How to plant beets in open ground: scheme and planting dates. The Importance of Proper Timing: When is the Best Time to Plant Beets? Where to plant beets

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 Vodan, 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: Salad, Matrona 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 already in the second half of March-April. But in middle lane(Moscow region) suitable timing beet planting in open ground occurs in early-mid May, in Siberia and the Urals - in the second half of May.

However, you should not rush into early planting of beets - it is better to wait for the end of the return periods. 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 2020

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

Yes, most auspicious days for sowing beets for seedlings or in open ground according to the lunar calendar in 2020 are:

• in April - 5-7, 9-15, 17-22, 27-30;
• in May - 2-6, 9, 11, 12, 20-22, 29-31;
• in June - 7-9, 11-14.

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 dates, and this is in 2020 (the days of the Full Moon and New Moon, as well as the period when the Moon is in Aquarius, because this is a barren and dry sign - italicized):

• in April - 8, 15-17 , 23;
• in May - 7, 13-14 , 22;
• in June - 5, 9-11 , 21.

According to lunar calendar, from the magazine "1000 tips for summer residents."

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. Thus, it is possible 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 - not so much good predecessor, after it it is not recommended to sow the 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 more early harvest, then 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

In contact with

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

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

Planting and caring for beets

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

Read more about growing beets below.

Beet plant - description

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

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

Diverse beneficial features beets, due to the presence of organic acids, iron and fiber in the roots. Because of this, beets are often used in diets to treat hypertension, kidney stones, diabetes, scurvy, and other conditions. Big healing power has fresh beet juice.

Growing beets from seeds

Sowing beet seeds

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

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

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

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

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

Growing beet seedlings

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

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

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

Picking beet seedlings

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

Planting beets in open ground

When to plant beets in the ground

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

Soil for beets

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

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

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

How to plant beets in open ground

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

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

Planting beets before winter

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

Beet care

How to grow beets

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

Beet processing

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

Watering the beets

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

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

Beet top dressing

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

A number of advantages has foliar top dressing of beets:

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

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

Pests and diseases of beets

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

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

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

After this article, they usually read

To grow table beet sweet and healthy, suitable for long-term storage, you need to know the intricacies of the agricultural technology of this vegetable. Whoever masters this science is guaranteed a varied vitamin menu for the whole winter.

Beets are unpretentious and ready to grow in all latitudes, with the exception of permafrost. You can opt for released local varieties or experiment with new hardy hybrids.

The ripening period of beets depends on the variety and ranges from 80 to 130 days. You can adjust the ripening time by planting beets under a greenhouse or seedlings, germinating the seeds beforehand.

The most popular varieties suitable for growing in any climatic conditions:

Valens- an early ripe variety with sweet, dark red flesh, cold-resistant, long-lived, resistant to diseases.

Ataman- mid-late variety, cylindrical fruits weighing 300 g, burgundy, sweet with uniform pulp, very well stored.

Cylinder- a medium-late variety with an elongated bright red fruit, the weight of which reaches 500 g, strong immunity and good keeping quality.

Podzimnaya- mid-early cold-resistant variety, resistant to most diseases, rounded fruits weighing 200 - 400 g with burgundy pulp.

Red hero– mid-early high yielding variety, fruits are cylindrical dark red with a thin skin and homogeneous pulp weighing 200–550 g.

red ice- mid-early variety, bright red fruits, with structural pulp, light weight - 200–300 g, well stored.

Bikores- mid-season high-yielding variety, bright red fruits weighing 200-350 g, lying.

If you plan to eat beets all season from your garden, then you need to plant both early and late varieties of beets.

Landing dates

More often, beets are planted in the spring, when the air warms up to 15-18 C. You can do this a little earlier, in April, by planting unsprouted seeds under a greenhouse.

If the spring is too cold, you can shift the planting date to a later time, while choosing beets early term maturation.

Winter beets are sown with dry seeds before frost. Only specially oriented varieties are chosen for this. Planting sites are covered. They start growing in early spring and provide a summer beet crop. Root crops ripened in summer are not subject to long-term storage.

Preparing the soil for beets

The soil is dug up in the fall after a thorough harvest of the previous crop. Organic components (compost or manure) are applied as deep as possible - by 30-35 centimeters. You can organize some semblance of a warm bed, but with a thin layer of organic matter, so that it has time to decompose by the time the beet root grows to it.

The acidity of the earth is reduced by scattering dolomite flour, ground eggshell or wood ash.

Mineral additives - superphosphate and potassium sulfate - are best applied in the fall so that they have time to dissolve in the soil. They are scattered dry in the garden before digging at the rate of no more than 0.3 kg. for one square meter earth.

The root crop develops better in loose soil. In the spring, it is good to re-dig the bed and mulch it with peat or rotted sawdust.

Site selection, crop rotation

Rules for choosing a place for beets:

1. beets love space, the less often root crops are planted from each other, the more space they have for building rounded barrels;
2. if there is no need for large plantations of this root crop, you can plant beets in a border way on potatoes, cucumbers, beans, next to herbs or onions;
3. beets need frequent irrigation, but stagnant water will lead to decay, which means that the bed should be laid out next to the source of irrigation in a well-drained area;
4. beets are not planted twice in a row in one place, crop rotation is observed very carefully;
5. previous plants for this vegetable are onions, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, carrots, zucchini;
6. it is undesirable to plant beets after cabbage and for the second year in a row in one place.

If you have to push any crops in the garden by planting them on poor soil, then this can be safely done with beets. You can ensure its growth by good loosening of the soil, timely watering and fertilizer.

Seed preparation

Beet seeds before planting:

• check for germination - pour into a glass of salt water, mix and remove those that have surfaced;
• tempered by alternation hot water and cold, enduring in each temperature regime for several hours;
• disinfected by keeping 12 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
• stimulated by soaking in a growth stimulator.
• germinate if the seeds are being prepared for the cultivation of beet seedlings.

For winter planting, you need to limit yourself only to checking for germination and disinfection - excessively swollen seeds can germinate in winter and die.

Planting beets in open ground

Beet seeds are large compared to most horticultural crops. Sowing will not be difficult.

Beets are sown in grooves 3-5 centimeters deep with a distance of 5 centimeters from each other and 20 centimeters between rows.

Winter crops are deepened by 10 centimeters so that the seeds do not die.

When planting beets in open ground with seedlings, the interval is set at least 20 centimeters.

Beet care

The process of growing beets includes watering, top dressing, loosening and mandatory thinning.

Beets do not require close attention at all if they grow in good soil and with proper watering. But if the plant lacks nutrition, it will have a bad effect on taste or lead to diseases.

1. Phomosis of beet fruits and leaves develops with a lack of boron and is expressed in the appearance of clarified spots on the foliage, it is also fraught with curvature and the appearance of cavities in the root crop.
2. Cercosporosis threatens excessive moisture in the beds.
3. Too much nitrogen in the soil will result in a bitter, earthy taste to the beets.

Watering and fertilizing

After germination, beets should be watered frequently - once every two to three days, alternating watering with shallow loosening, so as not to damage the roots. It is not necessary to spud this root crop. But it is good to form a boletus between the rows of beets, along which water will spill. In case of erosion of the soil, a thin layer of humus is added from above.

Loosening can be replaced by mulching. A layer of chopped dried grass, laid out between the rows, will help to conserve moisture.

A one-time application of mineral fertilizers before planting is enough for beets. It makes sense to carry out additional top dressing only if the plants are noticeably stunted.

As a preventive top dressing, periodic watering of beets with diluted herbal infusions or yeast fertilizers is suitable.

Two or three times per season, you can water the beets with salted water at the rate of one tablespoon per 10 liters of water. Or use complex fertilizers according to the instructions, for example, Makbor.

Root crops are more active than other crops in accumulating nitrates. When growing beets, it is better to opt for natural fertilizers.

Optimum planting density

Important point in the care of beets - thinning. It is carried out in several stages so that the owner has the opportunity to evaluate the growing roots and choose the best of them. Before each thinning, it is necessary to pour the beets well.

When the first pair of leaves appears, the weakest plants are removed. Later, when thinning, diseased specimens are removed, too thickened good roots can be transplanted to a new place or used as food as greenery.

From the initial distance between plants of 5 centimeters, as a result, it is necessary to reach an interval of 15-20 centimeters.

Harvest and storage

Beets are harvested in the fall before the onset of cold weather, when the leaves on the plant wither. When harvesting, one must act carefully, prying large layers of earth with a shovel and taking out root crops one at a time.

The earth is gently shaken off the fruit, and it is better not to cut the remaining corolla of leaves - just remove the wilted stems.

Store root crops of medium size with intact skin in a dry room at a temperature of 2 to 5 C.

Diseases and pests of beets

The main pests of any root crops are moles, bears and rodents. Beet fleas, wireworm and slugs are also dangerous. In addition, plants are affected by various rots, nematodes.

To deal with these troubles, first of all, hygiene should be observed. personal plot- high-quality cleaning, thorough deep digging and preventive treatment of plantings with natural disinfectants - wood ash, tobacco dust, hot pepper powder.

These root crops are famous for their unpretentiousness and constancy. They are well stored in cellars and vegetable pits, saving useful substances until spring. Be sure to find a place on your site for beets.

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 have done interesting discovery: the most stale (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. The seeds are then rinsed warm water, transferred to the fabric 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 from minerals in the pulp of vegetables, cracks and voids can form.

It must be remembered that the application chemical substances harms, first of all, a person.
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.

Beetroot is a biennial plant. In the first year after planting, the plant grows a root crop and a large rosette of leaves. And already in the second year she has formed flower stems and seeds.

The size, shape and weight of root crops can be different and depend on the growing conditions and variety. The shape can be round, conical and even spindle-shaped, and the skin and pulp can have different colors. On average, 3-4 kg of root crops can be harvested from 1 m2, but many vegetable growers achieve an increase in yield up to 4.5-6 kg per 1 m2.

With what neighbors to plant beets. It is believed that this root crop does not grow well next to corn. An increase in yield can be achieved if you plant it near the plantings of beans, tomatoes, potatoes and spinach. Beetroot planted next to lettuce, radish, radish, onion, kohlrabi and garlic also grows well.

Temperature regime

Seeds germinate at + 5 - 6 degrees, shoots at this temperature will appear in two weeks. They quite well withstand short-term cooling down to -2 degrees. And adult plants can withstand frosts down to -4 degrees. The optimum temperature for plant development is 18-20 degrees. But when the beets begin to form roots, the need for heat increases. During this period, the optimal air temperature is 20-25 ”C.

Where is the best place to plant? It is best to plant beets on loose, well-drained and aerated loamy soils with a low level of groundwater. On alkaline and acidic soils, the plant gives a poor harvest.

Beet is a photophilous plant. With insufficient sunlight, the plants are stretched, its yield is reduced. Therefore, choose well-lit places for landing.

Planting beets video

Soil preparation. On the site selected for planting, one year before, apply organic fertilizers. If you failed to do this, apply humus or compost immediately before sowing at the rate of 2-4 kg per 1 m2. If the soil in the area is acidic, add lime in the fall at the rate of 300-700 g per 1 m2. Mineral fertilizers add it in the fall too.

When to plant. Plant beets in the spring when the soil temperature rises to 5-6 °C. If you want to speed up the emergence of seedlings, pre-soak the seeds for one day in water, and then keep them at + 18-20 ° C until single seedlings appear. Dry the seeds slightly before planting.

If you want not only to reduce the germination time of seeds and increase their germination, but also to get a large beet harvest in the future, carry out bubbling - saturation of seeds in water with oxygen for 12 hours.

In the garden, beets are planted in three lines.

How to plant. Plant beets in three rows on the beds, plant the seeds to a depth of 4-5 cm. If the soil in your area is heavy, plant the seeds to a depth of no more than 3 cm.

The beet harvest often depends on the weather. Sometimes crops of this plant freeze. If you have already encountered such a nuisance, plant beets in two terms: at the beginning and at the end of May. If the first crops freeze or start shooting, you will have the second ones, from which you are guaranteed to get a harvest.

Beet care

Caring for beets consists in thinning seedlings, loosening the soil, regular watering and fertilizing plants.

Planting thinning.

Thinning beets is carried out twice. Thin out plants for the first time in the 2 true leaf phase (7-10 days after emergence). The distance between the sprouts should be 3-4 cm. The second time, thin out in the phase of 3-4 true leaves. This time, make sure that the plants are at a distance of 8-10 cm from each other.

Thinning is best done in the evening after watering or rain: the plant is easy to pull out of moist soil. Although you can not pull it out, but just pinch at the soil level. This method eliminates damage to the root system of plants remaining in the garden.

If, when thinning, you pull out plants in order to transplant them to another bed, remember that varieties with an elongated root crop should not be dived. When transplanting such plants, their integrity is violated and, as a result, deformed and ugly root crops are formed. But the picking does not affect the quality of the round root crop.

How to plant beets video.

tillage

When caring for beets, pay great attention to loosening, do not allow the formation of a soil crust. At first, loosen the ground to a depth of 3-5 cm, gradually increase the loosening depth to 10 cm. If the root crops peek out of the ground, they should be piled up.

How to water

The most important thing in caring for any plant is regular watering. Beetroot is a moisture-loving plant. The beds should be well moistened before planting, and also watered immediately after sowing. Throughout summer season water regularly. It is best to irrigate by sprinkling. During the formation and growth of root crops, do not allow long breaks between waterings. Watering should be stopped a month before harvest.

How to feed beets

Two to three feedings should be carried out during the season.

1. Perform the first immediately after thinning. For her, you will need nitrogen fertilizers at the rate of 10-15 g per 1 m2.
2. After the second thinning, apply ammonium nitrate (15 g per 1 m2) to the soil.
3. After 15-20 days, when roots begin to form, superphosphate and potassium chloride (7.5-10 g per 1 m2).

Beets sprout and grow without problems even for beginner summer residents, but not everyone gets sweet and beautiful. True, those who have understood its requirements annually receive a harvest of high-quality root crops.

1. In order for beets to grow sweet, you need to choose the right variety. Domestic varieties have long taken root in our gardens Bordeaux, Incomparable, Red ball and etc.
2. Try to plant it in a well-lit garden bed. In the shade of trees, under the canopy of corn, sunflower roots grow unsweetened, poorly colored.
3. The plant is also demanding on soil fertility, although it should not be sown immediately after manure is applied: the formation of root crops will be delayed, and the quality will be low, as they say, neither taste nor appearance. In addition, on manured land, the plant is often affected by fungal diseases. But being sown after crops under which organic matter was introduced (cucumbers, cabbage), beets will form high-quality, tasty root crops.
4. Under the digging of the future beet garden, up to two tablespoons of superphosphate, 1-1.5 tablespoons of potassium sulfate or a tablespoon of nitrophoska and a glass of wood ash per square meter are added. m.
5. In order for the beets to gain “sweetness” and grow without defects, they are fed with fertilizers containing magnesium and boron, for example, magbor. In order for the beets not to lack other nutrients, at the beginning of the growing season they are fed with complex fertilizer (st. Spoon per sq. M). Nitrogen is applied if the leaves grow weakly in spring: 2 teaspoons of urea per square meter. m. In the phase of the formation of root crops, top dressing is repeated with complex fertilizer.
6. At the end of the season, “for sweetness”, the beets are “salted”: they are fed with table salt (a teaspoon in a bucket of water).
7. Beautiful root crops cannot be grown without timely thinning of seedlings. This plant has the ability to sprout in bunches, even if you spread the glomerular seeds at the right distance when sowing. Therefore, at the stage of 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings are thinned out, increasing the distance between plants to 3-4 cm. After 2-3 weeks, another thinning is carried out - up to 6-7 cm. "Rare" is also not needed: root crops will grow too large , their quality will deteriorate.

As you can see, caring for beets is not much different from caring for all other root crops. If you follow all these not tricky recommendations in the fall, you will get an excellent harvest.