The Importance of Proper Timing: When is the Best Time to Plant Beets? How to grow good beets: planting, watering, feeding beets When is it better to sow beets in which month.

In this article, we will discuss how to plant beets, as well as analyze the basic requirements for a good harvest.

Varieties of beets for growing in open ground

The choice of variety depends on the intended use. Everyone chooses the type he needs. For culinary use, the table variety is excellent. You can also plant a sugar group for eating. If the root crop is planted for further feeding of livestock, then fodder beets are suitable for this purpose.

The following mid-season varieties of table root have the best culinary properties:

• "Bordeaux 237";
• "Bordeaux single-seeded";
• "Single-growth";
• "Gribovskaya";
• "Incomparable A-46";
• "Pablo";
• "Podzimnaya A-474";
• Renova.

The highest yields are varieties such as Lola, Modana, Diy, Mona.

Did you know? Afteryears of researchscientists made an interesting discovery: the most storable (high-quality) vegetables are obtained from those varieties of beets, the growing season of which is less than 150 days.

Landing dates

When to plant beets in open ground with seeds, soil temperature will tell. Too premature sowing of seeds in unheated soil is fraught with the formation of flower stalks, which causes significant damage to root crops.
The required soil temperature for growing this crop is it is 8–12 °С. Sweet root seeds germinate at 4–5 °С. It is customary to start sowing work in mid-May.

Choosing a place in the garden

When choosing a place to sow, start from two important conditions: lack of shade and protection from drafts. The presence of these negative factors leads to root rot.

Lighting

The most important condition for growing sweet root is to ensure maximum lighting. The place under the root crop should be well illuminated by the sun.
Otherwise root crop stops developing. In addition, the light contributes to a more intense coloring of the sweet root.

The best place for sowing is an open area, protected from the wind. Eliminate places under trees, in holes or on high ground.

What kind of soil does beets like

Beets require fertile soil enriched with mineral or organic nutrients. The soil for sugar beet usually consists of medium loamy chernozems and peat bogs.

Soil acidity should be neutral or slightly alkaline (pH 5–8). If the acidity level does not match the above indicators, root crops will be vulnerable to various.
To help the young root system take root, the soil should be light, loose and deep.

Important! The use of fresh manure as fertilizer for beets is unacceptable.

Sowing a root crop in open ground

Let's move on to a direct consideration of the features of growing table beets.

Soil preparation

The soil for the root crop is prepared in the spring (in early May). Before sowing, the soil is moistened, enriched with mineral and organic fertilizers (humus, compost). Then the soil is loosened at a depth of 5 cm. On the day of sowing, funnels are made on the beds 3–4 cm deep. The distance between the funnels should be about 20 cm, and between the rows - 40 cm.

Seed preparation

Beet seeds are sown both dry and after the soaking procedure. Thanks to moisture, sprouts will appear much faster. For soaking, solutions from growth stimulants are used.

The procedure should last no more than a day. Then the seeds are rinsed with warm water, transferred to a cloth and gently dried. It is also acceptable to use ordinary ash.

Watch the temperature in the room where the seeds are. Temperature should not be too low otherwise your seeds will not germinate.

Planting process

The planting pattern of the root crop resembles a lattice. Seeds are sown in rows with subsequent thinning of the sprouts. Pre-prepared funnels are filled with water.
You should wait a little while the water is absorbed. Sowing beet seeds is carried out piece by piece. To facilitate the future thinning process, it is recommended to plant seeds less often. After sowing, the grooves are sprinkled with earth. Then the soil must be weeded and loosened.

Did you know?Worried that the seedlings may not appear, many often put several seeds in one funnel at once. But since beet seeds are quite large, more than one plant sprouts from one seed. That is why gardeners recommend placing seeds in funnels only one by one.

Care rules

Beet- unpretentious frost-resistant culture. Care consists in moderate feeding, regular, timely loosening and competent thinning.

top dressing

The soil begins to be fed when the first shoots appear. It is important not to overdo it with the amount of fertilizer.

This vegetable crop prefers organic matter, and cracks and voids can form from minerals in the pulp of vegetables.

It must be remembered that the use of chemicals is harmful, first of all, to humans.
On distance 5 cm make grooves from the sprouts and fill them with a solution of nitrogen fertilizers. When the tops on the rows come together - this indicates that the time has come for making potassium supplement.

Proper watering

Beets are a moisture-loving crop. On average, per season, the irrigation rate per 1 m² is 15–20 liters (2–3 buckets). Watering time comes at the moment when the top layer of soil dries out.
The need for moisture is especially high in a young plant, as well as during the period of thickening of root crops. The best way to irrigate sprinkling. This method helps to wash and refresh the leaves of the plant. It is desirable to carry out work in the evening.

Excessively abundant and frequent irrigation of the soil leads to fungal diseases, and a month before harvesting worsens the taste of vegetables. Irrigation should be completely stopped 2-3 weeks before harvest.

The key to a good harvest of beets is the observance of agricultural practices for its cultivation. Planting beets should be carried out in a timely manner, according to the timing of ripening and the lunar calendar. It is also important to observe the norms of watering and properly feed the crop.

Varieties of beets for planting in open ground

Beets are a very common crop with many varieties and varieties. There is a canteen, sugar and fodder. In country and garden farms, table beet is the most popular, among which leaf and root crops are distinguished.

Among gardeners, it is customary to classify beet varieties according to ripening time, pulp color (red, red-violet, burgundy) and fruit shape. Early ripe varieties of beets ripen within 60-90 days after sowing. They are intended for summer use, but not for storage. Among the popular early ripe varieties of beets are:

• Nobol;
• Egyptian;
• Bordeaux 237;
• Red ball;
• Cold resistant.

In order for the fruits to ripen early enough and, at the same time, they can be stored for storage, it is recommended to grow beets in the open field of mid-ripening varieties. They perfectly tolerate temperature changes and drought, have a high resistance to disease. The most popular varieties among gardeners are:

• Detroit;
• Bona;
• Bohemia;
• Mulatto.

Late-ripening beet varieties are characterized by good keeping quality:

• cylinder;
• Renova.

The harvesting of these varieties begins 130-150 days after sowing, so not in all regions they have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather.

Choosing a place and preparing beds for beets

The right choice of a site for beets determines not only the quantity of the crop, but also its quality. So, beetroot, which is grown and cared for in sunny areas with light, well-drained soil, will give a large crop of sweet tubers.

Loamy and sandy soils with neutral acidity are the best suited for growing beets. On heavy clay soils, hard and tasteless fruits grow, especially if the area is acidic and moisture stagnates on it.

Crop rotation rules for beets

• It is better to grow beets in areas where potatoes, onions, and cucumbers used to grow.
• After cabbage, carrots and tomatoes, you should not sow beets.
• Every year, the plot in the garden for beets needs to be changed. Re-sowing in the same place is possible only after three years.

Beets also feel good in mixed plantings. Neighbors such as cabbage, onions, bush beans, potatoes do not interfere with beets, but also have a beneficial effect on its growth. The neighborhood of beets with corn and chard is not recommended.

The culture grows well along the edges of the beds, which will save a seat, while caring for beets in the open field will be much easier, since it will receive fertilizer and watering together with its neighbors.

Bed preparation

A plot for beets has been prepared since autumn, digging a shovel onto a bayonet and applying fertilizer. From organic matter, compost or humus (half a bucket per m²) is added for digging, from mineral fertilizers - superphosphate and ammonium nitrate (20-30 g / m²) and potassium chloride (10-15 g / m²). In acidic soils, the addition of ash, dolomite flour or lime is mandatory.

Fresh manure should not be applied to the area where beets will be grown. Otherwise, the fruits will grow ugly, and will contain a large amount of nitrates.

Seed preparation and beet planting procedure

Germination of fresh beet seeds is excellent. They are collected in tubers and covered with a common shell. One such tuber can produce up to 5 seedlings. But, for better seed germination and if you want to get early shoots, the seeds should be prepared for sowing.

Germination of beet seeds

Preliminary preparation of seeds consists in their germination. To begin with, they are soaked in a nutrient solution for 20-30 minutes. Recipes for preparing a growth stimulant can be different, one of the most popular:

• dissolve boric acid (2 g) and nitroammofoska (4 g) in 1 liter of warm water;
• add 5 g of superphosphates and a teaspoon of baking soda to 1 liter of water;
• it is recommended to add a tablespoon of wood ash or tobacco dust.

You can use ready-made tools (Epin, Zircon). After exposure to the stimulator, the seeds are washed, wrapped in a cloth bag. It is necessary to keep them in a humid and warm environment for several days.

Technology of sowing beets in open ground

Seeds are sown in spring, approximately at the end of April - beginning of May, when the soil warms up to 8-10º, in furrows. If the planting of beets with seeds in open ground is done too early, the fruits may not set. Instead, the plants will produce a peduncle and large leaves.

A distance of 8-10 cm is maintained between seeds, and 25-30 cm between rows. Seeds distributed over moistened furrows are covered with a small layer of soil (1.5-2 cm) and watered. The bed can be mulched with peat or other material so that the soil warms up faster and seedlings appear faster. Winter sowing of beets is carried out in November and the beds are covered with pine spruce branches.

Planting beets with seeds in open ground video

Care when growing beets in open ground

So that the harvest does not disappoint, you need to consider what beets love when growing, and what procedures should be avoided. During the entire period of growth, beets need watering, weeding, top dressing, as well as measures to combat diseases and pests.

Seedling cultivation and picking of beet seedlings

Beet care after planting begins with the appearance of the first shoots. Given the multi-germination of seed tubers, crops are often thickened and require thinning. You can do without it only when sowing single-sprout varieties. Carry out the first thinning in the phase of two leaves on moist soil.

It is possible to grow and transplant beet seedlings. After germination at home, seedlings with 2-3 leaves are watered and dumped into prepared holes along with an earthen clod.

The second way to increase the volume of plantings - sprouts torn out after thinning, they are planted, having previously shortened the root. They take root quite well and soon catch up with seedlings.

With the advent of five or six sheets, a second thinning is carried out. It is also possible to transplant beets in June with seedlings, but it will not take root as well as in spring.

Feeding and watering

After thinning, the first feeding of beets in open ground with nitrogen-containing fertilizer (urea, potassium nitrate, nettle infusion) is required. Spend it under the root after moistening the soil.

In summer, watering beets in the open field is especially important. It is carried out by sprinkling, abundantly, in the morning or evening hours.

Unevenly moistened soil will negatively affect the yield. The fruits will be irregular in shape, underdeveloped, without a sweetish aftertaste. Irregular watering will lead to cracking of the fruit. After each watering, the soil between the rows is loosened, not forgetting to remove the weeds.

Fertilizing in the summer, beets are needed every 10-14 days. The most valuable element for her is boron. They carry out foliar feeding (2 grams of boric acid per 10 liters of water) while caring for beets in June. The lack of boron in the soil will lead to phomosis of fruits, which will negatively affect their storage.

In order for the beets to be sweet, have a solid structure and crunch a little, it is necessary to fertilize with table salt (1st per 10 liters of water).

When the beet fruits become the size of a walnut (they will already be visible on the surface), they are fertilized with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (azofoska, double superphosphate) every 14 days.

With the approach of autumn, beet watering is gradually reduced and completely stopped two weeks before harvest, as is fertilization.

Protecting beets from pests and diseases

The main diseases of beets are:

• cercosporosis;
• phomosis;
• root rot.

In order to avoid damage, regular treatments of plantings with copper-containing preparations (Bordeaux mixture or HOM preparation) are necessary.

Pests cause great harm to beets:

• beet fly;
• nematode;
• cabbage owl.

Therefore, growing beets in the country requires regular insecticide treatments (Karate, Konfidor).

Growing beets in the open field video

Harvest and storage of beets

The readiness of the beet for harvest is determined only by its size. The most successful root crops are medium in size. They store best and are juicier than larger ones. Ripe beetroot, planted and cared for properly, can be harvested no later than September, as it does not tolerate frost. It is removed from the garden before other root crops in dry weather. After digging, it is laid out to dry.

It is advisable to cut off the tops from the fruits with your hands, since after cutting it with a knife, the wounds heal for a long time and the fruits lose their juice. Only healthy fruits without damage are laid for storage, stacking in separate boxes. Storage on top of potatoes is also acceptable.

Outcome

It is not difficult to grow a good beet crop on your site. It is enough to observe the planting dates, to carry out watering and necessary feeding on time, to loosen the soil and not to delay the harvest.

Beets are one of the most useful and vitamin vegetables in the country. Everything in beets is edible, including the leaves. She goes to salad, and to a side dish, and to borscht. This popular root vegetable is good because it can be eaten both raw and boiled. And what is important - it is tasty and appetizing of any size, not to mention a cocktail of a huge amount of useful ingredients.

Even a novice summer resident can grow this wonderful plant in his area without much hassle, especially if he listens to proven tips and recommendations for choosing a place for planting, preparing a garden bed and the intricacies of sowing beet seeds in open ground (or pre-seedlings).

According to the ripening period, beets can be divided into the following varieties (from the first shoots to the moment of harvesting):

• early ripening-medium early (80-110 days);
• mid-season (110-130 days);
• late ripening (130-145 days).

The most popular varieties of early or early ripening beets include the following: Early Wodan, Carillon, Red Ball, Mona, Egyptian and Gribovskaya flat, Action, Nastenka.

• Mid-season varieties are represented by the following: Bordeaux-237, Sonata, Crimson Ball, Valya, Detroit and Cold-resistant 19.

• Among the late-ripening, the following are common: Lettuce, Matron and Cylinder.

Interesting! Varieties of beets often differ in that some grow on the surface, while other root crops "sit" exclusively in the ground. So, for clay soils, the first ones (which crawl to the surface) are better suited.

When to sow beet seeds in open ground in spring: optimal timing

Beet is considered a relatively heat-loving vegetable, so it is worth planting when the temperature of the earth warms up to +8, and the air to +10..+12 degrees.

Interesting! The popular landmark for sowing beets is the moment when small leaves the size of a penny will appear on the birch.

Planting dates depending on the region and variety

Thus, the timing of sowing beets varies depending on the climatic features of your place of residence.

For example, in the South (in Krasnodar, in the Kuban), the root crop can be sown around the second half of March-April. But in the Middle lane (Moscow region), suitable dates for planting beets in open ground fall on the beginning-middle of May, in Siberia and the Urals - in the second half of May.

However, it is not worth rushing with early planting of beets - it is better to wait until the end of the return spring frosts and only then start sowing seeds.

By the way! Varietal affiliation does not affect the time of planting. Early varieties are not planted earlier, like late ones - later. It just doesn't make sense.

According to the lunar calendar in 2019

If you want to choose certain date for planting a root crop, then you will always come to the rescue moon calendar.

So, the most favorable days for sowing beets for seedlings or in open ground according to the lunar calendar in 2019 are:

• in March - 10-12, 15-17, 23-25, 27-30;
• in April - 2-9, 11-15, 24-27, 29, 30;
• in May - 1-4, 12-14, 21-23;
• in June - 9-11, 18-20;
• in July - 25-31.

If you already turn to the lunar calendar, then you should know that it is even more important not to plant a vegetable on unfavorable days, and this is in 2019:

• in March - 6, 7, 21;
• in April - 5, 19;
• in May - 5, 19;
• in June - 3, 4, 17;
• in July - 2, 3, 17.

According to the lunar calendar, from the magazine "1000 Tips for a Summer Resident".

How to plant beets in open ground: sowing rules

Preparing seeds for planting

You can always plant beets with dry seeds, but to improve germination, it is advisable to pre-soak and germinate them.

You can germinate beet seeds before planting in different ways:

When using any method of seed germination, the essence is approximately as follows: the seeds are placed on a damp surface, the container with which is placed in a warm place where the temperature fluctuates around + 20-22 degrees, and make sure that the seeds do not dry out, periodically adding water to capacity.

Benefits of germinating beetroot seeds:

• You can immediately see which seeds have sprouted and which have not. So it turns out to achieve better germination in open ground.
• When planting with germinated seeds, seedlings appear much faster, as a rule, by 4-6 days.

Bed and soil

Beetroot grows well in lighted beds, so it should be planted where there is often sun.

You can even plant the root vegetable close to the trees on the south side, where the sun will nourish the vegetable for at least half a day.

Advice! If your dacha is located in a lowland and the places are relatively swampy, then it is better to plant beets (and not only them) to high beds. Many gardeners, in principle, love and successfully grow vegetables in such beds.

Excellent predecessors for planting beets are legumes, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers. But cabbage is not a very good predecessor; after it, it is not recommended to sow a root crop.

It is advisable to prepare the soil for growing a root crop in advance, even in the fall. Although it's okay if you start cooking it right in the spring, shortly before planting.

Beets, like all other root crops, need a very good and loose soil, and in clay it is simply difficult for them to grow. Digging up the soil costs about a shovel bayonet (20-25 cm).

If you have too much sandy ground, then you can improve its composition by introducing high-quality humus or compost (3-4 kg per 1 sq. meter of beds) by adding a couple of tablespoons of superphosphate to it (30-40 grams) and then thoroughly digging and mixing everything.

If your soil is too heavy (clayey), then in addition to humus or compost and superphosphate, you should add peat and quite a bit of sand to the soil.

Beets do not like acidic soils, so if you have an increased acidity of the soil, then you should deoxidize it in the fall by adding lime or.

If you add it to the soil in advance, then this will also have a very good effect on the vegetable. You can also do this during planting and subsequent top dressing.

Note! It is impossible to introduce fresh manure into the soil for beet beds, even in autumn, especially in spring. This root crop is very fond of accumulating nitrates, which we absolutely do not need.

Sowing in the garden

Many experienced vegetable growers recommend making grooves along the edge of the garden. With such a planting, the root crops will grow large, and the bed itself will be beautiful. Good neighbors for beets can be onions, dill, tomatoes, cabbage and lettuce.

By the way! There is even such a saying: "Beetroot loves to rub against the hem of the hostess."

Step-by-step instructions for planting beet seeds in open ground in spring:

1. Prepare the seeds: soak and germinate.
2. Choose a place for the beds and make grooves 2-3 cm deep.
3. It is good to shed the grooves with water.
4. Spread the seeds. Seed material should be planted at a distance of about 3-4 centimeters from each other. In the aisle - at a distance of 20-30 centimeters.
5. This root crop is very fond of, so it is recommended to pour it a little immediately after sowing.
6. Then fill the grooves with earth and again sprinkle a little with ash.
7. Mulch with sawdust (lightly, a thick layer is not necessary).
8. Cover with foil to protect against recurrent frosts and for a greenhouse effect. As soon as shoots appear, the film can be removed.

Video: sowing beets with germinated seeds

Sowing beet seeds for seedlings

If you want to get an earlier harvest, you can plant beet seeds for seedlings. The main specificity of sowing is that the planting capacity must be high enough, because we are planting a root crop.

By the way! Beets grown through seedlings will not require future thinning for obvious reasons.

Agrotechnics for growing beets through seedlings is quite simple: watering is necessary as the soil dries up, as well as a bright place. When the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, a small root crop can be planted in open ground.

On a note! If you want to get a little confused and try to get an earlier harvest, then sow beets for seedlings. If not, then it grows beautifully and in a seedless way.

Further care for beets after planting

Advice! About, how to care for beets outdoors to grow sweet root crops, read

If you care about your future health and are “addicted” to beets, then be sure that you are quite capable of growing a crop of juicy and large root crops. Of course, first of all, for this it is necessary to initially plant beets correctly in the spring.

Video: when and how to sow beet seeds in open ground

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Beets are a popular crop that many summer residents grow on their plot. We will tell you when it is better to sow the seeds, and how to properly prepare the soil in order to get a rich harvest.

When to sow beets in open ground with seeds

Beets can be planted in open ground with seeds and at +7°C, but in order for seedlings to grow well, an air temperature of +16°C is required. But the soil should have a temperature of more than + 10 ° C. Therefore, it is very important to plant the crop at the right time.
Beets prefer to grow in warmth, because of this you should not rush. In addition, if young sprouts survive the return frosts, they usually begin to shoot arrows.
Therefore, taking into account all this, in the North Caucasus, the dates for planting seeds are in the second month of spring, from April 1 to April 10. In the Central Black Earth region from 20 to 30 April. In the north of the Central Black Earth Region, Non-Black Earth Region, in the Volga Region, Bashkortostan, Altai, Moscow Region - from May 1 to 10.
In the south of Russia, you can sow seeds from March 25 to March 30, since in this area the earth already warms up to the required temperature at the end of March.
In Siberia and the Urals, early beet varieties can be sown in mid-May, when the soil warms up to + 5-6 ° C at a depth of 10 cm. True, early varieties cannot be stored for a long time. But mid-season varieties are sown from June 15, when the earth warms up to + 10 ° C, and beets are harvested at the end of September so that the root crops accumulate sugar in themselves, which will provide them with long storage. But it is best in these regions to first sow the seeds in the house in March, wait until the seedlings grow. And then beet seedlings are planted from April 25 to the site for a permanent place. Then the harvest can be harvested earlier by 18-25 days.

Landing site selection

Beets prefer a site that is well lit by sunlight, has fertile and loose soil and a low level of groundwater. If the place is shaded, then the yield will be greatly reduced. The culture requires a soil that has neutral or slightly acidic characteristics, pH = 6-7. It is not advised to sow seeds in a shaded place with acidic, dense soil. The site must have drainage, otherwise the beets will be tough and tasteless.
It is best to sow seeds annually in a new area. Observe crop rotation, find out after which crops you can plant seeds or seedlings. Plant the crop in the area where potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, radishes previously grew. It is permissible to plant it where peas, garlic, onions grew. It is not recommended to plant beets with seeds in the place where cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, celery, parsnips, chard, spinach grew before it, as these crops have similar diseases. Even beets will feel great in the place where rye or winter wheat was previously planted.
It can be planted near carrots, celery, lettuce, spinach, white cabbage, kohlrabi, onions, garlic, radishes, cucumbers, strawberries.
Sekla prefers loams or sandstones. In clay, sand or podzolic soil, the number of root crops will be much less.

Preparing the soil for planting beets

The soil for sowing beets in the spring must be properly prepared in the fall:

1. First, remove debris, weeds, branches from the site;
2. Scatter fertilizers on 1 m2: 30-50 g of phosphorus and 50-70 g of potassium, half a bucket (3 kg) of humus or well-rotted compost;
3. Dig the soil to a spade depth of 30 cm.

• If the soil is acidic, then scatter before digging the earth for 1 m - 1 glass of dolomite flour, chalk or lime. You can instead collect the shells from the eggs, crush them and sprinkle them on the ground. In the spring, it is not recommended to deoxidize the soil, as beets can get sick with scab.
• In the spring, before sowing, dig the ground again, add 30 g of nitrogen, 10 teaspoons of boric acid, 2 cups of ash, 1 teaspoon of magnesium sulfate, a tablet of microelements to 1 m2 of soil. You can not add top dressing in which there is chlorine, since beets do not like it.
  If you have a sandy area, then in the fall, before digging, sprinkle 1 m of sand over a bucket of peat and sod land, a bucket of humus and carefully dig.
• If you have clay, then in the fall pour a bucket of peat soil and a bucket of sand onto 1 m of clay. And for another 1 m add 2 liters of rotted sawdust, after treating them with a solution of carbamide and dig.
• If the soil is too dense, then the root crops will grow small, as it is very difficult for them to grow in it. Because of this, sand, rotted sawdust, compost are poured into the soil.

By the way, you can also sow the seeds of those varieties in which the roots protrude strongly above the soil surface. Such varieties are the sweetest, as they are well lit by sunlight. These varieties include Pablo F1, it is medium early. Bushes are adapted to low air temperatures, lack of moisture, they are resistant to diseases. They collect about 700 centners of beets per hectare of plantings, 7 kg per 1 m. Root crops weigh 100-500 g. Their skin is dark red. Scarlet pulp, gives purple.

Preparing seeds for sowing

Preparation for planting - disinfection of seeds. If you purchased seeds in a specialized store, they have already been processed, but if you want to plant seeds collected from your site, then they need to be disinfected.
You need to make a 1% solution of manganese, for this, pour 1 g of potassium permanganate into 100 g of warm water, mix thoroughly so that no crystals remain. Next, cut a 10 × 10 cm square from gauze. Sprinkle the seeds, wrap with gauze and pull the thread on top. Put the bag in a bowl with a solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. Then remove and rinse under water directly in the bag until the water comes out clean when squeezing the bag.
If you want the seeds to hatch quickly, they will need to be soaked. It is necessary to soak the seeds before planting, make one of these solutions: pour 1/4 teaspoon of boric acid and 0.5 teaspoon of nitroammophoska into 1 liter of clean warm water; 1 teaspoon of superphosphate; 1 teaspoon of drinking soda; 1 st. a spoonful of ash You need to soak the seeds in one of these solutions for 24 hours. Then gently rinse the seeds, wrap them in a damp cloth and let them lie for 4 days, but make sure that the cloth is damp all the time.

How to sow beet seeds on the site

Dig grooves, spill them with hot water.

Landing pattern:

• pour the seeds into the grooves so that there is a distance of 2-3 cm between them, then press them a little;
• sprinkle them with soil so that they are at a depth of 2-3 cm, if you have a sandy or sandy area, then the seeds should be at a depth of 3-4 cm;
• if you plan to collect small root crops, for example, to pickle them, then leave a distance between rows of 7 cm, and if you need large ones, then indent between rows of 30 cm, and 10 cm between bushes.

Basically, beets from 1 seed grow 2-4 sprouts, because of this, 5-6 days after the first shoots appear, thin out the culture, leaving sprouts every 3-4 cm. And when 5-6 leaves appear on the sprout, then thin out a second time so that the distance between the bushes is 8-10 cm.

The benefits of vegetables are undeniable. Everyone knows that they must be included in our diet necessarily and preferably daily.
And grown in the garden, with their own hands, they are many times healthier and tastier.
Vegetables are an integral part of most dishes.
Having a summer cottage, you can grow small amounts of different types of these useful plants.
We will devote today's article to growing beets and caring for them.
Fresh young tops, sweet juicy root crop rich in vitamins and useful microelements are worth spending your time caring for the plant.
Characteristics, popular varieties
Beet is a biennial plant, which is represented by a rosette of succulent leaves of different sizes, and also has a fleshy, juicy root crop, the color, shape and size of which are determined by the variety.
It gained its popularity for simple agricultural cultivation, valuable properties, for the possibility of long-term storage. Contains sugar, fiber, organic acids, mineral salts, vitamins C, B, B2, P, PP. It is also high in calories compared to other vegetables.
Contains a lot of alkalis with a small amount of acids. Beetroot juice is used to purify the blood, is good for the digestive system, and is used to treat colds and viral diseases.
Table beet is quite demanding on heat, so the temperature regime is very important when growing it.
The best varieties are the result of foreign and domestic selection. In the first case, these are such as the Polish Chervona kula, Regala, Bikores, Bolivar, in the second - Bordeaux 237, Diy, Crimson, Change, Delicious.
For consumption in the autumn-winter period, the Egyptian flat variety is recommended, for canning and storage - Cylinder, Detroit.
How to plant beets?
The key to a bountiful harvest is a sunny, well-lit place. You can also plant where cabbage, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes used to grow. Moreover, the next year the place must be changed, and you can return it only after 3-4 years. Acid, marshy soils are not suitable for beets, but it will take root perfectly on organic-rich, loamy soils.
In addition, the land must be well cultivated, cleared of weeds. Before planting, the bed is dug up, fertilizers are applied: ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, potassium chloride, humus or compost, if necessary - lime.
There are two ways to grow beets:
sowing seeds immediately in the beds;
seedlings.
In the first case, the sowing pattern is mainly single-line (45 cm between rows) or two-line - 25 cm between lines and 50 cm between tapes. Close up to a depth of 3-4 cm and mulch the aisles.
The seedling method involves sowing seeds in a greenhouse in nests of 3-4 seeds, seedlings are further thinned out. Seedlings are planted in a permanent place when they reach a height of no more than 8 cm, and it should not be buried much. The width between rows is 30 cm, between plants - 15-20.
When to plant beets?
You can sow beets both in spring and before winter (end of October - beginning of November). In spring, the earth should warm up well (8-10˚С to a depth of 10 cm).
The advantage of autumn crops is an earlier harvest at the end of June. In order for the seeds to germinate better and faster, they are pre-soaked in water a few days before sowing.
The timing of planting beets for seedlings is 10 days earlier than on a ridge in open ground.
Vegetable care
It is important not only to plant beets correctly, but also to correctly carry out care activities: top dressing, watering, thinning, weeding and others.
Top dressing is carried out immediately after the rooting of seedlings, and after 4 weeks - the second. The fertilizer should be dominated by potassium and nitrogen.
Water for the first time when young, well-developed shoots appear. The last - 15-20 days before harvest. Moreover, it is necessary to water so that the water gets to a depth of up to 20 cm. Then the soil is loosened.
Beets are characterized by dense seedlings, since each seed is a seed of several seeds. Therefore, it is very important to carry out thinning to avoid stretching of plants and deformation of root crops. It must be done as early as possible.
The first is carried out in the phase of two true leaves, leaving 2-3 cm between plants, the second - the beet has 4-5 leaves, the distance is 6-7 cm.
It is also important to carry out weeding and loosening, and you can not delay with these works.
Before the onset of frost, the beets are harvested, carefully digging them up, cleaned of the ground, cut off the tops, while leaving the petiole no more than 1 cm. It is better to choose specimens 7-10 cm in diameter for storage.
Previously, root crops are sorted, dried and placed in boxes, sprinkled with bulk material (sand, dry peat, sawdust). It is better to store in a cellar, a cool room with good ventilation.