Kerala. Leafy cabbages and cauliflower, juicy carrots, beetroots and radishes are some of the winter vegetables that are grown here.

Places that have soil with good moisture content and receive a decent amount of sunlight are perfect to grow these vegetables. They are grown in rows of raised or mounded beds that are one foot wide and should maintain spacing of at least two feet. Three kilos of powdered lime for a cent and 150 kilos of dried and powdered cattle manure are required to ready the rows for planting. The saplings could be planted two feet apart on these rows of mounted beds.

Vegetable varieties
NS43, NS160 and NS83 are the hybrid varieties of cabbage that are suitable for the weather conditions in Kerala. Namdhari Seeds are the biggest suppliers of these varieties in the country. Meanwhile, hybrid cauliflower varieties like NS 60, C6041 and Basant are popular here. Poosa Rudhira, Poosa Chetki and Super Kuroda are the best varieties of carrot that ensure good yield. Japanese White, Poosa Chetki, Poosa Rashmi and French Breakfast radishes are perfect to be cultivated in Kerala. Meanwhile, Detroit Dark Red and Madhur are the commonly grown beetroot varieties here.

Sowing
Trays could be used to perfectly germinate the expensive seeds into saplings that are free from pests or bacteria infection. Trays that have a one-inch width and length, and are one-and-a-half inches deep, are perfect for this process. Make sure that there are enough holes in the tray to drain excess water. The trays could then be filled with a mixture made of cocopeat compost, cow dung powder enhanced with Trichoderma, vermicompost, vermiculite and perlite in equal proportion.

Germination
One seed each should be placed in every hole and press gently with the finger. Sprinkle the manure mixture in the tray on top of these seeds in quarter-inch thickness. Now, water the seeds nicely. Cabbage and cauliflower would germinate within 2 – 3 days. The saplings should be nourished with manure solution when they pop out two leaves. Chemical fertilizer called 19:19:19 should be mixed in two litres of water and sprayed on these saplings every five days. 20 grams of pseudomonas, which is a friendly bacterium, could be mixed in a litre of water and poured on the saplings if you notice root decaying. The saplings would be ready for planting on the 25th day.

Planting method
The mounded rows should be watered nicely before the saplings are planted. It is ideal to plant the saplings in the evening and should ensure shade for the first five days. The first round of fertilizer could be added after two weeks. Mix vermicompost, groundnut cake and fish manure in 2:1:1 ratio; 50 grams of this mixture should be added to each sapling. Using chemical fertilizer every two weeks will significantly improve the yield. Two kilos of Rajphos per cent too could added along with the basic manure. Besides, a kilo each of urea and potash could be used occasionally for that additional nourishment. Weeds should be removed and the soil on the mounds must be maintained at regular intervals.

Cauliflower cards would be visible within a month and a half if the - fertilizers are applied in right proportions. The cauliflower florets should be covered using its own leaves before it is ready for harvest to preserve the colour. Meanwhile, cabbage heads could be spotted within two months. Radishes could be harvested within one and half months after planting the saplings. Nourished soil must be added to the mounds after one and half months so that the roots of carrots and beetroots will be stronger. They will be ready for harvest within two and half months.

Growbags
Although winter vegetables could be grown in growbags or pots, growbags are suitable for terrace or balcony farming. Mix mud and lime and keep aside for 15 days; fill the growbags with this mixture and fertilizer. 100 grams of lime could be mixed in four kilos of mud. After two weeks, fill the growbags, up to 3/4th parts, with this mud, dried and powdered cow dung, organic manure enriched with Trichoderma, dried leaves powder, burned chaff and cocopeat compost. The saplings should be planted in these growbags and kept in a place with enough shade.

To protect the saplings from decaying, the nodes should be watered using a solution made by mixing 20 grams of pseudomonas in a litre of water. The plants grown in growbags should be wrapped in dried leaves or sheemakonna (Gliricidia sepium) leaves as they are nutrient rich. Powdered organic fertilizers or manure could be added on alternate days. Besides, spraying fish amino acid and egg amino acid alternately will boost the growth of the plants in the initial months.