Brassicas - The Manual of Seed Saving - page 56

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
• 10 to 15 well-formed heads with roots
• insect netting (or absence of cabbage pests)
• trellis or one support pole per flowering plant
• overwintering strategy
GROWING FOR SEED Growing Chinese cabbage for seed in temperate climates is among the great
challenges in gardening—and not one that we would recommend for beginners. Seed yield is usually
relatively small, and large, head-forming types with white hearts are the most difficult to cultivate.
Plants cannot handle high temperatures and need sufficient water and fertile soil. Sowing seed in mid
to late summer usually brings the best results. Select plants to go to seed from these and overwinter in
a root cellar. It can be a feat to bring Chinese cabbage through the winter free of fungal disease and rot.
Ideal storage conditions are temperatures as close to freezing as possible (without going below freez-
ing!), medium humidity, and good ventilation. It is easier to overwinter young plants in pots, though
this makes it hard to select for head size and shape. Chinese cabbage can also be grown for seed as an
annual by seeding very early, though it develops no head, making selection impossible.
Chinese cabbage seeds
HARVEST Ripe seedpods explode, releasing their seed to the ground, so harvest before pods attain full
ripeness. Processing instructions as for Brassica oleracea .
Chinese cabbage, head-forming variety
COURTESY ISTOCKPHOTO/NODEROG
SELECTION CHARACTERISTICS Head-forming varieties can be oval, tall-oval, or oblong in shape and
have a tight, dense heart or not. There are also loose-leaf varieties. Potential selection criteria:
• true-to-type growth form