It's CABBAGE turn! Planting CABBAGE this rainy season; Farming is not just PLANTING & HARVESTING, there's much more to it.

Hello, Hive GARDENERS/FARMERS!

How are you and your plants doing today? I hope you're all doing good. Today, I’d like to share the process we follow when planting cabbage on our farm. Since It’s already "BER" months and the rainy season has started here in the Philippines. It's the best time to plant Leafy Vegetables like CABBAGE. As farmers, whether it’s sunny or raining, you're tired or sick, nothing can stops us from working in the farm. In fact, we went to the farm and planted our cabbage seedlings even if it is raining because the seedlings will rot if we wait for the rain to stop. Planting cabbage requires a lot of patience because there are many steps to complete before the seedlings can be planted in the soil.

I remember that before planting cabbage on this plot, we previously grew corn and onion leeks. The corn was for our own consumption, while the onion leeks were grown for the market. This time, we decided to plant cabbage, which will take up to four months before harvesting. This has been our usual routine, especially since the weather here is constantly changing anytime. We're also hoping and praying that no typhoons come before harvest and that market prices will stay high so we don’t suffer any losses or go bankrupt.

The first thing we did was have my husband cultivate the soil using the tractor, because the ground had become quite hard from the recent dry season. By the way, we plant everything manually here since we don’t have modern machinery like many farmers in other countries. After cultivating the soil, my husband prepared the plots for planting. Before planting the seedlings, he applied Nebijin to the soil and mixed it using grab hoe to help prevent clubroot in the cabbage. After doing all of these its time to plant. The seedlings we planted came from seedling trays. We start by sowing the seeds in the trays, wait for a few days until they grow strong enough, and then transplant them to the farm.

Since It was raining, it is also the perfect time to plant cabbage instead of waiting for the sun and using of sprinkle. Planting under direct sunlight could also cause the cabbage to wilt. We wore our raincoats and planted despite the rain. Also, We’re grateful for the rain because we didn’t have to use the sprinkler while planting. However, for other crops like potatoes and carrots, we need a sunny day before planting them. After planting, we immediately apply chicken manure, which serves as the first fertilizer.

Cabbage needs plenty of water as it grows, but water alone isn’t enough. It also requires pesticide, insecticide, and fungicide depending on its condition. That’s why we usually spray every 3 to 4 days, especially during the rainy season, to prevent the plants from rotting or being damaged by pests, insects, or fungi. This routine continues until 2-3 weeks before harvest time.

After planting, we wait until the cabbage roots are well established in the soil before applying complete fertilizer. For now, we focus on monitoring and caring for the plants by maintaining their spray routine. That’s all for now. I wish I can post an update soon when it’s time to fertilize and perform side dressing (hilling) to form a bigger cabbage heads until harvest time. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog about our farming process, particularly planting cabbage. I hope it provides useful and helpful ideas to anyone who loves farming or anyone who needs them. Thank you so much.