How to plant beets in open ground: planting scheme and timing. The importance of timing: when is the best time to plant beets? Where to plant beets

Beets are one of the most useful and vitamin-rich vegetables in the country. Everything is edible in beets, including the leaves. It goes into a salad, a side dish, and 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 colossal amount of useful components.

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

In terms of ripening, beets can be divided into the following varieties (from the first shoots to the moment of harvest):

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

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

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

• Among late ripening, the following are common: Salad, Matrona and Cylinder.

Interesting! Beet varieties are often distinguished by the fact that some grow on the surface, while others "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 outdoors in spring: optimal timing

Beetroot is considered a relatively thermophilic vegetable, so it should be planted when the temperature of the earth warms up to +8, and the air temperature to +10 .. + 12 degrees.

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

Planting dates depending on the region and variety

Thus, the sowing time of beets varies depending on the climatic characteristics of your place of residence.

For example, in the South (in Krasnodar, in the Kuban), the root crop can be sown in the second half of March-April. But in Middle lane (Moscow region) suitable timing beets are planted in open ground in early to mid-May, in Siberia and in the Urals - in the second half of May.

However, you should not rush to plant early beets - it is better to wait until the return spring frosts and only then start sowing seeds.

By the way! Variety does not affect planting time. The early varieties are not planted earlier, as well as the later ones later. It just doesn't make sense.

According to the lunar calendar in 2020

If you want to choose a certain date for planting root crops, then you will always come to your aid moon calendar.

So, 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 we turn to the lunar calendar, then it is worth knowing 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.

There are different ways to germinate beet seeds before planting:

When using any method of germinating seeds, the essence is approximately the following: 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 sprouting beet seeds:

• It is immediately clear which seeds have sprouted and which have not. So it turns out to achieve better germination in open ground.
• When planted with germinated seeds, seedlings appear much faster, usually by 4-6 days.

Bed and soil

Beets grow well in lighted beds, so it is worth planting where there is often sun.

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

Advice! If your summer cottage 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 precursors for planting beets are legumes, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers. But cabbage is not very good predecessor, after it it is not recommended to sow a root crop.

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

Beets, like all other root crops, need very good and loose soil, and in clay it is simply difficult for them to grow. Digging up the soil is approximately on the bayonet of a shovel (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 square meter of the garden)by adding a couple of tablespoons of superphosphate to it (30-40 grams), and then carefully digging everything up and mixing.

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

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

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

Note! You can not add fresh manure to the soil for the beet bed, even in autumn, especially in spring. This root vegetable is very fond of accumulating nitrates, which we do not need at all.

Sowing in the garden

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

By the way! There is even such a saying: "Beets like 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 garden and make grooves 2-3 cm deep.
3. It is good to spill 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 aisles - at a distance of 20-30 centimeters.
5. This root crop is very fond of, therefore it is recommended to pour it in a little immediately after sowing.
6. Then cover the grooves with earth and sprinkle with ashes again.
7. Mulch with sawdust (lightly, a thick layer does not need to be done).
8. Cover with foil against return frost and for a greenhouse effect. As soon as shoots appear, the film can be removed.

Video: sowing beets with sprouted seeds

Sowing beet seeds for seedlings

If you want to get more early harvestthen 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 thinning in the future for obvious reasons.

The agrotechnology of 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 reckless way.

Further care of beets after planting

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

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

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

In contact with

Plant beets (Latin Beta) belongs to the genus one-, two- and perennial herbaceous plants of the Amarantovye family, although not so long ago the beet, which in Ukraine is called the beetroot, and in Belarus the beetroot, was reckoned to the Marevye family. The main representative of the genus is the common beet, which has three varieties: table beet, fodder beet and sugar beet. Beetroot 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 they ate only the leaves, and the 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 beet 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 began to be engaged in the selection of sugar beets since 1747, when it turned out that the sugar contained in cane was found in beets. Today, beet sugar is used more often in many countries than cane sugar, and beetroot (Beta vulgaris) has become an indispensable crop known to be rich in antioxidants, potassium and folic acid that humans need.

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 after three months - 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 filled with fresh manure or compost.
• Predecessors: Undesirables: carrots, beets, chard, potatoes, all types of cabbage and other cruciferous crops. Good: cereals and legumes, eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers.
• Watering: regular (3-4 times per season), as soon as the topsoil dries out, in dry weather - abundant. The best way - sprinkling. Water consumption per 1 m² of the plot is 20-30 liters. Watering is stopped three weeks before harvesting.
• 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 the plot. When the beet tops are closed, ash is scattered over the beds at the rate of 1 glass per 1.5 m², after which the area must be watered.
• Reproduction: seed.
• Pests: miner and beet flies, aphids, scoops, fleas and shchitonoski.
• Diseases: red rot (or felt disease), fusarium (or brown rot), root rot, peronosporosis, cercospora, phomosis.

Read more about growing beets below.

Beet plant - description

The root of the beet, the so-called root vegetable, is juicy, thick and fleshy. In most varieties, when growing in the ground, it is not completely submerged in the ground, but protrudes slightly 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 of the middle of the rosette, an erect, strongly branched, faceted stem appears, 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 of complex ears. The beet is a compressed single seed.

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

Growing beets from seeds

Sowing beet seeds

Growing beets in the open field involves sowing seeds both by seedling and non-seedling methods. Despite the fact that beets are cold-resistant crops, they should not be sown in open ground before 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 increasing the root crop. To stimulate germination, beet seeds are soaked for a day in cold water or half an hour warm (35 ºC).

The seeds are buried in the ground to a depth of 2-3 cm, and the distance between the 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 varieties of beet the seeds are collected in infructescences of 2-3 pieces, the sprouts appear 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. The 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

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

Growing beet seedlings begins three weeks before 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 wet, light, pickled with Fitosporin to avoid black leg disease, lightly sprinkled with the same substrate and put in greenhouse.

Caring for beet seedlings is no different from caring for any other seedlings - they require slightly damp soil, constant temperature and daily ventilation.

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 seeds not in a box, but in cups, then you can not dive the seedlings, but plant them in open ground directly in cups.

Planting beets in open ground

When to plant beets in the ground

Planting of beets in the ground is carried out from mid-May at the stage of development in seedlings of 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 select a site for it and prepare the soil on it. Most of all, beets love fertile loose soils - peat bogs, medium loamy chernozems with a slightly alkaline or neutral reaction - the pH value should be at least 5 and not higher than 8 units. In acidic or too alkaline soil, beets are sick. Do not plant beets on soils that have been filled with fresh manure or compost; beets must take at least 3 years to grow in such areas.

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

In early spring, 20-30 g of sulfuric acid ammonium, 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 for digging. If the soil on the site does not differ in fertility, then add 2-3 kg of humus per unit area, and to neutralize the acidic soil, add half a kilogram of fluffy lime to 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 roots, seedlings are planted in rows at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other on a cloudy day, the spacing of rows 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, the seedlings are watered with a humate solution for speedy rooting and protected from the sun with a 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 taken in, 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 are practically closed, the shelter is removed, and the area is mulched for protection beets from weeds and moisture retention in the soil.

Planting beets before winter

Planting of winter beets takes place in late October or early November. On a previously dug and fertilized area, 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. Seeds are not covered with a depth of 3-4 cm. Planting beets in the fall involves the mandatory mulching of the site for the winter with humus or peat.

Beet care

How to grow beets

Care of growing beets requires removal from the site weed, regular watering and loosening of row spacings. If you mulched the beds, then you will have to weed, loosen the soil and water the beets much less often. Loosening of row spacings to a depth of 4-6 cm is necessary to destroy the soil crust, which makes it difficult to aerate root crops. The crust is especially harmful to plants during the period of 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 forces it to show increased demands on growing conditions.

Beet processing

Weeds can drown out young plants, the growth of which is very slow before the appearance of 4-5 leaves, so their timely removal is a very important condition for caring for beets. Before the emergence of seedlings for weed control, the area is sprayed with tractor kerosene at the rate of 35-50 g of kerosene per m². And when 2-3 pairs of leaves appear in seedlings, the site is treated from weeds with a solution of sodium nitrate. Then, when the beets are in full force, the weeds cannot harm them.

Watering 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. It is necessary to water the beets as soon as the topsoil dries out, preferably in the evening, and the best way of watering is sprinkling, since this method refreshes and rinses the leaves of the plant. If there is no mulch on the site, the next day after watering, it is necessary to loosen the aisles to a depth of 4 cm.

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

Beet feeding

Beets are very fond of organic matter, and cracking 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 poultry manure 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 shoots and spill them with a fertilizer solution. When the tops of the rows close together, it is time to apply potash fertilizers, as which you can scatter wood ash over the beds at the rate of 1 glass per 1.5 m², followed by watering the area.

Foliar feeding of beets has a number of advantages:

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

So that the beets do not experience a shortage of molybdenum, boron and copper, these elements are fed precisely by top dressing through the leaves, as well as milk of lime (200 g of lime per bucket of water), which feeds the roots 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 roots with sodium and protects the whites and summer flies from the butterfly.

Beet pests and diseases

Of the diseases, beets are most often affected by phoma, cercosporosis, peronosporosis, root eater and rot. To find out what beets are sick with, you need to know the symptoms. possible diseases, and only a correctly made diagnosis will help you decide how and how to process the beets to save the harvest.

Fomoz arises, as a rule, from a lack of boron in the soil - that is why it is so important foliar feeding beets with trace elements. This is manifested 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 crop the tissues acquire a dark brown color. Frequent prolonged rains, fogs, high air humidity contribute to the development of the disease. If you find phomosis on the plants, immediately apply root dressing with brownish at the rate of 3 g per m² and spray the leaves with a solution of boric acid (half a teaspoon per 10 liters of water). Next year, add to the soil boric acid at the rate of 3 g per m².

Cercosporosis, or spotting, can destroy up to 70% of the beet crop, hitting the leaves of the plant, because of which they die off, and, consequently, the quality and keeping quality of root crops deteriorates. If you find small light spots on the upper side of the leaves, outlined with a reddish border, and on the lower side a light gray bloom, add potassium chloride to the soil as 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 sweet and healthy beetroot, suitable for long-term storage, you need to know the intricacies of the agricultural technology of this vegetable. Anyone who masters this science is guaranteed a varied vitamin menu for the whole winter.

Beets are unpretentious and ready to grow in all latitudes, except perhaps permafrost. You can opt for localized varieties or experiment with new hybrids with increased hardiness.

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, pre-germinating seeds.

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

Valenta - early ripening variety with sweet, dark red flesh, cold-resistant, dull, disease-resistant.

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

Cylinder - a mid-late variety with an elongated bright red fruit weighing up to 500 g, strong immunity and good keeping quality.

Winter - medium-early cold-resistant variety, resistant to most diseases, round fruits weighing 200 - 400 g with burgundy pulp.

Red hero - medium early high-yielding variety, fruits are cylindrical dark red with thin skin and uniform pulp weighing 200-550 g.

Red ice - mid-early variety, bright red fruits, with structured pulp, low weight - 200-300 g, well stored.

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

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

Landing dates

Most 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, planting non-germinated seeds under a greenhouse.

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

Winter beets are sown with dry seeds before the onset of frost. For this, only specially oriented varieties are chosen. Sowing sites are covered. They start growing in early spring and provide a summer beet crop. Root crops ripened in the summer are not subject to long-term storage.

Preparing the soil for beets

The soil is dug up in the fall after thorough harvesting of the previous harvest. Organic components (compost or manure) are applied as deeply as possible - 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 sprinkling 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 over the garden bed before digging at the rate of no more than 0.3 kg. for one square meter land.

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

Site selection, crop rotation

The rules for choosing a place for beets:

1. beets love space, the less often the roots 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, beets can be planted by the border method 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 must be broken up next to the irrigation source in a well-drained area;
4. beets are not planted twice in a row in one place, the crop rotation is observed very carefully;
5. the preceding 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 press 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 fertilization.

Seed preparation

Beet seeds before planting:

• check for germination - pour it into a glass with salt water, mix and remove the floating ones;
• hardened by alternation hot water and cold, withstanding in everyone temperature conditions for several hours;
• disinfected by keeping for 12 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
• stimulated by soaking in a growth promoter.
• germinate if the seeds are prepared for growing beet seedlings.

For podzimny planting, you need to limit yourself only to testing 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 into grooves 3-5 centimeters deep with a distance of 5 centimeters from each other and 20 centimeters between rows.

Winter crops are buried 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, feeding, 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, this will adversely affect the taste or lead to diseases.

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

Watering and feeding

After germination, you need to water the beets often - once every two to three days, alternating watering with shallow loosening so as not to damage the roots. You do not need to huddle this root crop. But it is good to form a boletus between the rows of beets, through which water will flow. In case of soil erosion, a thin layer of humus is poured on top.

Loosening can be replaced by mulching. A layer of crushed dried grass between the rows will help to retain moisture.

A one-time application of mineral fertilizers before planting is sufficient for beets. It makes sense to carry out additional feeding only if the plants noticeably lag behind in growth.

Periodic watering of beets with diluted herbal infusions or yeast fertilizers is suitable as a warning dressing.

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, Macbor.

Root crops more actively accumulate nitrates than other crops. When growing beets, it is better to opt for natural fertilizers.

Optimal planting density

An important point in caring for beets is thinning. It is carried out in several stages so that the owner has the opportunity to evaluate the growing roots and choose the best ones. Before each thinning, it is necessary to pour the beets well.

When the first pair of leaves appears, the weakest plants are removed. In the future, 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 go to an interval of 15-20 centimeters.

Harvesting and storage

Beets are harvested in the fall before the onset of cold weather, when the leaves on the plant wilted. When harvesting, it is necessary to act carefully, prying large layers of earth with a shovel and taking out root crops one by one.

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

Store medium-sized root vegetables 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, bear and rodents. Beet fleas, wireworms and slugs are also dangerous. In addition, plants are affected by various rot, nematodes.

To deal with these troubles should be primarily hygiene. 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 basements and vegetable pits, preserving nutrients until spring. Be sure to find a spot on your site for beets.

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

Beet varieties for outdoor cultivation

The choice of a variety depends on the purpose of the application. Everyone selects the type he needs. A table variety is excellent for culinary use. 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 crops have the best culinary properties:

• Bordeaux 237;
• "Bordeaux single-seeded";
• "One-sprout";
• "Gribovskaya";
• "Incomparable A-46";
• "Pablo";
• "Podzimnyaya A-474";
• Renova.

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

Did you know? Afteryears of researchscientists have made an interesting discovery: the most stable (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, the soil temperature will tell you. Too premature sowing of seeds in cold soil is fraught with the formation of peduncles, which causes significant damage to root crops.
The required soil temperature for growing this crop is it is 8-12 ° С... Sweet root seeds sprout when 4-5 ° C... It is customary to start sowing in mid-May.

Choosing a place in the garden

When choosing a planting site, start from two important conditions: no shade and protection from drafts. The presence of these negative factors leads to root decay.

Lighting

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

The best place to plant is in an open area, sheltered from the wind. Avoid places under trees, in holes, or on high ground.

What soil does beets like

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

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

Important! The use of fresh manure as fertilizer for beets is not acceptable.

Sowing root crops 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 (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 soaking. Thanks to moisture, the 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 permissible to use ordinary ash.

Monitor the temperature in the room where the seeds are located. Temperature shouldn't be too lowotherwise your seeds won't sprout.

Planting process

The planting pattern of the root vegetable resembles a lattice. Seeds are sown in rows, followed by thinning of the sprouts. Pre-prepared funnels are filled with water.
Wait a little while the water is absorbed. Sowing of beet seeds is carried out by the 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 seem, many often put several seeds in one funnel. But since the seeds of beets are quite large, more than one plant grows from one seed. That is why gardeners recommend placing seeds in funnels only by the piece.

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 use chemical substances bears harm, first of all, to a person.
On distance 5 cm make grooves from the sprouts and fill them with a solution of nitrogen fertilizers. When the foliage on the rows has rallied, this indicates that it is time to apply potash feeding.

Proper watering

Beetroot is a moisture-loving crop. On average, for a season, the irrigation rate per 1 m² is 15–20 liters (2-3 buckets). Watering time comes when the topsoil 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 is sprinkling... This method helps to rinse and refresh the leaves of the plant. It is advisable to carry out work in the evening.

Excessive 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 harvesting.

Beet 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 flower stems and seeds.

The size, shape and weight of root crops varies and depends on the growing conditions and variety. The shape can be round, conical and even fusiform, and the skin and flesh have different colors. On average, 3-4 kg of root crops can be harvested from 1 m2, but many vegetable growers are striving to increase yields to 4.5-6 kg from 1 m2.

Which neighbors to plant beets with. It is believed that this root crop does not grow well next to corn. Yield increases can be achieved by planting it close to plantings of beans, tomatoes, potatoes and spinach. Beets planted next to lettuce, radishes, radishes, onions, kohlrabi and garlic also grow well.

Temperature regime

Seeds germinate at + 5 - 6 degrees, seedlings at this temperature will appear in two weeks. They withstand short-term cold snaps quite well up 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 beets begin to form root crops, the need for heat increases. During this period, the optimum air temperature is 20-25 "C.

Where is it better to plant. It is best to plant beets on loose, well-moisturized and aerated loamy soils with low groundwater levels. On alkaline and acidic soils, the plant gives a poor harvest.

Beet is a light-loving plant. With insufficient sunlight, the plants stretch out, and its yield decreases. Therefore, choose well-lit places for planting.

Planting beets video

Soil preparation. On the site selected for planting, a year before, add organic fertilizers... If you failed to do this, add humus or compost immediately before sowing at the rate of 2-4 kg per 1 m2. If the soil on the site is acidic, add lime in the fall at the rate of 300-700 g per 1 m2. Mineral fertilizers bring in 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 shorten the germination time of seeds and increase their germination, but also to get a large yield of beets in the future, carry out bubbling - saturation of the seeds in water with oxygen for 12 hours.

In the garden, beets are planted in three lines.

How to plant.Plant the beets on the beds in three lines, 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 is often dependent on the weather. Sometimes the crops of this plant freeze out. If you have already encountered such a nuisance, plant beets in two periods: at the beginning and at the end of May. If the first crops freeze or begin to shoot, you will have the second, from which you are guaranteed to get a crop.

Beet care

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

Thinning of plantings.

Thinning of beets is carried out twice. Thin the plants for the first time in the phase of 2 true leaves (7-10 days after germination). The distance between the shoots 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 one another.

Thinning is best done in the evening after watering or rain: it is easy to pull the plant out of wet soil. Although you can not pull it out, but just pinch it at the ground level. This method excludes damage to the root system of the 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 such plants are transplanted, their integrity is violated and, as a result, deformed and ugly root crops are formed. But the pick does not affect the quality of a 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 soil to a depth of 3-5 cm, gradually increase the depth of loosening to 10 cm.If the roots look out of the ground, they should be earthed.

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 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 harvesting.

How to feed beets

During the season, two or three additional dressings should be carried out.

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

Beetroot rises and grows without problems even for novice summer residents, but not everyone turns out sweet and beautiful. True, those who understand its requirements receive a harvest of high-quality root crops every year.

1. To grow sweet beets, 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 shade of corn, sunflowers, root crops grow unsweetened, poorly colored.
3. The plant is also demanding for soil fertility, although it should not be sown immediately after applying manure: 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 soil, the plant is often affected by fungal diseases. But being sown after crops for which organic matter was introduced (cucumbers, cabbage), beets will form high-quality, tasty root vegetables.
4. Under the digging of the future beet bed, 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 sq. m.
5. In order for beets to gain “sweetness” and grow without defects, they are fed with fertilizers containing magnesium and boron, for example, magbor. To ensure that the beets do not lack other nutrients, at the beginning of the growing season they are fed with a complex fertilizer (table spoon per sq. M). Nitrogen is added if leaves grow poorly in spring: 2 teaspoons of urea per sq. m. In the phase of formation of root crops, fertilizing with complex fertilizers is repeated.
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 the seedlings. This plant has the ability to sprout in heaps, even if, when sowing, you spread the glomerular seeds at the right distance. Therefore, at the stage of 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings are thinned, increasing the distance between the plants to 3-4 cm. After 2-3 weeks, another thinning is carried out - up to 6-7 cm. "Rarely" is also not needed: the 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 non-tricky recommendations in the fall, you will get an excellent harvest.