Planting beets in the garden. How to plant beets: a detailed guide. When to plant beets? Better - later

In the preparation of borscht, “fur coat” and “vinaigrette” salads, one cannot do without beets. Therefore, the beds flaunt with this not the most popular, but necessary culture in the economy on almost every one. If you do not have many years of experience in growing this root crop, but you plan to do it, you have come to the right place. Today we'll talk about how to plant beet seeds in open ground.

We prepare a plot of open ground for planting beets

If you do not want to bother with growing beet seedlings, you can safely plant the seeds directly in open ground. By the way, this is exactly what most summer residents do. However, it would be wrong to arrange beds on any free piece of land. A place for beets must meet two basic requirements:

1. Free access to sunlight. Do not plant beets near trees, bushes, sunflowers, corn - anything that can cast a shadow on them.

2. good drainage. Do not plant beets in places where moisture stagnation occurs. If there is no other place to go, try fixing poor drainage by adding sand, sawdust, or compost to the soil. If the site is in a lowland, correct the situation by pouring earth on it in the uplands.

The next thing to consider when choosing a site for planting beets is crop rotation. It can be planted in its original place only after 4 years. It also grows poorly after cabbage. Cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, potatoes and greens are considered good predecessors of beets. Feel free to plant this crop in the spring at the place where green manure grew.

The area of ​​open ground selected for planting beets must be properly prepared. In autumn, dig it up with the addition of organic fertilizer (except for fresh manure). In the spring, loosen the soil and add mineral fertilizers to it. Suitable ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium chloride.

We plant beets in open ground on time and correctly

Beets for quick consumption are planted in April or May, when the earth warms up to 10ºС, and for winter storage - in the first half of June. Beets can be planted in open ground in autumn, but only until the first frost - in October.

If you want to improve seed germination, do not skip the preparatory activities. Soak them in a growth stimulator solution, strictly following the instructions. Suitable for this purpose is a solution that is prepared from 1 liter of warm water and 1 tbsp. l. wood ash. Seeds must be kept in it for a day.

The next stage is the swelling of the seeds. They should be placed between layers of wet cloth, cotton wool or napkins for three days. During this time, maintain the same humidity. During this time, the planting material activates its internal forces and becomes fully suitable for planting.

If you want the rows of beets to be even, stick sticks at the two extreme points of each of them and pull a thread between them. It will serve as a ruler under which you will make even furrows. Deepen them by 2-3 cm. Suitable furrows can be made using a long board.

Keep a distance of 40-45 cm between adjacent rows. The places where the beet seed will fall must be carefully watered. Beet seeds are large enough that you can easily lower them into the groove at a distance of 10 cm from each other. By planting them more often, you will create the need for subsequent thinning of young shoots.

Now you know exactly how to plant beets with seeds in the open field. You will definitely cope with this simple task. You will easily find information on how to care for your beets from planting to harvest. Even those who have been farming for the first year can grow this culture.

Watch a useful video: rules for planting beets in open ground

Table beets are a very healthy and dietary vegetable that can be used to make soups and various salads. Any gardener, even a beginner, can grow a delicious root crop. The main thing is to make the right sowing and observe the cultivation technique.

When is it better to plant beet seeds in open ground in the spring of 2019, in which month? First of all, when choosing the time for sowing, you need to focus on the temperature of the soil - the soil should warm up to 6-8 degrees Celsius a. To check this, you need to dig a hole about 15 centimeters and insert a thermometer.

Due to different weather and climatic conditions and the time of warming up the earth in different regions of Russia, the timing of spring planting of seeds in open ground differs:

• In the Middle lane (Moscow region)- it is optimal to plant a crop in the second decade of May.
• In the South (Krasnodar Territory (Kuban), North Caucasus)- the optimal sowing time is at the beginning of April.
• In Siberia, in the Urals, in the Leningrad region(and in general in the North-West of Russia) - it is better to plant in the second half of May.

By the way! Young shoots of beets can withstand small short-term frosts (up to -1-2 degrees).

You can also choose the most accurate e dates for planting beets according to the lunar calendar 2019:

• Auspicious days:
  • in March - 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30;
  • in April - 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30;
  • in May -1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23;
  • in June - 9, 10, 11, 18, 19, 20.
• Bad days:
  • in March - 6th, 7th, 21st;
  • in April - 5, 19;
  • in May - 5, 19;
  • in June - 3, 4, 17.

Landing step by step instructionse beets in open ground

It is important to know and follow not only the rules for planting beet seeds in open ground, but also the features of preparing and processing beds and seeds. Consider all the stages and steps in more detail.

Seed preparation

It is possible to plant dry root crop seeds without any pre-treatment without problems. However, in this case, they will rise much longer. Therefore, the preparation of beet seeds before spring planting in open ground is only welcome!

As a pre-sowing treatment, soak the seeds for eight hours in water(the optimum temperature of the liquid is 30-35 degrees), while you need to change the water after 4 hours, pouring a new liquid from a suitable temperature. By the way, for convenience, before you start soaking, you can immerse them in a cloth or gauze bag.

Instead of soaking germinate beet seeds. For sprouting you need:

1. put the seed on moistened gauze, cotton cloth, or even in sawdust;
2. wrap them on both sides with a cloth or gauze, or sprinkle with wet sawdust;
3. put a cloth or gauze in a bag, and if you decide to germinate the seeds in a container with sawdust, then you need to cover it with glass or film;
4. leave in a warm place (+20-22°C);
5. every day, check the seeds, do not allow the fabric or sawdust to dry out, moisten in a timely manner, and also monitor whether the seeds have germinated.
6. after the germination of the planting material (as a rule, this happens after two or three days), it is necessary to immediately sow in open ground.

Note! Such a method of preparing beet seeds as germination is very effective. Firstly, seedlings appear several days faster than when sowing dry seeds. Secondly, you can immediately determine viable instances during processing.

Choice of location and soil

Where is it better to plant beets in open ground on the site? It is best to plant a vegetable crop in a sunny place, without excessive moisture.. It is necessary to avoid areas with a high level of groundwater, swampy and excessively waterlogged places.

When choosing a place for planting in the spring, one should not forget about crop rotation. After what crops is it best to plant beets in open ground? The best predecessors are: onions, legumes, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes.

By the way! For this culture, mixed (joint) plantings can also be made. What can you plant beets next to? Good neighbors are tomatoes, lettuce, dill, onions, cabbage.

The soil for sowing and growing vegetables should be fertile, loose and nutritious, have a neutral acidity.

Note! If you have a high occurrence of groundwater in your area or you just want to plant a crop in a lowland, then it is best to plant root crops in high beds.

Garden preparation

Preparing the soil and beds for planting beets in the spring is the most important stage of the whole event, which cannot be ignored. It is recommended to make it since the fall, if you do not have such an opportunity, then at least 3-4 weeks before the event.

You can prepare the garden bed and soil according to the following scheme:

• It is necessary to dig a plot to a depth of 25-30 cm with humus or compost (a bucket of substance per square meter). You can also use mineral fertilizers, such as superphosphate and potassium sulfate (1 tbsp per sq.m.).

Important! Fertilization is especially necessary on depleted or sandy soil.

• If your dacha or plot of a private house has clay, heavy soil, then in addition to the above fertilizers, you also need to add peat and sand (half a bucket of each substance per square meter).
• If the soil is too acidic, then it should be deoxidized. You can, for example, make wood ash (200 grams per square meter, and if the soil is clay - 300 grams).
• Immediately after digging and fertilizing, as well as immediately before planting, you need to level and loosen the area with a rake.

Advice! If you cultivated the soil in the fall, then in the spring, 3-4 weeks before sowing, it is recommended to dig up the bed again, loosen and level the ground with a rake.

If you started preparing in the spring, then instead of superphosphate and potassium sulfate, you should add a tablespoon of complex mineral fertilizer per square meter, for example, Nitroammofoski.

Beet sowing scheme

The scheme for the correct planting of beet seeds in open ground in spring:

• Make grooves on the bed, their depth is 3-4 centimeters, the distance between rows is 30 centimeters.
• Water the rows abundantly, let the water soak in.
• After that, sow the seeds, it is best to plant them at a distance of 4 centimeters from each other.
• Cover the seeds with soil, lightly compact.
• Water again and mulch, for example, with peat, humus, sawdust, the layer thickness is 3-5 centimeters.

Advice! If, according to the weather forecast, a cold snap is expected, then it is recommended to cover the beet beds with agrofibre, but do not forget to remove it as soon as sprouts appear (if sprouts have already appeared, you can put arcs so that they do not come into contact with the material).

Sowing beets for seedlings

Some gardeners are engaged in growing beets from seeds through seedlings at home. This method is relevant for those who want to get an earlier harvest, and at the same time live in colder regions (Moscow region, Leningrad region, Siberia, the Urals, etc.).

By the way! In order not to thin out beets in the future, you can simply first plant them on seedlings, and then plant them in open ground at an optimal distance.

It is necessary to sow beet seeds for seedlings at home about a month before planting in open ground (and the optimal planting time is described above). In this case, it is required to choose a sufficiently deep container (it can be either a wide box or individual cups. You can also pre-prepare the seeds using the technology described above. You can plant seedlings in a permanent place after the plants have two or three real leaflet.

Plant beet seeds for seedlings at home correctly according to the following scheme:

• Prepare a potting soil, such as an all-purpose potting mix for seedlings.
• Spill the soil with Fitosporin-M for disinfection.
• Fill a deep bowl with earth (about 10 cm).
• Lightly compact the soil and moisten it with a spray bottle.
• Now you need to plant the seeds for seedlings, for this, spread them on the surface of the earth at a distance of 2-3 centimeters.
• Sprinkle soil on top, layer thickness - 1 cm.
• Moisten again with a spray bottle.
• Cover the bowl with foil or a lid.

Seedling care and growing rules are standard - you need to remove the shelter after germination, regularly moisten the soil, maintaining moderate humidity, put the plants on the sunniest windowsill.

How to properly care for beets

If you plant beet seeds correctly, then seedlings will not take long to wait. After the emergence of seedlings, you should take care of the plants. Basic rules and steps for caring for beets in the open field after planting:

• One seed of this crop may have two to four sprouts, so it is necessary to carry out thinning. If you do not thin out the plants, then the root crops will turn out small and frail. Manipulation should be carried out after watering and preferably on a cloudy day. When growing, 2 thinnings should be carried out:
  • It is recommended to thin out for the first time at the moment when the plants have two to four true leaves. It is necessary to pull out the weakest and frail shoots, as well as plants growing too close. There should be a distance of five centimeters between them.
  • The second thinning is carried out after the roots begin to be tied in the plants. You also need to remove the weakest, frail or diseased specimens. Now you should leave the plants at a distance of 15 centimeters from each other.

• The first watering after planting is carried out after the first thinning. The frequency of watering is approximately once every 5-7 days, and even more often on dry and hot days. Irrigation rate - ten liters per square meter. As the plant grows, the watering rate increases. It is necessary to constantly maintain moderate soil moisture, otherwise the root crops will grow tasteless. Watering stops 10 days before harvest. This culture is moisture-loving, so you need to be responsible for this element of care.
• If you applied fertilizer to the soil during planting, then you can not fertilize the beets. In other cases top dressing will be very useful and help to get more yield (it is especially useful for medium and late-ripening varieties). It is optimal to feed the beets 2-3 times (if you have fertile and well-fertilized soil, then 2 times is enough).
  • First dressing. You can use, for example, a stock solution of chicken manure or mullein - 1 kilogram per 10 liters of water, leave for 10 days, and then dilute 1 liter of the resulting infusion in 10 liters of water, it is recommended to add 1 gram of boric acid. After feeding, you need to wash the plants with plain water and irrigate. Also, as the first top dressing, you should use a solution of Nitroammophoska (30 grams) and wood ash (one glass), dissolved in 10 liters of water.
  • Second top dressing. It is carried out 14 days after the first, this time it is worth using phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
  • The third dressing of beets. It is produced in the phase of closing the tops between the rows, as in the second time, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used.

Advice! To get sweeter beets, you can water them with saline solution two or three times a season (a tablespoon per 10 liters of water).

It is not difficult to plant table beets correctly, but it is important to observe all the subtleties and tricks of the event, and then take good care of the plants in the garden.

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, you should fertilize the soil, 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 each other. 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.

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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!

Table beet is an indispensable root crop in cooking. But not everyone knows how to properly plant it and care for the crop.

Let's take a closer look at how to plant beets and care for them.

Varieties and features of beets

The most popular variety of this root vegetable is the table beet. That is what every summer resident grows. It has a red fleshy root crop.

In addition to the dining room, there are also the following types:

• fodder beet;
• sugar beet.

These two types of root crops are rarely cultivated by summer residents, only if there is a need to feed animals with them. They are not suitable for human consumption.

There are a lot of varieties of table beets. For our area, it is better to choose varieties of domestic selection:

• burgundy 237,
• gourmet,
• crimson.

They tolerate climatic conditions best and have good yields.

How to prepare the soil before planting beets

Since beets are a very light-loving plant, therefore, for sowing, you need to find an area unshaded by tall plants in the garden. The soil before sowing the root crop needs to be fluffed up a little to ensure a sufficient flow of oxygen.

In addition, mineral fertilizers must be applied. Manure is not very suitable for beets, as nitrates will get into the root crop from it. The best option would be to use fertilizers such as:

• ammonium nitrate;
• potassium chloride;
• superphosphate.

When planning a place for planting beets, it is necessary to take into account seasonal crop rotation. Beets can be planted in the same place no more than 4 years later.

The best predecessor for it might be:

• cucumbers;
• white or cauliflower;
• potatoes;
• tomatoes.

After these plants, many minerals remain, which are necessary for the growth of beets.

Preparing seeds for sowing

Seeds also need to be prepared for sowing. To do this, they are soaked in a special solution.

A solution to stimulate growth is prepared from 1 liter of warm water, at a temperature of 30 degrees, to which 1 tablespoon of ash is added, one teaspoon of soda and superphosphate, and a fourth of a teaspoon of boric acid.

We leave the seeds in this solution for a day, after which they must be washed in clean water. After washing, the seeds should be wrapped with a damp cloth and left in a warm place for 3 days. After this time, the seeds are ready for planting.

When to plant beets

Beets can be planted in spring or autumn. In spring, seeds can be planted in open ground only when the earth reaches a temperature of 10 degrees, at a depth of 10 cm. This usually happens in early May. But experts advise sowing beets in early June, so it will be better stored in winter.

Autumn sowing is carried out in October - November. The main thing is to have time to do this before the first frost.

Beet root planting methods

There are 2 ways to sow beets:

• immediately into open ground;
• seedling cultivation.

The first way is the most common. Beets are sown in rows, at a distance of about 45 cm. The sowing depth is within 2-3 cm. The distance between seeds should be no more than 13 cm.

You can plant more densely, but when seedlings appear, it will be necessary to thin out the crop, since several plants grow from one seed at once. It is necessary to remove the weaker ones in order to give more nutrients and moisture to the remaining ones.

Growing seedlings involves getting a crop earlier than when sowing in the ground. In the greenhouse, seeds are prepared and planted in the same way as when planting in open ground. After the plants reach 5 cm in height, the weakest are removed from them.

When the height of the selected plants reaches 8-9 cm and they have at least 4 leaves, you can transplant to the garden. To do this, the plants are cut with the ground from the greenhouse and seated at a distance of 17 cm from each other in rows. The distance between rows should be at least 33 cm.

Beet care and pest control

A growing plant needs care and fertilizer. Watering beets often is not worth it. This can lead to cracking of the root crop and loss of its color and taste.

During the growth period, beets can also be additionally fed with mineral fertilizers diluted in water.

Beets are very fond of care. It constantly needs to be rid of weeds and protected from pests. Aphids do great harm to her. You can fight the pest in folk ways. An infusion of onion and dandelion husks, which are poured with boiling water in equal proportions, helps well. With the cooled infusion, you need to sprinkle beet leaves. Aphids also do not tolerate wood ash.

Harvest beets after the leaves begin to turn yellow. The main thing is to have time to collect before frost. Excess soil is removed from root crops before storage and leaves are cut off. Beets are best stored in the basement, stacked in separate boxes and sprinkled with sawdust.

A lot has been written and told about the agricultural technology of this useful vegetable, but still quite often many people have a question: how to grow beets?

Beets are grown everywhere where there are suitable climatic conditions for this: from the hot south to areas equivalent to the Far North. I grow it without any problems in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, where even at the beginning of summer there can be snow. The thing is that beets are quite unpretentious and relatively cold-resistant, and do not require any special gardening skills and abilities.

Choosing a place for beets

For growing beets, it is best to choose a well-lit, unshaded area with loose soil, taking into account the crop rotation on the site. Do not plant beets for several years in a row in the same place. In addition, it is not recommended to plant it on beds where carrots were the previous tenant. But after cucumbers and potatoes, beets will feel very comfortable.

Preparing the soil for beets

Beets love light, well-structured and aerated, fertile soils rich in organic matter. Heavy and dense, with high humidity, as well as soils with a high level of groundwater, significantly reduce yields.

It is best to prepare the soil for beets in the fall. It is preferable to make high ridges, and it is best to make stationary ones, in the form of boxes, made of suitable materials. Such ridges are more convenient to process, easier and cheaper to fertilize and maintain productivity.

Almost all organic fertilizers are suitable for beet application, with the exception of fresh manure. Yes, and any manure is not the best helper for beets, so we bring it in extremely dosed. But compost can be applied in good portions: it’s like with porridge, which does not deteriorate with oil.

It will be useful to introduce fine forest litter and litter under the beets as a structuring material. In addition, being naturally biodegradable, it will improve soil fertility. In heavy loamy soils, coarse river sand can be added.

As a fertilizer, it is also worth adding ash under the beets. The fact is that wood ash, in addition to potassium, contains a large amount of boron, which is very necessary for beets. For fans of numbers: the content of boron in the ashes of firewood is from 202.8 to 476 mg / kg, depending on the type of wood. Ashes on light sandy loamy soils are best applied in spring. It will be very cool after all this to sow green manure with subsequent embedding.

Based on the foregoing, one simple thing should be understood: widely available organic fertilizers are quite enough for growing beets in a personal household; there is no need to use mineral fertilizers while observing crop rotation. This will increase the environmental friendliness of the grown products and save money.

Sowing beet seeds

The easiest way is to sow beets with seeds immediately into the ground, to a permanent place of residence. It's simple: seeds are planted individually in prepared beds, while using both dry seeds and pre-sprouted ones. In the latter case, seedlings appear earlier and more amicably. Seeding depth 2-4 cm, depending on soil types.

Beets begin to germinate at rather low temperatures - from +5 degrees, however, in this case, the emergence of seedlings can be delayed for up to three weeks. As the temperature rises, the germination time decreases. According to the observations of some gardeners, most (quantitatively) beet seeds germinate at a temperature of +10 +15, and most quickly from +20 and above. Therefore, choose the timing of sowing, taking into account the climatic characteristics of the region and the duration of the growing season of the variety you have chosen.

In general, you should not sow beets in open ground too early: long spring cold snaps can provoke a tendency for the plant to flower. To get an early harvest, it is better to grow beets through seedlings than to spoil the crop by too early sowing.

The seeds should be positioned relative to each other so that during the subsequent thinning of the seedlings, 7-8 centimeters remain between the plants. In this case, medium-sized root crops are formed, which is convenient when used for culinary purposes. To obtain larger beet root crops, the distance should be increased according to your wishes.

Beet care

Since most varieties of beets form multiple seeds, beets often sprout in a bunch of 2-4 plants, no matter how rarely we spread the seeds in the garden. Therefore, it is important to thin them out, leaving an interval of 7-8 centimeters between plants, as mentioned above. If the plants are carefully selected from the pile without damaging them, then they can then be planted in free places.

Beets are plants that extract water well and love a uniformly moistened environment without an excess of moisture. Therefore, it should be watered regularly. It is not worth pouring a bucket into the garden right away, it is better to pour it gently from a watering can in several stages, allowing the water to completely absorb and prevent stagnation.

Mulching provides a good effect in terms of maintaining moisture and soil structure. Beets are especially demanding for watering at the beginning of their growth and in the phase of active growth of the mass of the root crop, but two or three weeks before the expected harvest, watering can be significantly reduced. After watering, it is advisable to loosen the bed with beets.

Usually, beets do not need to be fertilized: if the place was initially chosen correctly for it and organic matter was added, then the beets will have something to eat for the whole season. If you are sure of a significant deficiency of any element in the soil, you should apply the appropriate mineral fertilizers. Just don’t invent this drawback yourself: you are going to feed it with mineral water - you are welcome to the laboratory for soil analysis.

Collecting and storing crops

They didn’t do anything special: they sowed, thinned out and watered, and then the harvest arrived in time. We collect beets in dry weather, cut off the leaves of a centimeter and a half or two above the root crop, do not touch the root, carefully clean it from the ground and dry it in the shade under a canopy. Should not be in the sun. Then we put it in boxes, sprinkle it with dry sand and put it in the cellar.

• Zhek Volodin