Is it possible to plant beets in cold ground. When and how to plant beets with seeds: a step-by-step instruction for beginner gardeners. Caring for beets in the open field

Plant beet (lat. Beta) belongs to the genus of one-, two- and perennial herbaceous plants of the Amaranth family, although not so long ago, beets, which in Ukraine are called beetroot, and in Belarus beetroot, were classified as belonging to the Marev family. The main representative of the genus is the common beet, which has three varieties: table beet, fodder beet and sugar beet. The beetroot vegetable grows on all continents except Antarctica. The progenitor of cultivated plant species, wild beets were used both for food and as a medicinal plant in ancient Babylon. The most interesting thing is that at first only leaves were eaten, and beet roots were used for medicinal purposes.

The ancient Greeks sacrificed beets to Apollo as one of their most valuable plants. Cultural forms of root beets appeared only at the beginning of our era, and in the X-XI centuries they were already cultivated in Kievan Rus. Fodder beets were bred by the 16th century in Germany, and sugar beet breeding began in 1747, when it turned out that sugar contained in cane was also found in beets. Today, beet sugar is used more frequently than cane sugar in many countries. beetroot (Beta vulgaris) has become an essential crop known to be rich in essential antioxidants, potassium and folic acid.

Planting and caring for beets

• Landing: sowing seeds in the ground is carried out before winter or in spring, when the air warms up to 8-10 ˚C. Early varieties are sown for seedlings in April, and seedlings are transplanted into the ground three months later - in early or mid-May.
• Lighting: bright sunlight.
• The soil: peat bogs, loams, medium loamy chernozems of neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. Do not grow carrots in soil that has been made with fresh manure or compost.
• Predecessors: Undesirable: Carrots, beets, chard, potatoes, all types of cabbage and other cruciferous crops. Good: grains and legumes, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers.
• Watering: regular (3-4 times per season), as soon as the topsoil dries out, in dry weather - plentiful. The best way is sprinkling. Water consumption per 1 m² of land - 20-30 liters. Stop watering three weeks before harvest.
• Top dressing: after the first thinning - with a solution of bird droppings (1:12) or mullein (1:18), spending 12 liters of fertilizer for every 10 m² of land. When the beet tops close, ash is scattered over the beds at the rate of 1 glass per 1.5 m², after which the site must be watered.
• Reproduction: seed.
• Pests: mining and beet flies, aphids, scoops, flea beetles and shield-beetles.
• Diseases: red rot (or felt disease), fusarium (or brown rot), root beetle, peronosporosis, cercosporosis, phomosis.

Read more about growing beets below.

Beet plant - description

Beet root, the so-called root crop, is juicy, thick and fleshy. In most varieties, when growing in the ground, it is not completely immersed in the ground, but slightly protrudes above the surface. In the first year of growth, beets, like carrots, develop only a rosette of large, bare, ovoid, basal leaves on long petioles, as well as a root crop.

Sometimes by the end of the first year, but usually on the second, an upright, highly branched, faceted stem appears from the middle of the rosette, reaching from half a meter to a meter in height, with small alternate, almost sessile leaves, in the axils of which bunches of small, dim, also sessile flowers appear, composed in complex spikes. The beet fruit is a compressed one-seeded plant.

The beneficial properties of beets are diverse, due to the presence of organic acids, iron and fiber in root crops. Because of this, beets are often used in diets to treat hypertension, kidney stones, diabetes, scurvy, and other conditions. Fresh beet juice has great healing power.

Growing beets from seeds

Sowing beet seeds

Growing beets in open ground involves sowing seeds both in seedlings and in seedlings. Despite the fact that the beet culture is cold-resistant, it should be sown in open ground no earlier than the air warms up to 6-8 ºC, however, the full development of the plant begins only when the temperature rises to 16 ºC. In addition, if early sown seedlings fall under frost, they will shoot themselves instead of growing root crops. To stimulate germination, beet seeds are soaked for a day in cold water or for half an hour in warm water (35 ºC).

Seeds are buried in the ground to a depth of 2-3 cm, and the distance between rows is observed depending on the variety - from 7 cm if you grow small beets for canning, and up to 30-35 cm if you need large root crops. The distance between specimens in a row in the first case is 5-6 cm, and in the second - up to 10 cm.

Since in many beet varieties the seeds are collected in seedlings of 2-3 pieces, the sprouts appear in a heap and require thinning at an early stage of development, in the phase of formation of the first pair of true leaves. As a result of the procedure, the distance between shoots should be 3-4 cm. Removed shoots are transplanted to another place: at this stage of development, they easily take root.

Simultaneously with the first thinning, the site is weeded, and then mulched with fine organic matter - sawdust, for example.

The second thinning is carried out when the seedlings acquire two pairs of leaves, and the root crop reaches a diameter of 1.5 cm - the interval between seedlings after the second thinning should be 6-10 cm. Thinning with simultaneous weeding is carried out after watering or rain in cloudy weather.

Growing beet seedlings

Seedlings grow early varieties of beets, which are rich in vitamin C and carotene, as well as betanin, calcium, iron, phosphorus and other biologically active substances. Young beets are the same valuable early vegetable as radishes, lettuce, green onions. Choose flowering-resistant beet varieties for growing seedlings - K-249, Polar flat, Cold-resistant 19.

The cultivation of beet seedlings begins three weeks before its planting in open ground with pre-sowing seed treatment. The seed for disinfection is soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then the seeds are kept for 2-3 days in a humid environment for pecking, and finally they are laid out in a box on a damp, light soil pickled with Phytosporin to avoid black leg disease, lightly sprinkled with the same substrate and placed in greenhouse.

Caring for beetroot seedlings is no different than caring for any other seedlings - it needs slightly moist soil, constant temperature and daily airing.

Picking beet seedlings

How to dive beet seedlings, and when to do it? Picking is carried out according to the same principle, with the same signs and with the same interval as when thinning seedlings in open ground. Seedlings dive only once, but if you sowed the seeds not in a box, but in cups, then you can not dive seedlings, but plant them in open ground right in cups.

Planting beets in open ground

When to plant beets in the ground

Planting beets in the ground is carried out from mid-May at the stage of development of seedlings 4-5 leaves. A prerequisite is soil warmed up to 8-10 ºC at a depth of 8-10 cm, which is possible only if the place under the beets is well lit by the sun.

Soil for beets

Before planting beets, you need to choose a site for it and prepare the soil on it. Most of all, beets love fertile loose soils - peat bogs, medium loamy chernozems of slightly alkaline or neutral reaction - the pH should be at least 5 and not higher than 8 units. In acidic or too alkaline soil, beets get sick. Do not plant beets on soils that have been filled with fresh manure or compost: at least 3 years must pass before beets can be grown in such areas.

You can plant beets in areas where onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, cereals, eggplants, peppers and legumes grew before it, chard, carrots, all types of beets, potatoes, rapeseed and any cabbage are undesirable for beets.

In early spring, for digging, 20-30 g of ammonium sulphate, 15-20 g of ammonium nitrate, 10-15 g of potassium chloride and 30-40 g of superphosphate per 1 m² are added to the site. If the soil on the site is not fertile, then add 2-3 kg of humus per unit area, and to neutralize acidic soil, add half a kilo-kilogram of fluffy lime per 1 m².

How to plant beets in open ground

The size of the beet root depends on the planting density: the larger the gap between the seedlings, the larger the beet root will be. But too large root vegetables are inconvenient to use, in addition, they accumulate more nitrates in themselves and are not as tasty as medium-sized root vegetables. To get juicy, sweet root crops, seedlings are planted in rows on a cloudy day at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other, the row spacing should be about 25 cm. When transplanting, the central root of the seedling is shortened by a third of the length.

After transplanting into open ground, seedlings are watered with a solution of humate for early rooting and protected from the sun with non-woven material, erected over the beds along the entire length of the arc, so that the shelter laid on them does not damage fragile seedlings. After the young beet is accepted, gets stronger, and its root crop acquires a diameter of one and a half centimeters, it will be possible to thin out the seedlings to an interval of 8-10 cm between them, and by July, when the leaves of the tops almost close, the shelter is removed, and the site is mulched for protection. beets from weeds and conservation of moisture in the soil.

Planting beets before winter

Winter beets are planted in late October or early November. On a pre-dug and fertilized site, grooves are made at a distance of 15-20 cm, into which seeds are scattered at the rate of 2-3 g per m², or as described in the section on sowing beet seeds in open ground. The seeds are closed up to a depth of 3-4 cm. Planting beets in the fall involves mandatory mulching of the site for the winter with humus or peat.

Beet care

How to grow beets

Caring for growing beets requires removal of weeds from the site, regular watering and loosening of row spacing. If you have mulched the beds, then you will have to weed, loosen the soil and water the beets much less often. Loosening of row spacing to a depth of 4-6 cm is necessary for the destruction of the soil crust, which makes it difficult to aerate root crops. The crust is especially harmful to plants during the development of the first two pairs of leaves, since it is at this time that the root molt occurs, which retards the growth of the plant and makes it more demanding on growing conditions.

Beet processing

Weeds can drown out young plants, which grow very slowly until 4-5 leaves appear, so their timely removal is a very important condition for caring for beets. Before germination, weed control is carried out by spraying the area with tractor kerosene at the rate of 35-50 g of kerosene per m². And when the seedlings have 2-3 pairs of leaves, the plot is treated from weeds with a solution of sodium nitrate. Then, when the beet comes into force, the weeds will not be able to harm it.

Watering the beets

Beets normally tolerate a short drought, but if you need a high-quality and rich harvest, watering the beds with beets should be regular, and this is especially important just in hot, dry weather. You need to water the beets as soon as the top layer of the soil dries out, it is advisable to do this in the evening, and the best way to water is sprinkling, because with this method the leaves of the plant are refreshed and washed. If there is no mulch on the site, the next day after watering, it is necessary to loosen the row-spacing to a depth of 4 cm.

To increase the sugar content of root crops, before watering the beets, dissolve a tablespoon of kitchen salt in a bucket of water for watering. Too frequent and abundant watering is just as harmful to beets as insufficient moisture, as it is the cause of fungal diseases. On average, beets are watered 3-4 times per season, the water rate per 1 m² is 2-3 buckets. Two to three weeks before harvesting, watering is completely stopped - this measure also helps to increase the amount of sugar in root crops, and also improves their keeping quality.

Beet top dressing

Beets love organics very much, and cracks and voids can form in root crops from mineral fertilizers. How to fertilize beets in this case? At the beginning of growth, after the first thinning, it needs nitrogen fertilizers, which can be used as a solution of bird droppings in a consistency of 1:12 or mullein (1:8) at the rate of 12 liters of liquid fertilizer per 10 m². It is most convenient to make grooves at a distance of 5 cm from the seedlings and spill them with a fertilizer solution. When the tops of the rows close, it's time to apply potash fertilizers, which can be sprinkled on the beds with wood ash at the rate of 1 cup per 1.5 m², followed by watering the site.

A number of advantages has foliar top dressing of beets:

• firstly, the nutrients applied to the leaves are absorbed faster than with root dressing;
• secondly, the assimilation of nutrition is more complete, since, once in the soil, some substances sometimes take on a form that is inaccessible to plants;
• thirdly, foliar fertilization of beets can be carried out even when it is no longer possible to fertilize the soil without the risk of harming root crops;
• Fourth, the foliar application method allows fertilizers to be distributed evenly, which reduces the risk of overdose or accumulation of substances.

So that the beets do not lack molybdenum, boron and copper, these elements are fed precisely by top dressing on the leaves, just like milk of lime (200 g of lime per bucket of water), which nourishes root crops with potassium. Spraying the tops with a saline solution at the rate of 60 g of non-iodized salt per 10 liters of water nourishes the root crops with sodium and protects against the white butterfly and summer fly.

Pests and diseases of beets

Of the diseases, beets are most often affected by phomosis, cercosporosis, peronosporosis, root beetle and rot. To find out what the beets are sick with, you need to know the symptoms of possible diseases, and only a correctly diagnosed diagnosis will help you decide how and how to process the beets in order to save the crop.

fomoz arises, as a rule, from a lack of boron in the soil - this is why foliar top dressing of beets with microelements is so important. This fungal disease manifests itself in brown or yellowish concentric spots on the lower leaves of the rosette, then black dots appear on them. As a result, dry rot of the heart develops - inside the root tissue becomes dark brown. Contribute to the development of the disease frequent prolonged rains, fogs, high humidity. If you find phomosis on plants, immediately apply root dressing with borax at the rate of 3 g per m² and spray the leaves with a solution of boric acid (half a spoonful per 10 liters of water). Next year, add boric acid to the soil at the rate of 3 g per m².

cercosporosis, or spotting, can destroy up to 70% of the beet crop by infecting the leaves of the plant, because of which they die off, and, consequently, the quality and keeping quality of root crops deteriorate. If you find small light spots outlined by a reddish border on the upper side of the leaves, and a light gray coating on the lower side, add potassium chloride to the soil as a top dressing. As a preventive measure, treat the seeds before sowing with Agat-25 in accordance with the instructions, and spray the soil with a fungicide before planting.

After this article, they usually read

Beetroot is a widely known and healthy vegetable. It is easy to grow and has a long shelf life. In rather harsh conditions of our country, it provides us with the necessary vitamins during the harsh winter and during the period of spring beriberi. Subject to the conditions, if you care for and love the plant, planting this vegetable with seeds in open ground is not difficult.

Beets are planted in different ways. It can be planted from seeds or seedlings. Do it in spring or autumn, it is important to observe the correct timing. Spring planting of seeds in open ground is carried out in the 1st-2nd decade of May after the soil has completely warmed up.

If the seeds are placed in insufficiently warmed soil, the seedlings will begin to shoot and a good harvest can not be expected.

You can plant beet seeds in the fall, late October or November, it depends on your region. Landing is carried out when the air temperature drops to -4 degrees. You should not rush into planting, if the planted seeds wake up under the influence of heat, they will die.

Sometimes beets are planted with seedlings. With this method, the seeds are planted at home in special boxes. You can plant seeds in the country in a greenhouse or greenhouse.

Seeds for seedlings need to be sown in early April, a month before they can be placed in open ground. Planting beet seedlings allows you to get an early harvest and save seeds, since you can also plant sprouts that remain after thinning on the beds.

The most popular varieties for growing in the country or garden

Beets may be sugar, fodder or table. Varieties of sugar and fodder are usually grown on an industrial scale and are not sown in summer cottages. On garden beds, it is more common to see table beets.

There are a lot of popular varieties, they differ in growth rate and storage time. All table varieties are distinguished by high taste and brightness of color. Here are just a few:

1. . An early variety, specimens are not very large with excellent taste. Root crops of bright burgundy color without rings on the cut, weighing about 200 g. The variety provides high yields.
2. . Mid-season productive root crop. Fully justifies its name. Red beets, cylindrical shape up to 16 cm in length. Disease resistant, long shelf life.
3. . Mid-season variety with excellent yield. Delicious, does not lose color when cooked. Weight 300-350g. Has good keeping quality.

Some varieties are great for the middle lane, others for the Urals and Siberia. When choosing seeds for planting, be sure to consider the weather conditions of your region.

Varieties to plant in Siberia and the Urals

In Leningrad and other cold regions are especially popular Merchant, Coldproof 19, Ordinary Miracle. These varieties are distinguished by excellent resistance to diseases and cold, high yields. The cylinder also took root well in these regions.

To plant in the suburbs

In the Moscow region and the western regions, many varieties are grown. Some gardeners prefer juicy early varieties that cannot lie until spring, but are very tasty and provide vitamins in autumn and winter. Others plant late varieties, less juicy, but stored for a very long time.

The early varieties are Red ball, Detroit, Mulatto. All of them give high yields, differ in intensity of coloring and good taste.

Bordeaux, Cylinder and Mona, also liked the Muscovites. These are later varieties, with high yields and wonderful taste, they are stored for almost a whole year.

Instructions for planting beets with seeds in open ground

Soil preparation

Before planting a vegetable according to the step-by-step instructions, you need to prepare a bed for beets, do this autumn. Any sunny, open, well-drained place is chosen, on which cucumbers, tomatoes or onions grew before. The vegetable does not grow well in places where carrots or cabbage used to live. Does not tolerate neighborhood with celery and garlic.

You can plant a vegetable in the same place after 3-4 years. It does not tolerate waterlogging, it is better not to place beds on clay soils. Sunny, well-drained areas for planting, what this vegetable needs for good growth.

The selected area is completely cleared of any parts of plants (roots, seeds, leaves). Humus is introduced into the soil, a complex of mineral fertilizers and the earth is dug up to the depth of a shovel. To make the soil less dense for beets, the soil is mixed with sand or sawdust. An excellent top dressing for a vegetable is wood ash.

Beets do not tolerate fresh manure at all.

If the soil in the selected area is acidic, add a little lime, changing the pH to neutral or alkaline. The optimal value for beets is 6-7.

In the spring, the soil in the garden is loosened with a rake and brought complex mineral fertilizer. The culture needs nitrogen and potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, as well as pest control.

Planting seeds in spring

Seeds are sorted out and they need to be kept in solution for a day growth promoter or wood ash. For the preparation of which 2 tbsp. l of ash is poured with a liter of warm water, mixed well.

After 2 days, the solution is drained, it is possible to soak not only beets, but also seed material of other vegetables in it. Ash provides the seeds with a complex of essential minerals. After a day, they are washed and placed in a damp cloth, before planting.

On the bed, even grooves are carried out with a depth of 2-3 cm. These grooves are shed with water, some gardeners prefer warm water. When the water has been absorbed, large beet seeds are placed one at a time at a distance of 10 cm from each other and sprinkled with earth.

Beet seeds are multigerm, one beet seed gives 2 to 6 sprouts. Sprouted seeds are thinned out after the appearance of 2 leaves. The second time the procedure is carried out when the 4th sheet appears.

Autumn landing

Often, beet seeds are sown in open ground in the fall, when the air temperature drops. up to -4 degrees. In this case, the soil is prepared in the same way, but the bed is made high, 20-25 cm, so as not to be washed away by melt water. The grooves during autumn planting are deeper, 4 cm.

Seed material during autumn planting does not need to be soaked and the bed is not watered.

When planting in autumn, dry seeds are planted in dry ground.

Benefits of autumn planting:

• seed material perfectly tempered for the winter;
• early friendly shoots are provided;
• frees up time for other garden chores;
• harvest arrives much earlier.

This method has only one drawback, but it must be taken into account. Beet harvest planted before winter not stored for a long time.

To protect the seeds from frost, the bed is covered with straw on top, you can throw it with snow. In the spring, when the air warms up to + 7-10 degrees, the straw is removed. This method allows you to get an early harvest, even with a delay in spring heat.

Planting seedlings at home

Seeds are planted in special boxes or under a film in the country, a month before planting in open ground. Distance between rows 5-8 cm, between seeds 3-5 cm. When 2 leaves appear, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving the strongest sprouts, after the appearance of 4 leaves, it is watered abundantly, carefully, together with a clod of earth, transferred to open beds.

Before planting in the ground, the seedlings begin to harden off, removing the film daily and airing the sprouts at home. In order for the sprouts to get used to, they need 7-10 days.

Planted one sprout, after 10 cm. At a tender age, the sprouts take root perfectly in a new place. Such a successful method allows you to get a high, early harvest and save on seeds, because all sprouts can be planted.

At what distance and according to what scheme to plant in the ground

On narrow and long beds, the vegetable is often sown across, while the distance between the seeds 10 cm, and between rows 20-25 . This method makes it easier to care for crops. This is a one line method.

With the two-line planting method, two even furrows are made at a distance 25 cm from each other, then leave a free tape 50 cm wide. So alternate landing. A three-line scheme is also used when the vegetable is planted in 3 rows, through 20-25 cm. This is done to facilitate watering, weeding and loosening the soil.

To grow a large crop, beets need to be watered regularly and loosen the soil in the beds.

Beetroot is an unpretentious vegetable that gives excellent yields if you follow the described tips and secrets. Gardeners grow it in the southern regions, Belarus, the Chelyabinsk region, the middle lane and the northern regions. It is good, in the usual first courses, various salads, they make preparations for the winter from it.

It is remarkably stored, providing us with the necessary minerals and vitamins until the new harvest. It is able to purify the blood and normalize digestion. All these qualities have made beets popular among different peoples, and the history of its cultivation dates back many centuries.

Planting beets with seeds in open ground can be done in different ways in spring or autumn. The vegetable is easy to grow, it is only necessary to observe certain conditions when planting and caring for it. In this case, the harvested crop will be stored for a long time, and the root crops will retain all the nutrients.

Varieties differ in terms of crop maturation, duration of storage of harvested root crops, color, shape, purpose. In the latter case, the vegetable can be sugar, fodder or table.

Popular varieties of beets for growing include the following:

• Beet table Detroit is characterized by high yield and excellent taste. It takes 100 days from sowing to harvest. The variety shows resistance to frost and disease, seedlings appear evenly and show unpretentiousness during cultivation. The shape of the root crop is round, the flesh is burgundy without rings and veins. The average weight of the root crop is 200 g.
• Mid-season table variety Cylinder refers to mid-season, high-yielding varieties. Harvest begins after 120 days. The shape of the roots is cylindrical, the flesh is dark red. The average beet weight is 30 g. The harvested crop is well stored for more than 4 months.

• The fruitful, mid-season variety Smuglyanka begins to ripen after 105 days. The plant tolerates cold well, shows resistance to cold and diseases. The root crop is flat-round, its weight is 300 g. Juicy flesh is bright red.
• Table varieties include Bordeaux beets. The shape of the root crop is rounded, slightly flattened. Vegetable weight 350 g. The flesh is juicy, rich burgundy. The yield depends on the weather. The vegetable develops poorly in cold and rainy summers.

Other popular varieties of beets include: Merchant, Red ball, Boyarynya, Red ruby, Bohemia, Red ice, Pablo.

Landing dates

Planting seeds in open ground in spring is done in early May, when the soil warms up to +10 degrees. The last dates for planting beets are the numbers no later than May 10.

In autumn, the last days of October or the first days of November are chosen for planting seed material in open ground. It is better to wait until the air temperature drops below -4 degrees. In warmer weather, this should not be done, as the seeds will stick out and die.

During the autumn planting of seeds, the beds are made high, raised by 25 cm, so as not to be washed away by melt water. The depth of the furrows is 4 cm, they do not need to be watered before planting. To protect the seeds from frost, it is recommended to cover the beds with straw until spring.

If beet planting is planned through seedlings, then special boxes are prepared. Seeds for seedlings begin to be planted in early April, a month before transplanting to a permanent place. This method of planting allows you to harvest ahead of time. In addition, the sprouts left over from thinning can be transplanted into a free space.

You need to plant the seeds at a distance of 4 cm, between the rows the distance should be 6 cm. After two leaves unfold on the sprouts, thinning is carried out. Leave only strong and healthy sprouts. As soon as 4 leaves appear, the sprouts will be ready for transplanting to a permanent place.

Choosing a place in the garden

It is best to choose areas for planting beets that are protected from through winds and where sunlight freely penetrates. The soil should be well-drained, the vegetable does not tolerate clay composition and waterlogging. It is advisable to change the landing site every 3-4 years.

There is a list of crops, after which it is allowed to plant beets. The best predecessors for beets in the garden are cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, potatoes. The vegetable feels bad in the garden where cabbage, chard or carrots used to grow. You should avoid the neighborhood with celery and garlic.

Lighting

Beet belongs to light-loving vegetable crops. It develops well during long sunny days. If the length of the day when growing a vegetable is 14–16 hours, then you can harvest the richest possible harvest. In the case of a reduction in daylight hours by 3 hours or more, the formation of the root crop slows down.

For planting beets in spring in open ground, you need to choose well-lit areas, away from fences and trees, so that a shadow does not fall from them. Do not plant vegetables too densely.

Sometimes vegetable growers may encounter a problem when beets do not sprout.

Before determining what to do, you need to find out the reason why it did not rise. There may be several of them:

• infertile or acidic soil;
• little light;
• poor quality seeds;
• improper watering;
• non-compliance with sowing dates.

To ensure good germination of beets, you need to fertilize and use lamps for additional illumination. If the vegetable is grown by seedlings, then, if necessary, additional lighting is organized up to 13 hours with fluorescent lamps, which are hung at a height of 15 cm above the seedlings.

A good harvest can only be obtained if certain conditions are met. It is necessary to feed the beds in time, remove weeds, monitor lighting and watering. It is important to carry out preventive treatment from pests and diseases.

What kind of soil does beets like?

To get a good harvest of root crops, it is important to know what kind of soil beets love more? Beets love fertile, light soil. Well suited peat and loamy composition. If the acidity is too low or high, the vegetable begins to suffer from fungal diseases, and the ability to be stored for a long time is lost.

Since the vegetable loves light, well-drained soil, it is best to mix it with sand or sawdust. If the soil is acidic, then liming is carried out. Culture loves neutral or slightly alkaline soil.

Sowing a root crop in open ground

Beets can be sown with dry or germinated seeds. Germinated seeds are sown in moist soil. On a flat surface of the prepared area, furrows are made at a distance of 20 cm.

If the soil is heavy, then sowing is done to a depth of 2 cm, if light, then to a depth of 4 cm. The distance in the row between the seeds is 2.5 cm. Later, during thinning, the distance should be increased to 7 cm.

If the summer is short, then beet seedlings are planted in open ground. You can grow seedlings at home or in a greenhouse. You can transplant a plant that does not exceed 8 cm in height. The higher the sprout, the poorer the root crop will form. Do not deepen the seedlings too much. The distance between the sprouts is 13 cm, between the rows - 30 cm.

Soil preparation

In order for beets to grow quickly, you need to properly prepare the land. The soil for planting seeds must be prepared in the fall. From the site where it is supposed to plant beets, remove all plant debris from the last harvest (tops, leaves, roots, weeds). The earth is dug up to a depth of 25-30 cm, at the same time complex mineral fertilizer and humus are introduced.

In the spring, before planting seeds or seedlings, the land is loosened to a depth of 10 cm and leveled with a rake.

It is recommended to add mineral components. For the entire growing season, the crop requires nitrogen and potassium-phosphorus fertilization. Beetroot responds well to cultivating the land with wood ash and does not tolerate fresh manure at all.

Seed preparation

During the preparation of beet seeds for sowing, they are sorted out, soaked in solutions that stimulate plant growth. You can put the seeds in a solution based on wood ash. Ash allows you to saturate the seed with all the necessary mineral components.

An easy way to quickly germinate beet seeds:

• seeds are soaked in water at room temperature (floating seeds should be discarded);
• the water is drained and placed in a solution of Epin or Zircon for 4 hours;
• after that, the seeds are placed in a warm place for a day.

These actions will help the seeds swell and hatch. After that, you can start planting seeds.

Planting process

There are two beet planting schemes - one-line and two-line. Landing is also allowed in a three-line way. This makes it easier to care for the plant. The beds are more convenient to water, loosen and weed.

In the case of planting in a single line method, furrows are made into which seeds are placed at a distance of 10 cm. The interval between furrows is 45 cm.

With a two-line version of planting a vegetable, two furrows are made at a distance of 25 cm, then a free space of 50 cm is left. This scheme is alternated several times.

Beetroot seedlings are planted in open ground with an interval of 11–14 cm. The interval between rows is 25 cm. This will allow you to collect large root crops, while maintaining the benefits and juiciness of the pulp.

Care rules

Beets begin to germinate at a soil temperature of +9 degrees and ambient air of +7 degrees. But active development is observed at an air temperature of +20 degrees. How many days does it take beets to germinate after sowing? The first shoots appear on the 6-8th day.

Caring for beets is to follow some rules:

• beds should be regularly weeded and prevent the growth of weeds;
• carry out regular loosening of the soil to ensure free access of oxygen and nutrients;
• it is recommended to apply fertilizers;
• it is important to set the correct watering regimen.

The first loosening is carried out 5 days after the appearance of the first shoots. Initially, the loosening depth is 3 cm, gradually, as the plant grows, it can be increased to 7 cm.

top dressing

Top dressing is carried out at least twice during the entire growing season of beet development. Fertilizers help increase the plant's resistance to diseases and pests.

For the normal development of the culture, the following solutions help. When planting seedlings in the ground, it is recommended to add a tablespoon of wood ash per 1 hole.

During the first feeding, you can add nitroammophoska or a mixture of sodium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium chloride. If there is a deficiency of nutrients in the soil, you can add a solution of mullein or bird droppings. Urea can be added to the solution. Top dressing with organic solutions is carried out only at an early stage of plant development.

The second fertilization is carried out two weeks after the previous top dressing. Use superphosphate or potassium chloride. Mineral components can be replaced with wood ash.

It is also useful to carry out foliar top dressing. At the stage of formation of 4-5 leaves, it is possible to treat with a solution of boric acid or an infusion of wood ash. With a lack of phosphorus, additional spraying with superphosphate can be carried out (a teaspoon of superphosphate is taken per liter of water).

Proper watering

During cultivation, the correct watering regimen must be observed. Beets need to be watered regularly, but waterlogging of the soil should be avoided. An excess of moisture causes various diseases and a decrease in the shelf life of the crop. With a lack of moisture, the pulp of the root crop loses its juiciness and becomes rough.

During mass shoots, care for beets involves the frequency of watering up to once a week. During the period of formation of root crops, the frequency of watering can be increased. Stop watering 3-4 weeks before harvest.

thinning

If the seedlings were planted in a common container, when two true leaves appear, the beets are picked into separate containers, while the roots of the seedling should not be shortened.

When planting a vegetable with seeds, as soon as the first shoots appear on the surface of the earth, thinning is carried out:

• The first thinning is carried out in the phase of unfolding the first two true leaves. The distance between the sprouts is 4 cm. The sprouts that have been pulled out can be planted in a new, free place.
• After 2.5 weeks, repeated thinning is carried out, leaving a distance of 7 cm between the sprouts. By this time, small root crops are formed that can be used for cooking.

Knowing the rules of how to dive beets in the garden, you can get juicy, healthy root crops. In addition, it is important to follow the beet planting pattern in your area.

Harvest

If the beets were planted in the spring, then the crop must be harvested before the onset of frost. Harvesting begins in late September or early October. By this time, most of the leaves turn yellow and fade. If the root crops freeze, then they will not be stored for a long time and will lose their taste.

After harvesting, the root crops are sorted, the tops are cut off, leaving hemp up to 1-2 cm. Healthy root crops are dried and transferred to storage at a temperature of +3 degrees. You can store the beet crop in boxes with sand, peat, sawdust.

You can grow sugar, fodder or table beets not only in the southern and central regions of the country, but even in Siberia and the Urals. The main thing is to know how and when to plant this tasty and healthy vegetable in open ground, which is often called beetroot by the people. Success in growing a root crop depends on the variety chosen, climatic conditions, soil characteristics and the availability of sufficient light.

Methods and timing of planting beets

You can sow beet seeds in spring or autumn. Specific landing dates depend on the region and weather conditions. It is advisable to carry out spring sowing work when the snow has already melted, the air has warmed up to + 6 + 8 ° С, and the earth has still retained moisture and managed to thaw to a depth of 10-15 cm. In the southern regions, the weather allows you to sow seeds as early as April, in the central regions and the Moscow region, favorable conditions fall on the first decade of the last month of spring.

Autumn sowing is recommended when the soil is slightly frozen and the threat of thaw has passed. The return of warm weather is fraught with premature germination of seeds and the death of sprouts. The length of our country is so great that it is difficult to name the exact dates of landing. Long-term observations of experienced gardeners can serve as a guideline:

Moscow region- from mid-November to early December;

Leningrad region - end of November;

Ural– from October to November;

Siberia- mid-October.

Winter sowing has several advantages, which allows most summer residents to choose this particular method:

During the time spent in the cold ground, the seeds undergo natural hardening. Therefore, plants grown in this way have strong immunity, are highly resistant to disease, insufficient watering and frost.

Since beet seedlings appear much earlier in spring than during spring sowing, the first root crops can be harvested as early as early summer.

By planting beets in the winter, you won’t have to waste your time in the spring, but you can pay more attention to those crops that cannot be planted in the fall.

Interesting! There is a popular belief that beets should be sown after the cherry trees have shed their leaves. You can rely on the centuries-old experience of your ancestors and use the hint of nature.

Selecting a landing site

Any garden and field work begins with the choice of a suitable place. The plot for beets must meet several criteria:

The root crop prefers long daylight hours and minimal or no shading. It is under the influence of sunlight that intense staining of vegetables in their characteristic color occurs. Any shading during the day is contraindicated.

The planting bed must be protected from through winds.

It is better to choose a place on a southern or southwestern slope, where the soil warms up faster in spring.

You can not plant beets in a lowland or where groundwater lies close to the surface.

It is important to take into account the rules of crop rotation and remember after which crops a useful root crop will grow best. This will increase the yield of the selected variety and prevent mass damage by diseases or pests:

You can not plant beets in the same area for several years in a row, as well as after radish, radish, daikon and any kind of cabbage.

Neutral precursors include carrots, tomatoes, and onions.

It is favorable to plant a root crop after potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, green manure and any winter crops.

On the next bed, you can place radishes, onions, kohlrabi, cucumbers, radishes and beans.

Near the beet plantation, the neighborhood of corn, leeks, potatoes, spinach and celery is undesirable.

Sowing beetroot can be resumed in the same place only after 3-4 years. After harvesting the root crops, the plot can be planted with cucumbers, sweet or hot peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, cauliflower or white cabbage.

Rice. 1. The famous Bordeaux variety

Soil preparation

The area intended for beets must first be prepared:

Apply the required amount of organic and mineral fertilizers - 4-6 kg of rotted manure (fresh can not be used), 60 g of potassium sulfate and 40 g of superphosphate for each square meter of land.

If possible, add wood ash, and to neutralize acidic soil - dolomite flour, ground chalk or fluffy lime (0.5-1 kg per 1 sq. M.).

Dig to the depth of the shovel and level the surface of the bed with a rake.

Along the way, remove the remains of previous crops, weeds and rhizomes.

When all the work to improve the fertility and structure of the soil has been completed, you can start cutting furrows, depending on the chosen planting pattern:

Single line. Furrows are located at a distance of 40-45 cm from each other.

Two-line. Cut the grooves not one at a time, but two at a time next to an interval of 25 cm. Leave a distance of 50 cm between the double “lines”.

The optimal depth of spring sowing is 2-3 cm, winter - 3-4 cm.

Rice. 2. One-line beet landing pattern

Features of spring and winter beet sowing

The process of planting beets in open ground is simple. The seeds of the root crop are quite large, so it is easy to distribute them individually in the grooves. However, the technology of spring and autumn field work is significantly different.

Spring sowing beetroot in the garden

Stimulation of beet seeds should be carried out in the following way:

Soak overnight in warm water(+35+37°C), adding any growth stimulant. Epin, diluted according to the instructions, or hydrogen peroxide at the rate of 1 tbsp is best suited. l. for 0.5 liters of water.

Place the seeds between layers of toilet paper or tissue paper, moisten generously and cover with cling film or a plastic bag.

Sowing operations can be carried out when the soil warms up to +5°C. If you hurry up a lot and put the seeds in cold soil, the plant will go into the arrow and will not give the long-awaited harvest.

The prepared planting material must be distributed into pre-watered grooves at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other. If it is planned to grow large root crops, it is advisable to increase the interval to 10 cm. The approximate seed consumption is 1.5-2 g per 1 sq. m with spring crops and 2-3 g - with autumn-winter. Do not worry if the sowing was carried out more closely - this is easy to fix during the first thinning, without which it is impossible to get high-quality vegetables.

After the beet seeds are sown, the grooves should be sprinkled with a mixture of earth, humus and coarse-grained river sand, lightly tamped with a hand or a wide board so that no air pockets remain in the ground. The final stage of spring planting in a seedless way is watering the beds. A sufficient amount of moisture will provide the necessary boost of energy for the germination of the crop.

2-3 plants appear from each beet seedling, so young shoots must be thinned out:

1st time in the phase of the formation of the first leaf, leave a distance between seedlings of 3-4 cm;

2nd time after the appearance of the second pair of leaves and an increase in the root crop in diameter up to 1.5 cm, maintaining a distance between plants of 8-10 cm.

It is better to thin out beds with beets on a cloudy morning after another watering or rain. Extra sprouts removed from the site can be planted elsewhere

Winter sowing of seeds in open ground

When planting winter beetroot, seeds are not soaked: they are sown in dry soil, and after leveling the soil, the beds are not watered. This rule is very important, since any excess of moisture can provoke premature germination of beets and their death when frost occurs.

To avoid the risk of losses from freezing, you can increase the consumption of seeds and sow them more closely, and thin out in the spring. It is advisable to mulch the beds for the winter using any available material: sawdust, peat, humus, pine litter, spruce branches.

In the spring, when the snow melts, the mulching material must be removed from the bed, and the bare ground should be covered with a transparent film to create a greenhouse effect. When single sprouts appear under the polyethylene, the shelter must be removed.

Choosing a variety of table beets

Getting a good harvest depends not only on meeting the planting dates and proper care. It is very important not to make a mistake with the choice of variety. Vegetable growers recommend giving preference to varieties bred by domestic breeders. Such plants are better adapted to the climate of our country, while foreign varieties may not give the promised yield.

Variety name	Ripening period, days	Root shape	Note
		Rounded or slightly flattened	Resistant to florescence and cercosporosis
		rounded	It has juicy, tasty pulp, high immunity to diseases and flowering.
Egyptian flat		Elliptical	It is resistant to drought and flowering, has a high keeping quality. Suitable for autumn-winter cultivation
red ball		rounded	Not prone to stalking and flowering. Lower temperatures affect yields in a negative way
		rounded	It has a high yield - up to 6 kg per 1 sq. m. - and medium resistance to shooting
		rounded	Drought tolerant, considered one of the most beneficial varieties for human health
Cylinder		Elongated in length up to 10-16 cm, cylindrical	The variety is characterized by excellent keeping quality, high yield, excellent sweet taste, high content of vitamins and niacin.
		rounded	Resistant to flowering, the fruits do not deteriorate until spring. Beets of this variety can be eaten even raw.
Polar flat K-249		Flat with a thickened axial spine	Suitable for cultivation in northern regions. Not prone to coloring, well transported and stored
Cold resistant 19		rounded	Juicy, pleasant to the taste, but not able to be stored for a long time
		Cylindrical	Differs in good keeping quality, suitable for long-term storage and canning

When choosing a beet variety for spring planting, you can give preference to varieties with the best taste or high yield. For winter sowing, it is worth purchasing seeds of early ripe, non-shooting and cold-resistant varieties of beetroot.

Rice. 3. Sweet beet variety Cylinder

Growing beet seedlings

In order for the plants to have time to form a high-quality root crop, a long growing season will be required. When sowing seeds at the end of May or June, it is not always possible to harvest before the onset of frost. And if seedlings are planted within the specified time, then the ripening period of vegetables will be significantly reduced.

Therefore, when asked how to plant beets, many experienced summer residents answer that they prefer the seedling method. It is suitable for producing early vegetables, and can also be used in regions with short summers and cool climates where the soil and air warm up late.

Sowing beets for seedlings in the spring should be carried out 3-4 weeks before the planned planting in open ground:

Soak the seeds for 1-2 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.

Transfer them to wet gauze or toilet paper moistened with Epin's solution or warm water.

Leave until pecking, placing in a plastic bag.

Pour the soil for seedlings into cassettes, plastic cups or boxes, pickle with Fitosporin solution.

Arrange the seeds that have hatched 1 piece into a separate cell or cup, when planting in a common container, maintain an interval of 3 cm between the seeds and 5-6 cm between the grooves.

Sprinkle beets with a thin layer of soil and water well.

Seedlings need to provide at least 10-12 hours of daylight, slightly moist soil, a constant moderate temperature without sharp fluctuations and daily airing.

You need to dive seedlings only once, and then on condition that they are in a common box. Sprouts from cups can be planted outdoors when they have 4 true leaves.

You need to plant young beets in the garden in warm, cloudy weather so that the plants can adapt to new conditions. For better acclimatization of seedlings, a few days before being transferred to the ground, it is useful to take it out into the open air, increasing the time of stay every day. The soil at a depth of 10 cm by the time of planting should warm up to + 8 + 10 ° С.

Important! Before transferring plants to open ground, they must be well watered.

Soil preparation for planting seedlings is carried out in the same way as before sowing seeds: the rules for digging, fertilizer application rates and the planting scheme are identical. For each sprout, you must first shorten the central root by a third.

Rice. 4. Growing beet seedlings in cassettes

Caring for beets in the open field

For better rooting, beet seedlings should be immediately watered with a solution of humate, and for protection from the sun, an arched shelter should be built from any non-woven material. As the beetroot grows, when the tops increase and practically close, the shelter can be removed and the area mulched. This measure will ensure that moisture is retained in the ground and prevent unwanted growth of weeds. Further care for vegetables consists in regular watering, weeding, loosening the soil and fertilizing.

Watering

The culture tolerates short-term drought well, but in order to harvest a generous harvest, care must be taken to sufficiently saturate the earth with moisture. Watering the beds with beetroot is necessary as the top layer of soil dries. It is better to do this at sunset or in cloudy weather.

An effective method of watering is sprinkling, so many gardeners use this option. However, you should not get carried away with watering too much, as excess moisture in the soil can provoke fungal diseases.

Estimated water consumption per 1 sq. m. is 20-30 liters, the minimum number of irrigations per season is 3-4 times.

Advice! To improve the taste of beets, increase their sweetness and keeping quality, it is recommended to water the beds twice with a weak solution of table salt (1-2 tablespoons per bucket of water): the first time in the initial fruit formation phase, the second time 2-3 weeks before the planned harvest harvest.

Weeding and loosening

The next day after each watering or weather precipitation, the area with beetroot should be loosened to a depth of 5-6 cm. This will destroy the integrity of the soil crust, which makes air exchange difficult and inhibits the growth of vegetables. Along the way, weed sprouts should be removed, which take away nutrients from table or fodder vegetables.

Weeds are terrible only for young shoots, and when the tops of the leaves close up, weeds will no longer harm beet plantations. Some gardeners use tractor kerosene to control weeds. They spray the area with liquid even before the small seedlings appear. At the same time, the consumption of kerosene is small - only 35-50 g per square meter.

top dressing

For the formation of root crops, a sufficient amount of mineral and organic substances that increase soil fertility is necessary. During the season, it is necessary to carry out several top dressings, the composition of which will depend on the phase of development of vegetables:

After the first thinning of seedlings, fertilize the beds with beetroot solution (1 liter per 8 liters of water) or bird droppings (1 liter per 12 liters of water). The approximate consumption of liquid top dressing is 10-12 liters per 10 square meters. m. It is necessary to introduce organic matter not under the plants, but into small grooves made at a distance of 5 cm from the plants.

When the tops close, the beets must be fed with wood ash - before the next watering, scatter it over the surface of the site at the rate of 1 cup per 1.5 square meters. m.

No less useful experts consider foliar top dressing of beets, which is carried out by spraying the leaves. This method helps plants to better assimilate some microelements, which, when applied by root, turn into a form inaccessible to garden crops. For foliar feeding, milk of lime, diluted at the rate of 200 g of dry lime per 10 liters of water, or saline solution (1-2 tablespoons per bucket of water), is well suited.

Harvest and storage

Early ripe beet varieties ripen in mid-summer. The diameter of root crops by that time usually reaches 5-14 cm. They can be used for cooking first courses, salads and other culinary recipes.

The main sign that the root crops are ready for harvesting is yellowed and dried tops. Depending on the variety and region of cultivation, harvesting begins in late August or early autumn. A cool day with no rain is best for digging up vegetables:

Dig up the root crops with a pitchfork, trying not to pierce the pulp, clean from lumps of earth and cut off the tops, leaving two-centimeter petioles. On sandy soils, vegetables are recommended to be pulled out by hand.

Sort out the crop, separate spoiled and damaged specimens. Use them for cooking or preparations for the winter.

Remove high-quality vegetables to dry in a dry, ventilated room where the sun's rays do not fall.

After a week, the beet crop is transferred to permanent storage. For these purposes, a cellar or basement with an air temperature of 0 + 2 ° C and a relative humidity of not more than 90% is suitable. In warmer conditions, the beetroot will wither, hurt and deteriorate.

Containers with beets (plastic or wooden lattice boxes) are recommended to be placed at a height of 10-20 cm from the walls and floor surface.

Rice. 5. Harvesting root crops

The main nuances of planting beets and caring for them are shown in this video.

Every plant needs attention. He needs to choose the right place, soil, take care of the preparation of seeds, do not forget to water and feed the plant. Beets are no exception. She, like any culture, needs care. But first you need to deal with its sowing.

When to plant beets in spring in open ground

First, we will find out when and under what temperature conditions to plant beets.

calendar dates

Beets love warmth, so there is no need to rush with its sowing. In addition, young shoots that have survived even small ones are likely to shoot themselves. Therefore, the most suitable time for planting in open soil will be the end of April or the beginning of May.

Weather

Seeds germinate even at +7 °C, but for proper development, about +16 °C is needed outside. In this case, the earth should warm up to +10 ° С.

Region features

Relatively Ukraine the situation is this: the further south the region, the earlier you can start. But it all depends on the temperature of the air and the earth.

Beets in different areas Russia planted at different times:

• North Caucasus - 1st decade of April;
• Central Black Earth region - 3rd decade of April;
• the north of the Central Black Earth Region, the Non-Black Earth Region, the Volga Region, Bashkortostan, Altai, the Moscow Region - the 1st decade of May.

In the southern regions, due to the warm climate, landing can be done from the end of March. After all, there the earth warms up faster to the desired temperature.

By the way, beets can be planted in the fall (there are special varieties). This option is good for areas with cool short summers. Landing occurs after the onset of stable frosts, when the ground is covered with a crust. In the Urals or in the best period for this - November. There are no universal tips on how many should be engaged in such sowing. The main thing is not to hold out until the soil "seizes" (this is 3-4 ° C below zero). Farmers have noticed that the best reference point is when the cherry completely sheds its leaves.

Important! Please note: autumn planting beets are not suitable for long-term storage.

Where to plant

This culture loves lighted places with fertile, loose soil, without high standing groundwater. A soil with a neutral reaction (pH - about 6-7) is best suited.

It is not recommended to plant beets in shaded areas with waterlogged, acidic, compacted soils.
For better yields, this vegetable is recommended plant in a new place every year. It is better to return it to its original place not earlier than after 3-4 years.

plant beets do not recommend for, and . And after, she will feel great. It is also planted for winter wheat,.

For beets good neighbors become carrots, , .

Preparing the land in autumn

Land for spring planting must be prepared in the fall:

• clean the site, removing all debris, weeds, branches, plant remains from it;
• dig the ground 30 cm deep;
• fertilize - for 1 m² you need 30-50 g and 50-70 g.

In the spring (before sowing), the earth will need to be dug up again and applied - 30-50 g per 1 m².

Video: autumn tillage

Do seeds need to be pre-soaked?

It is not necessary to soak the seeds, but if you want them to germinate faster, then it is still worth it.

To do this, take one of these tools:

• 1/4 tsp and 0.5 tsp. or ;
• 1 tsp ;
• 1 tsp drinking soda;
• 1 st. l. .

For any of the funds you need 1 liter of warm water. Soak the seeds overnight. Then rinse them, wrap them in a damp cloth and store at room temperature for 3-4 days, making sure that the bundle does not dry out.
If you plant seeds in the fall, there is no need to soak them.

How to plant beets in spring with seeds

Seeds are buried in the ground shallowly - by 2-3 cm (if - by 3-4 cm).

If you want to get small fruits, for example, for canning, make row spacing at least 7 cm, and leave no more than 6 cm between individual plants. If you need large beets, increase the distance between rows to 30 cm, between plants - up to 10 cm

Video: spring planting beets

Features of care

Watering

In the first 1.5 months after planting, it is impossible for the soil to dry out. Also, young beets like sprinkling in the evenings.

If the summer is not very hot, beets will not cause much concern. After closing the tops, the moisture between the rows will dry out more slowly, and the vegetable itself will be able to extract it from the deep layers of the earth. Therefore, she will no longer need too frequent watering.

Watering stops completely about three weeks before harvest.

thinning

To give the sprouts enough space to develop, you need do thinning twice: in the phase of two true leaves (remember to leave a gap between shoots of 3-4 cm) and in the phase of 3-4 leaves. As a result, 10-20 cm remain between plants on average.

Important! Remote plants do not have to be thrown away, they can be transplanted to another place - they will take root without any problems and quickly catch up with their counterparts. The main thing is to shed the soil well before the procedure, where you will move the new shoots, and transplant carefully so as not to damage the roots.

soil care

The land where beets grow must not only be moistened, but also loosen, since it is impossible for a crust to form on the ground. This is especially important for young shoots.

Do loosening carefully when the plants are still small, you can use an old fork. Use this procedure until the tops are closed. Also during loosening, by all means.
Remember also about mulch. After the first thinning and weeding, it is advisable to mulch the ground next to the young growth with fine organic material. If you ignore this, you will have to weed and loosen much more often, and water it too. At the beginning, the layer of mulch should be small - 1-2 cm, but as the plants grow, it must be increased by applying coarser mulch, for example, weeds and straw cutting.

top dressing

Top dressing (nitrogen) occurs after thinning, the next (complex) - after closing the tops.

Nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus are the main components that beets need. It is allowed to replace mineral fertilizer complexes with ash mixed with a lack of boron, the beets will react with rotting of the core. Detrimental effect lack of copper and molybdenum, it is replenished with foliar top dressing (in the phase of 10 leaves). Liquid microfertilizers saturated with boron in the organomineral form and manganese in the chelated form are suitable here.

If the beets do not grow well, round yellow marks appear on the tops - these are manifestations lack of potassium and very acidic earth. Here you need special watering: 200 g of fluffy lime and 80 g of potassium chloride per 10 liters of water. Funds are enough for 10 linear meters (along the line).

If the tops turn red, this is a lack of sodium. Sprinkle the beds with ashes and sprinkle with salt water (1 tablespoon of salt per 10 liters). Plus, it will increase the sugar content of the vegetable.

Did you know? Beets are one of the natural antidepressants and anabolics. If you drink beetroot juice every day, it will significantly increase your stamina and reduce fatigue.

Harvest and storage

When its leaves turn yellow and dry. Usually this is the end of August or the first half of September (certainly in dry weather). The fruits are carefully dug up with a shovel or pitchfork, then they are taken out with their hands, shake off the ground, and cut off the tops. Petioles should remain no more than 1.5 cm.
If it is not possible to take the beets to a permanent room immediately, dig piles in the field and lay the fruits sprinkled with earth in 2-3 layers, once again filling them with soil on top. But try to move the vegetables to a permanent place as soon as possible.

The most favorable conditions are a room with a temperature of 0-2 ° C and a humidity of 90%. As a rule, cellars are used, where beets are successfully saved next to. It is kept in boxes, containers, open plastic bags or in the usual bulk.

Selected large and medium beets are treated with chalk powder (2 kg per 100 kg of fruit) and put in layers with tops outside, sprinkled with wet sand, peat, sawdust or shavings 2-3 cm thick. With not very good ventilation, these vegetables are kept in small mounds, and covered with straw on top (to avoid condensation).

Video: storing beets in the sand