How to plant beets so that you do not thin out later. How to sow beets in order to do without thinning in the future. Proper watering and fertilization

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).

1. 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.
2. 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

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:

1. early varieties: Detroit - with smooth spherical roots, Egyptian - with large flat-shaped roots; Bordeaux, Red ball, Podzimnyaya.
2. late-ripening beets: Torpedo, Ataman;
3. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Shoots need to be thinned out regularly, and it is better to do this after watering the soil. During thinning between rows, the soil is loosened to a depth of 4-5 cm. At the same time, the soil is cleared of emerging weeds.

Features of growing fodder beet

Forage varieties are intended for feeding animals, as they contain an excess amount of fiber, which adversely affects the human stomach. When sowing fodder varieties, you need to know how to plant table beets in the spring, because the principles of growing for them are almost the same.

Beetroot has been benefiting our health for centuries, decorating tables on weekdays and holidays. During this time, the people and scientists managed to notice what they love and what they don’t like the root crop, what growing conditions for it will be the best. Acidic soils are in the "dislikes" category, so if you're unsure of your site's pH, test it with indicator paper. For beets, a soil that is neutral or close to neutral in terms of acidity is considered normal.

At a high pH level, it is better not to plant beets without preliminary measures to reduce acidity - the crop will not be the same. The point is that to Acid salts or alkaline minerals at excessive concentration in the soil prevent the absorption of nutrients by plants. The easiest and most affordable way to reduce acidity is to sprinkle the bed with fluff lime in the fall and seal it in the top layer.

Depending on the neglect of your site, lime should be applied in the following ratio: in slightly acidic areas per one hundred square meters, 25-35 kg of fluff is needed, on acidic soils we add 10-15 kg to the previous number, and on acidified soils, the pH level of which has dropped to 4 -5 pH, at a rate of 6-7 pH, should be applied up to 75 kg per 1 hectare. If you applied manure to the garden, then it will be possible to plant beets only the next year, since it absorbs nitrates and becomes poisonous, so always leave a dedicated area for the root crop if you decide to cover the entire garden with fertilizers.

How to plant beets in spring - predecessors

Planting beets in the spring should take place no earlier than when the spring sun warms the soil to 4-5 ° C. At lower temperatures, the seeds will begin to produce flower shoots more intensively, and we do not need this if we want to get more root crops. Like cucumber seeds, beetroot seeds are also recommended to be soaked for a day in a solution of wood ash or a stimulant. Before planting, the seeds should be washed and dried, wrapped in a slightly damp, dense cloth.

For beets, cucumbers, legumes and potatoes are considered good predecessors, but it is not recommended to plant beets after cabbage, so take it seriously to select only successful predecessors every year. The beetroot bed must be well lit if you want well-colored roots. The seed sowing depth is about 3-4 cm. If the spring wind has dried the soil to such a depth, then the furrow must first be watered, and when the moisture is absorbed, seeds can be sown, keeping a distance of at least 15 cm between rows.

Planting beets in the spring - how to break through seedlings?

Each beet seed is a collection of several seeds, so this plant is characterized by excessive germination density. To avoid deformation of root crops, thinning should begin as early as possible. The first thinning should be done at the stage of the appearance of two true leaves, keeping a distance of 2-3 cm between shoots. When the plant has 4-5 leaves, you should walk along the bed again, leaving a distance of 7-8 cm between the future harvest.

As a result, you should have 15-20 cm between plants, because root crops can be more than 10 cm in diameter.

Do not over tighten with weeding and loosening. During the season, beets should be fed at least twice with fertilizers without nitrates. When it's time to harvest, you will enjoy every beautiful beet! It should be dug up before the first frost. Cleaned from the ground, with the tops cut off (the petiole should be no more than 1 cm), sort the root crops, leaving the root crops at least 7 cm in diameter for storage. Those that are smaller, eat as needed. After drying the beets in the shade, put them in boxes, sprinkled with sand, sawdust or dry peat. Best of all, until spring, it will be stored in the cellar.

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.

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 3-4 cm deep are made on the beds. 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 frequently. 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.

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.

Beets are a biennial crop. After planting, large leaves grow, as well as a root crop. In the second year, flowers with seeds appear. The root crop has a different size, shape and weight. The size of the root crop depends on the variety, as well as the conditions of detention. The root crop has a rounded and conical shape. From one square meter, you can harvest 3-4 kilograms of crops. Professionals collect 4-6 kilograms of crops.

Planting a crop requires compliance with certain rules. It is advisable not to plant beets next to corn. Corn is able to draw a huge amount of moisture from the ground. In such conditions, the beets will feel hungry.

Landing

The yield increases if you plant a plant next to such crops:

• Beans.
• Tomatoes.
• Potato.
• Spinach.
• Garlic.
• Salad.
• Radish.

Seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 5-6 degrees. Sprouts begin to sprout after 1 week. Shoots are resistant to cool climates. Withstand sprouts down to -2 degrees. An adult plant can withstand temperatures down to -4 degrees. For beets, the optimum temperature is 18-20 degrees. When the beets form a root crop, the need for heat increases. During this period, the air temperature should be from 20 to 25 degrees.

Selection of a plot of land

It is best to plant the crop on loose and moist soil.. The right option would be land with a low content of alkalis and acids. On alkaline soils, the plant does not produce a crop. It is necessary to plant a plant in illuminated areas of the earth. The culture begins to stretch when it lacks sunlight. Under such conditions, there is a risk of crop failure.

Fertilizer is applied a year before planting. Organic mixtures are used as fertilizer. If fertilizer was not successful last year, apply humus before planting. Humus is introduced into the soil with the calculation of 4 kg per 1-2 meters of land. If the earth has high acidity, then lime is added. Lime is added to the ground with the calculation of 300-700 grams per 1 meter.

How to plant seeds

You can start planting seeds then, when the spring temperature reaches 5-6 degrees. Before planting, the seeds are soaked in water so that the seedlings quickly sprout. Seeds are dried at a temperature of 18-20 degrees. During the drying period, single seedlings appear. Dry seeds must be sown.

Seeds can be sown in such a way that later they do not thin out. To do this, it is necessary to observe the proportions in planting, as well as properly process the seeds. In this case, the distance between the holes should be 10 centimeters. Seeds must be treated with top dressing. Top dressings that contain oxygen are especially useful. The seeds in this case will be strong, and the sprouts will be strong. Such seedlings appear quickly, and there is no need to thin them out.

It is necessary to sow in three lines. Seeds are buried in the ground to a depth of 4-5 centimeters. Heavy soil can slow down beet growth. In heavy soil, it is necessary to sow to a depth of 3 centimeters. Yield depends on weather conditions. Beets are able to freeze when the temperature drops below 5 degrees. Planting beets in 2 terms allows you to get a guaranteed harvest. The first landing takes place at the beginning of May, and the second at the end.

Culture needs to be fed so that there are no problems with the harvest. For 1 season, 3 top dressings are carried out.

You can thin the beets twice when necessary. First thinning occurs when a plant has 2 leaves. Leaves appear 10 days after germination. There should be a distance of 3-4 centimeters between the sprouts.

Second thinning occurs when 3-4 leaves appear. The distance between plants should be 8-10 centimeters. Thinning is best done after rain or watering. The plant is easy to pull out of the wet ground. But it is not necessary to pull out the beets entirely. To carry out thinning, it will be enough to pinch the greens. This method eliminates the possibility of damage to the root of the remaining plants. Do not dive varieties with an elongated root crop. When transplanting such varieties, the integrity of the roots is injured. As a result, the root crop grows defective.

It should be borne in mind that round root crops are not injured during transplantation. Varieties with such a system are not subject to injury after plucking. To make beets sweet, they are fed with fertilizers containing magnesium and boron. Nitrogen is applied when the leaves do not grow well.

Watering and tillage

Attention should be paid to soil care. Soil needed loosen regularly. Loosening eliminates the appearance of a dry crust on the soil. At first, the earth is loosened to a depth of 5 centimeters. Gradually, the depth increases to 10. A root crop should be spudded if it looks out of the ground. Beetroot loves moisture. The root crop begins to dry out as it peeks out of the ground. Cultivated beds need to be watered. The beds are moistened before planting, as well as after sowing.

Throughout the season it is necessary carry out regular watering. It is best to water with a watering can. For watering beets, special sprayers are well suited. These sprinklers automatically irrigate. Sprayers evenly distribute moisture throughout the area. Thus, water evenly moisturizes the entire area. Breaks between watering are not allowed when the root crop is actively forming. Watering stops a month before harvesting.

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 many sprouts 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.