When beets are planted in the spring in what month. How to plant beets in spring

Foreword

The beet harvest will be even greater if the preparation is started at the stage of sowing planting material. To do this, the seeds should be protected from viral diseases and provide them with a supply of nutrients.

Beet sowing methods - soil preparation

Everyone, to a greater or lesser extent, knows the method of direct sowing of beet seeds in the ground. However, this root crop can also be planted as seedlings. We will consider both methods in detail, and we will start with the more common one - how to plant beets by sowing seeds in the ground.

Before sending seeds to the ground, it is necessary to properly prepare for this event. The first step is to prepare the soil. Since autumn, the soil has been well cultivated and thoroughly fertilized. In the spring, before you start sowing seeds, it does not hurt to fluff up the soil so that it is soft and loose. It is better not to use manure for fertilizing the soil for beets. Beets planted in such an environment accumulate nitrates, have a poor color, lose their taste and become overgrown with many roots.

For fertilizer, it is better to use complex mineral dressing. Don't forget about wood ash.

Beets love heat and sun, and therefore planting seeds is not recommended in the shade of trees, sunflowers, corn and other shady places. The root crop is very demanding on the structure of the soil and does not like waterlogging. Therefore, carefully approach the search for a place on the site before you decide to sow beets.

When to plant beets - seed preparation in spring

Another step towards a rich harvest is the preparation of seeds. A proven method is soaking for a day in a special solution. To begin with, draw a liter of water, heated to 30 ° C. Pour one teaspoon of baking soda and one tablespoon of wood ash into a container of water, send a teaspoon of superphosphate and a quarter of a spoon of boric acid there. At the end, add 0.5 tsp. nitrophoska or nitroammofoski.

Be sure to mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Then we sprinkle the liquid with seeds, pronouncing a special garden spell "Grow big and fat." Don't forget to wave your magic wand at the end! For greater fidelity, set a reminder on your phone that will notify you in a day about the completion of the soaking procedure and the need to get the seeds from the “magic tincture”. When the triumphal music plays, rinse the precious seeds in crystal clear water and wrap in a damp cloth.

After these manipulations on the future harvest, leave the seeds alone for three days in a warm place, away from pets that can ruin all your efforts with their "participation". Wet and protected seeds can be safely sown in open ground.

How to plant early beets in open ground - choose the moment

When the earth has warmed up to 9 degrees Celsius, you can begin to prepare the beds for sowing. As a rule, they begin to sow beets in April-May. For winter storage, it is correct to sow a vegetable in early June. In autumn, beet seeds should be sown before frost - this is usually September-October. It is most convenient to sow beets in the spring - so there is more confidence in the result.

Craftsmen sow the root crop in rows under the level and pull the rope for greater evenness of the beds. Keep a distance of forty centimeters between rows. In spring, beets should be planted at a distance of up to 13 centimeters between individual seeds, but you can sow more often - as soon as sprouts appear, the extra ones can be broken through. The most correct planting of beets in open ground to a depth of two to three centimeters. Loose soil does not hurt to press down a little - for this, a flat board is used.

Seedlings will not take long to wait, especially if it is warm outside. Try to break through weak and too frequent shoots as early as possible so that they do not take moisture and nutrients from the soil. Weed the beds as often as possible and do not forget about moderate watering.

How to plant beet seedlings?

For an earlier harvest, you can grow seedlings in a greenhouse. To do this, you will have to do all the same “dances with a tambourine” with planting material, as when sowing in open ground. When the beet sprouts reach a height of five centimeters, thin out. After the sprouts grow eight to nine centimeters above the ground, and you count four true leaves, you can begin to transplant the finished seedlings into open ground.

It is correct to plant seedlings in the furrows at a distance of seventeen centimeters from each other. Maintain a row spacing of 33 cm. There is no need to plant seedlings too closely, 17 plants per square meter are enough. If you choose to plant beets with the help of seedlings, then we hasten to please you - you will harvest two or even three weeks earlier than when sowing seeds.

Do not be lazy to fertilize the soil with mineral fertilizers several times a season. Make the first dressing before formation, and the next - during the period of active growth. It is not recommended to water the beets too much - they can crack, which worsens their keeping quality. Excessive watering also worsens the taste of the vegetable. If you have been absent from the country for a long time, and the soil has dried up, water it to a depth of up to twenty centimeters. Remove weeds and loosen the soil more often - the root crop should receive enough air.

To protect against aphids, use an infusion of dandelion leaves, onion peels, or potato tops. The infusion is prepared very simply - pour half a bucket of husks and dandelion leaves with hot water to the brim, cover and let it brew until it cools completely. After straining with this remedy, you can spray beet leaves. Also, aphids and fleas are afraid of tobacco dust and wood ash.

Very useful and common in our gardens and vegetable gardens root crop - beets. In order for it to give a good harvest in the spring, it must be sown, taking into account certain conditions.

How to grow beets: infographic

See the infographic below for important points about growing beets in your country house ⇓.

How to plant beets: land preparation

This stage begins in the fall. At this time, all parts of any plants should be removed from the beds. Add organic matter to the soil. Then dig to a depth equal to the height of the shovel. If the soil is depleted, then mineral fertilizers should be added to it. If the soil is highly acidic, lime should be added.

It is good if beets are planted in the spring where potatoes, peas or cucumbers grew last year.

The bed with beets should not be shaded. Otherwise, the root crops will not have an intense shade. Because it only forms in bright sunlight.

Before planting beets in the spring, the earth must be loosened with a rake. Then you can add dolomite flour.

Now the land is ready and you can wait for the moment when you plant beets in the spring. It is necessary to allow the soil to warm up to 5ºС. If this is not done, then the seeds will go to the arrow and the roots will not form.

Beets: planting and care

There are two ways to grow beets. The first of these is planting beets with seeds. In order for shoots to appear faster, they need to be soaked. This is done in a solution of a growth stimulant or ordinary ash for a day. Then the seeds must be washed in warm water and wrapped in a dry cloth.

Before planting beets, the soil must be moistened. To do this, draw lines about 4 cm deep on the bed. The distance between them is supposed to be about 20 cm. Then the grooves watered. After the water has been absorbed, it is possible to plant beets in open ground. Since its seeds are large, they can be put into the ground one by one. There is no need to be afraid that there will be no shoots. Several plants always grow from one such seed. Therefore, seedlings will still have to be thinned out. Therefore, it is better to plant beets with seeds less often, so that later it has room for growth. Thinned sprouts can be used to compact other beds. And then the cottage will bring maximum benefit. We can say that when beets are planted, the planting pattern looks like a lattice, at the intersection of which future plants are located.

If you immediately plant beets in open ground, then the planting scheme can also be:

• single-line - seeds are placed in a groove to a depth of 3 - 4 cm, and then sprinkled with earth, 40 - 45 cm are left between the grooves;
• two-line - make two grooves with a distance of 25 cm between them, then a space of 50 cm and again two grooves (lines) into which seeds are sown.

The time for sowing seeds must be chosen so that the soil still retains moisture from winter snow. Usually, beet planting dates fall in the first decade of May. If spring is late, then this time is shifted by a week.

Care for them consists in weeding and rare loosening. During its growth, it is necessary to perform a couple of dressings. First with organic fertilizer, only a little. And then ash or mineral mixtures without nitrates.

Planting beet seedlings

This method is suitable if you do not want to engage in thinning. For those who have not delved into the question of how to plant beets with seeds, you can grow them with seedlings in a greenhouse. The distance between the grooves is made equal to 5-6 cm, and the seeds are sown 3 cm apart. Planting seedlings is carried out 1 month before it is planned to move to a permanent place.

When 4 leaves appear on the plant, this serves as a signal that it can be transplanted. This means that the sprouts need to be hardened, arranging the ventilation of the greenhouse.

Before planting in open ground, it is well watered. I lower each sprout with roots in a clay solution. And they are seated according to the scheme on the site.

When to plant beets

Beets can be planted 2 times a season:

• in spring, when the soil warms up well at a depth of 10 cm, in terms of time it is approximately at the beginning of May;
• autumn, towards winter in late October - early November.

The advantage of winter beet planting is to get an earlier harvest, it can ripen as early as the end of July.

What can be planted after beets and what can be combined with planting beets

Based on their compatibility of plants, you can find out what to plant after beets. For example, you can choose cauliflower or white cabbage. Also, the answer to the question of what to plant after beets will be a list that contains:

• cucumbers and peppers;
• tomatoes and eggplant;
• potato.

In addition, it is possible to create a mixed bed, where beets will grow from the edge, and cauliflower inside:

What kind of beets to plant?

You can choose one of the following types:

• dining room;
• stern;
• sugar.

Choice of type and beet varieties depends on the purpose of its use.

If the cottage is equipped with a room in which livestock is kept, then planting fodder beets will be required. For it, you need to prepare the ground in advance. Add mineral fertilizers and compost to it. Then dig. Seeds need to be sorted out and dressed. If there is a desire, then it can be kept in a stimulant solution. But it is permissible to sow without preliminary seed preparation. The scheme by which it is sown is different from that described above. Because root crops grow very large. The distance between the grooves should be more than 50 cm. Neighboring sprouts in the same row should be placed after 25 cm.

Those who need it only for food will need to plant table beets. This variety is particularly sensitive to lack of light. Therefore, it is not advisable to place a bed with it in the garden so that it is not shaded by trees. This also explains the increased demands for weeding and thinning.

For lovers, it is possible to plant sugar beets. However, it requires a special soil structure: it is desirable that the site is not peaty and sandy. It is desirable to fertilize this type of beet from sowing to the formation of a root crop. During intensive growth of tops, sugar beets are fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizer. When the time comes for the development of the fetus, she needs potassium chloride and superphosphate.

Beets have great nutritional value for the body. Although this plant is biennial, it is grown as an annual. The reason is that the root crop ripens in the same year, and the next year it begins to sprout with flowers and seeds.

Today you will learn how to plant beets. Gardeners adore this vegetable not only for its nutritional value, but also for its ease of care. Compared to other plants, beetroot is not very whimsical, but it is still necessary to properly plant and care for it.

What and when to plant

Let's figure out when to plant carrots and beets. You can do this in spring, autumn or summer, but still it is better to sow seeds in spring. It is customary to plant such root crops as turnips, beets, radishes and carrots when the frosts have come to an end and the temperature of the soil and air becomes higher (ideally - + 16-20 0 С).

If you do not know exactly when to plant beets in the spring, choose April, in extreme cases, the beginning of May. The warmer it is outside in spring, the faster the first shoots will appear. If it is more than 20 0 C outside, shoots may appear already on the 3rd day, if about 10 0 C - after a week, and at 5 0 C - after 2 or even 3 weeks.

Carrots are usually planted immediately after beets, preferably in the spring. The plot of land on which carrots will grow should be well lit by the sun and be warmed up, so the most suitable period for planting an orange root crop is the third decade of May.

What to plant?

It is important to consider the rotation order of crops in order to protect their diseases and pests, to preserve favorable soil. For planting beets, the soil after zucchini, squash, potatoes (early), legumes, tomatoes, cucumbers or cabbage is perfect. It's best not to grow beets in soil that has grown spinach and chard.

Now let's decide what can be planted after beets. There is an expression: tops are planted after the roots". It means that it is undesirable to grow carrots, turnips and other root crops after this crop (although some housewives plant carrots). All other vegetables will get along well on the plot of land where this root crop used to be.

It will be right if you plant legumes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, basil or parsley in this area. If you are not going to plant vegetables, you can grow annual flowers (for example, lemongrass or balsam). The same plot of land for growing beets can be used no more than once every three years.

Sowing preparation

Carefully inspect the bed and choose the place where it is better to plant beets, free it from weeds. This vegetable is a plant that requires more moisture than, for example, carrots, so it must be planted on a regularly watered piece of land. Especially the root crop needs water during rooting and at the time of seed germination. But stagnant water in the beds is undesirable, the place should be well lit by the sun and dry out.

Do not plant the crop next to potatoes, spinach and corn, they do not get along with each other. Make sure that there are no tall plants in the neighboring beds, because the more sunlight a vegetable receives, the richer its color will be.

Before planting, the seeds must be kept in a special nutrient solution for a day. This solution consists of water, superphosphate, ash and soda. After soaking, the seeds are washed under running water, carefully wrapped in an absorbent cloth and waited for them to swell.

What beets to plant

In order for the harvest to be plentiful and to please its owner, you need to know which beet is better to buy and plant. It is correct to purchase seeds in specialized stores, choosing a good quality product. Give preference to domestic varieties.

Some of the best varieties are the following:

• early varieties: Detroit - with smooth spherical roots, Egyptian - with large flat-shaped roots; Bordeaux, Red ball, Podzimnyaya.
• late-ripening beets: Torpedo, Ataman;
• varieties of medium ripeness: Incomparable, Bohemia - light and juicy, Mulatto - dark red, has a great taste, Bona.

Sowing

Decide on how to grow vegetables. There are only two of them: sowing seeds directly into the beds or seedlings.

In the first case, the seeds are sown to a depth of 2-3 cm. The width between the rows should be 20 cm. Before this, it is advisable to soak and germinate the seeds, as is done when carrots are planted.

The seedling method involves sowing several seeds (3-4 pieces) in nests in a greenhouse, followed by thinning seedlings. When the seedlings grow to 6-8 cm, they are planted in the ground in a permanent place. It does not need to be deepened too much. Between the rows there should be a distance of 30 cm, between the leaves - 15-20 cm.

culture care

It is important to properly care for beets. Top dressing for the first time should be done after rooting seedlings. It should contain nitrogen and potassium chloride. The second time feeding is best done in a month.

The first watering is correct to carry out only when the seedlings are sufficiently formed. Water the beds for the last time 20 days before harvest.

Root crops should be watered carefully so that the water reaches 12 or more centimeters underground. Beets love moisture more than, for example, carrots. After watering, loosen the soil well.

Beetroot was brought to Russia from Byzantium in the 10th century. In ancient times, this plant was highly valued for its healing properties, for example, Hippocrates used it to treat infectious and skin diseases. Currently, beets have firmly entered our diet, in addition, there are many traditional medicine recipes in which this useful root vegetable has found application.

It is difficult to find a summer resident who does not grow table beets on his site, and there is a simple explanation for this. Not only is it a very useful vegetable, as mentioned above, it is also easy to grow, as it is an extremely unpretentious plant. But, despite this, in order to get an excellent harvest, some rules should be followed. Let's figure out how to plant beets (sowing, seedlings, features, care), we will try to talk about all this in this article.

Sowing dates

To begin with, let's decide when to sow beets in open ground. This healthy vegetable can be sown in the spring, or before winter.

To obtain an early harvest, sowing is carried out in the fall, at the beginning of November, or under a film at the end of April, and those beets that are intended for long-term storage are sown in May, after the 10th, but no later than May 20th. If the seeds are sown too early, in cold soil, root crops may not grow, instead flower stalks form. After the first sprouts appear, the film can be removed (beet seedlings tolerate frosts down to -2 ° C).

Choice of landing site

A bed for planting is best prepared in the fall. First of all, it should be dug up on a spade bayonet, and loosened well. It is advisable to add half a bucket per m 2 of rotted compost or humus to the soil (fresh manure is not recommended). If it is large, it is recommended to add lime or chalk when digging at the rate of 1 cup per m 2 (you can’t add it in the spring, this can cause root diseases such as scab). Before sowing, the soil should be fertilized, such a mixture will do: 10-12 teaspoons of boric acid, 1 teaspoon of magnesium sulfate, about 2 cups of ash and a tablet of microelements (all this per m 2). Chlorine-containing fertilizers should not be applied for planting, but magnesium loves very much. Growing beets in open ground on sandy soil requires the application of peat, soddy soil and humus to the plot (1 bucket per m 2). A full bucket of peat and coarse river sand are added to the clay soil with the addition of two liters of stale sawdust, which should be treated with a solution of urea beforehand.

Seed preparation

How to plant beets with seeds in open ground, you ask? So, before sowing, the seeds should first be prepared for planting. To do this, it is advisable to soak them in a solution of baking soda or ash (half a teaspoon per 0.5 liter of water) for a day, then rinse, wrap in a damp cloth and keep in this form at a temperature of at least 25 0 C for two days. This technique allows you to get friendly shoots a week after sowing.

Sowing

How and when to plant beets? Landing is carried out, as mentioned above, in spring or autumn. So, if you plant beets in the fall, then the seeding rate will be 3 g per m 2, the seeds are laid to a depth of about 4 cm, they are covered with mulch on top.

How to plant beets with seeds in the ground and seedlings in the spring? Seeds are sown in rows at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other, in grooves to a depth of 2.5-3 cm. earth and mulch. Most beet seeds are multi-sprouted, that is, 2-4 sprouts appear from one seed, therefore, 5-6 days after the shoots have appeared, the first thinning is carried out, in which the plants are left at a distance of 3-4 cm from one another. The second thinning is done after the formation of 5-6 leaves, leaving a distance between root crops of 8-10 cm.

We looked at how to plant beets with seeds in open ground, but in the spring some gardeners prefer to plant this vegetable with seedlings, so let's talk about how to do it right.

A month before planting beets in a permanent place, seedlings are sown in a specially prepared substrate according to a 4 x 4 cm scheme. This method of cultivation allows you to get a crop 3 weeks earlier than usual. It is not necessary to dive seedlings before planting in the ground. The required temperature for growing is 15-20 o C. Seedlings are best grown beets with oval root crops. Transplanting it to a permanent place begins when the plant forms 3-4 leaves. Before this, the container with seedlings is properly spilled with water, after which the plant is dug up with a special spatula. In order for the beets to take root better, before planting, the root of the sprout is shortened by about 1/4 part. After that, the seedlings are well watered. Plants are planted at a distance of 8-10 cm from one another.

Further care for the beets consists in timely loosening, weeding, fertilizing and watering.

Care

So, when to sow beets in open ground, we figured out, now let's talk about how to care for it.

Beet seeds, as mentioned above, sprout slowly, therefore, approximately 3-4 days after sowing, it is recommended to slightly loosen the soil on the ridge with a spring rake, this will ensure friendly shoots. Real deep loosening is carried out for the first time 4 days after friendly shoots have appeared. In general, beets are very responsive to loosening, so do not forget to loosen the soil after rain or watering, but after the leaves have closed, loosening should be stopped.

This vegetable does not like darkening, so do not forget to weed weeds in time, this is especially true in the phase of root crops. By the way, in August, beets require another thinning, when weeding, remove excess root crops, the distance between plants should be 15-20 cm. After weeding and thinning, be sure to spud the plants and mulch the soil.

Many summer residents pick leaves on beets to make summer soups and salads. It is strictly forbidden to do this, the yield will be much lower. Do not forget to water the beets in a timely manner, with a lack of moisture, the roots become woody. For better maturation, watering is stopped 4-5 weeks before

Beet diseases

An excess of nitrogen in the soil can lead to the formation of voids inside the root crops, with a lack of boron, core rot can develop. The appearance of yellow spots on the leaves indicates a lack of potassium, reddening of the tops indicates a lack of sodium and increased acidity of the soil.

Beets are affected by diseases such as false rust, phomosis, leaf spot. The pests of this root crop are root beetle, beet aphid, nematode, flea, fly, root aphid, smooth dead beetle. With these diseases and pests, folk, proven for centuries, remedies will help to cope.

Cleaning and storage of beets

Beets are harvested before the onset of frost, that is, no later than mid-September, in general, the growing season of the root crop (depending on the variety) ranges from 50 to 80 days. Before storage, cut the leaves at a distance of about 3 cm from the root crop. Beets are stored in boxes, sprinkled with sand, at a temperature of 1-3 0 C.

"Bordeaux 237", "Pablo", "Podzimnaya A-474", "Cold-resistant", "Renova", "Griboyedovskaya flat A-473", "Egyptian flat", "Pushkinskaya flat K-18", "Incomparable A-46 ", "Single-growth".

Well, that’s all, you now know when to sow beets in open ground, which seeds to prefer, how to care for them and how to store them.

Have a good harvest!

Many people try to grow beets in their summer cottage. Not everyone succeeds, since growing and caring for beets in the open field have a number of features. The culture needs to be watered in time and properly fed in order to get large and sweet root crops by the end of summer.

A heat-loving two-year-old crop should not be sown on the ridges too early. Beets tolerate short-term temperature drops well. But even surviving plants can start shooting in the middle of summer. This process is triggered at the genetic level, since low temperatures for biennial plants mark the end of the growing season of the first year of development. When warming, the bushes do not form a root crop, but all forces are directed to flowering and seed setting, releasing a flower arrow.

To avoid this, the gardener should choose a time for sowing beets in open ground when the frosts are over and the soil warms up to a temperature of about + 10 ... + 12 ° С. For central Russia, the approximate time for sowing beets for winter harvesting is the last decade of May. Seeds sown at this time will have time to sprout and give a good harvest of root crops by the end of August - beginning of September, depending on the variety.

To grow beets for early production, a gardener should prefer a seedling method.

In regions with mild winters and early onset of heat, winter planting of beets is also practiced to obtain early vegetables. In this case, the seeds are sown in late October - early November. Embedding should be done to a depth of 3-4 cm. To preserve the seeds, the ridge is mulched (with sawdust, peat). The thickness of the mulch layer is 5-7 cm. Beets grown in this way are not suitable for winter storage.

Soil preparation and seed sowing

The preparation of the site for beets for spring sowing into the ground begins in the fall, after harvesting. The best predecessors are potatoes and other nightshades, onions, legumes. You can not plant beets after chard and cabbage of various types, as well as carrots and other root vegetables.

The best place is a plot with loose and light fertile soil, which is well warmed by the sun. Soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction are preferred. If horse sorrel or wood lice (starworm) grows in the garden, then the soil has an increased acidity. When preparing a site for growing beets in open ground, it is better to lime such soil by adding dolomite flour, chalk or fluff at 1-1.5 kg / m².

In order for the beetroot to be tasty, the earth on the ridges must be filled with mineral and organic fertilizers. For 1 m² you need to make:

• 20-30 g of ammonium sulfate;
• 10-15 g of potassium chloride;
• 30-40 g of superphosphate;
• 15-20 g of ammonium nitrate;
• 4-5 kg ​​of humus.

Do not use fresh manure, bird droppings, compost or similar materials to fertilize the soil. Any organic fertilizers must be applied in a rotted form, so as not to provoke a beet scab disease.

Minerals and organics are scattered over the surface of the ridge, and then they dig the soil well, thoroughly mixing the soil and fertilizers. During the winter, the granules will dissolve, enriching the soil with the substances necessary for the beets. In the spring, the site can be dug up again, preparing the beds for sowing.

Beet seeds are different from others: they are collected in 2-4 pieces. and covered with a common shell. Each rounded and rough seed in a bag will give several sprouts when germinating. This must be taken into account during sowing and grains should be placed at a distance of at least 5 cm from each other. There is also a beet variety Odnorostkovaya, which germinates contrary to the general rules and produces only 1 sprout from each grain.

Seeds should be inspected before sowing. Their natural color is yellowish gray. If they have a different color, then the pre-sowing treatment was carried out by the producers of the products. Such seeds need to be germinated or sown immediately. If the planting material is not processed, it is soaked in a warm solution of light pink potassium permanganate. This procedure destroys bacteria and fungal spores.

After soaking, the seeds can be sown immediately if the choice of location and the preparation of the beds are already completed. Sometimes gardeners prefer to plant germinated seeds. To do this, they are placed in a damp cloth and put in a warm place for 2-3 days, maintaining a constant level of material moisture. During this time, reddish sprouts appear. Ungerminated seeds can be left for another 1-2 days, they may sprout a little later. Seeds with seedlings are planted in furrows to a depth of about 3-4 cm and covered with soil.

When sowing, the following distances must be observed:

• between grains in 1 row leave 5 cm;
• between rows should be about 25 cm.

Beets planted on narrow ridges (according to Mitlider) work well. With this method, beds are made about 35 cm wide, along the edges they form sides from the soil. Seeds are planted at a distance of 5 cm from each other along these sides. The advantage of this method is the ease of care and uniform illumination of all plants.

Planting seedlings

To obtain early production, beetroot is grown in seedlings. To do this, the seeds are sown 2-3 weeks before planting in open ground. Transplantation is carried out when 2-3 leaves appear. For the seedling method, you can grow beets in a greenhouse or in deep boxes on a windowsill. It can be sown more often than with direct sowing in open ground.

Seedlings are planted according to the scheme proposed for sowing seeds (5x25 cm). Planting young plants is best done in cool and cloudy weather, before rain. If the weather is sunny and hot, it is advisable to shade the ridges with gauze or lutrasil, pulling the fabric over the installed wire arcs.

Beet care

After planting seeds or seedlings, the gardener must follow the rules for caring for beets in the open field. The final result depends on their observance: the size of the root crop, its taste and keeping quality of vegetables during winter storage. Following a simple step-by-step agricultural technique will help you grow the best crop.

Thinning beet seedlings

Thinning of plantings of beets is carried out in order to obtain larger root crops. It is recommended to do this 2-3 times per season:

1. When sowing directly into the ground, the first thinning is performed when 2-3 leaves appear on the plants. Several sprouts will hatch from each seed, so the extra ones must be removed, leaving the largest and most developed seedling. Pulled sprouts can be used as seedlings: place them where the beets did not sprout.
2. Beets grown in seedlings are thinned out for the first time when a root crop with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm is formed in the soil. For a crop sown with seeds, thinning at this time will be the second. Between the bushes you need to leave 10 cm. When thinning, you need to remove weak and diseased plants, as well as those that have released flower arrows. Removed young rosettes can be used as a vitamin supplement in salads (instead of chard) or to make summer borscht.
3. The next thinning is done if you want to grow especially large root crops. At this time, the root diameter already reaches 5-6 cm, so the young sweet fruit can be used as food as you like.

After each thinning, it is desirable to hill the beets. During this operation, you need to have a good idea of ​​how to properly add soil to the root neck of the rosette: the soil should not cover the leaf growth point in the center of the bush. It is only necessary to slightly cover the top of the root crop, which is above the surface, with earth. Most often, varieties with elongated root crops (Cylinder, Rocket and others) rise above the ground. The socket at the same time leans towards the soil, and the beets become curved.

Watering and feeding

The secret to growing good quality beets lies in proper watering and feeding the plants. It is necessary to water the bed with seedlings abundantly in order to wet the soil to a depth of about 10 cm, where the culture has thin suction roots. With growth, the volume of irrigation water is increased to 20-30 l / m², if there is not enough natural precipitation.

During the formation of the root crop, the lack of moisture leads to the formation of uncolored and hard rings in the beet pulp.

Until the underground part reaches a diameter of 5-6 cm, it is better to water the beets daily or every other day, focusing on the drying of the topsoil 2-3 cm deep. In autumn, 3-4 weeks before the harvest, which is intended for storage, watering is stopped, even if there is no rain. So more sugary substances are formed in the root crop, and it will be better stored.

To increase sugar content, you can feed the plantings with salted water several times a season (0.5 tsp per 10 l). At the initial stage of growth (before the formation of root crops), beets need top dressing with nitrogen fertilizers. To do this, for 10 liters of water, in addition to salt, add 1 tbsp. l. ammonium nitrate. At the end of summer, nitrogenous substances are no longer needed by the plant, but top dressing is also carried out in August, adding 1 tbsp per 10 liters of water. l. potassium nitrate.

Liquid top dressing can be applied not only to the soil, but also foliarly, that is, by watering the leaves with a nutrient solution.

Processing and fertilizer

After watering or applying liquid top dressing, the soil between the rows should be loosened to a depth of 4-5 cm. When performing this procedure, root crops should not be touched, so the treatment must be carried out carefully. The video shows how, along with loosening, weeds are destroyed that have time to grow between outlets.

When loosening, fertilizers are also applied, feeding the plantation in a different way. In the aisles, complex mineral fertilizer (Agricola-4 or others) is scattered, and then it is embedded in the soil with a chopper. When carrying out such top dressing, it is not necessary to make solutions of other fertilizers.

Pests and diseases of beets

Diseases and pests of beets can be detected by the following signs:

1. Brown spots with a black dot inside on beet leaves are a phomosis disease that affects both the leaves and the root crop. Spraying the leaves with a solution of boric acid (0.5 tsp per 10 l of water) and applying borax at 3 g / m² will help.
2. Peronosporosis - defeat by fungi. At the same time, a grayish coating is visible on the underside of the sheet. You can fight the fungus with fungicides.
3. Root beetle, or black leg, affects young seedlings. The prevention of the disease is the liming of the soil and the spring application of borax (3-5 g / m² each) during digging.
4. Large root crops are more often affected by fusarium and brown rot. They develop on heavy soils, and the methods of their treatment are liming and applying borax.

Beets are also damaged by insect pests. Most of them are leaf-eating and sucking (aphids, fleas, bugs and others). It will be possible to protect plants with the help of treatments with appropriate chemicals (Karbofos, Iskra).

Harvest and storage

Yield and ripening terms depend on the beet variety. But the approximate harvesting dates for central Russia are mid-late September, when the air temperature drops to +5 ... +15 ° С. It is undesirable to be late with the harvest, exposing the beets to freezing when the temperature drops below 0 ° C.

Root crops are pulled out of the soil, the leaves and their growth point are cut off, 2/3 of the root is removed. For storage, the beets are placed in boxes, sprinkled with dry sand. Large quantities of vegetables are well stored in the cellar in mesh bags.

What can be planted after beets and what can be combined with planting beets?

If the gardener practices compacted plantings, then the following crops will be the best neighbors for beets:

• onion;
• leafy vegetables and greens (lettuce, spinach and others);
• chard and early-ripening varieties of beets.

Subject to crop rotation, the next year after the grown beets, you can plant potatoes and other solanaceous plants, sow carrots, garlic, and pumpkin crops. The best substitutes would be legumes, which will restore the nitrogen content in the soil. You can not plant chard in the same place: its leaves will dry and wither, drying up in the garden.