Beetroot endures cold weather steadily; therefore, it is universally grown in open ground. It is not very demanding in care, but standard agricultural techniques will make the root crop large, juicy and tasty.
Beet Variety Selection
Choosing beets for planting, it is evaluated according to several criteria - by maturity, taste, color and shape.
Beet varieties according to different criteria:
- By maturity. Varieties are divided into three categories:
- Early beets. From emergence to harvesting takes from 80 to 110 days. Popular early varieties: Carillon, Bolivar, Egyptian, Red Ball, Nastenka, Vinaigrette.
- Medium. The growing season is 110-130 days. Popular mid-season varieties: Sonata, Crimson Ball, Delicious, Globe F1.
- Late. Root crops ripen in 130-145 days. The best late varieties: Matron, Citadel, Fron, Cylinder.
- Keeping quality. Not all beet varieties are well stored. Most often, late varieties are laid for storage. But among the early and middle beets there are also root crops. The following grades are recommended for storage: Nosovskaya flat, Crosby, Rocket F1, Madame Rougette F1, Tenderness, Gypsy.
- Taste. The sweet taste of beets depends on its sugar content. Root crops with a high sugar content not only taste good, but are also suitable for processing. Delicious juices are made from them, they are introduced into the children's menu. The sweetest beet varieties: Bravo, Ordinary Miracle, Kozak, High, Mulatto.
Experts compiled a rating of beetroot, which collected the best varieties:
Preparation for landing
The success of growing beets depends on the quality of the soil and the timing of planting. We will learn how to prepare soil and seeds for planting, and how to choose the right site.
Optimal timing
Beetroot is a relatively thermophilic culture, with the planting of which you should not rush. When determining the timing of sowing, take into account the climatic features of the region.
Temperatures recommended for sowing beets:
- Air - from +15 to +18 ° C.
- Soils - from +6 to +10 ° C.
Approximate sowing dates in different regions:
- Southern regions - in the second half of March or in April.
- The middle strip (Moscow region) is mid-May.
- Ural and Siberia - the second half of May.
Varietal affiliation also affects the timing of planting - early varieties are sown earlier than all, late-ripening - later than all.
If late beets are sown too early, its root crops grow stiff and tasteless.
Beets can be sown before winter. Do this before the onset of frost. For winter sowing, only special varieties are used. For winter, crops are covered. Winter beets rise early, providing an early harvest.
Crop rotation
When choosing a site for planting beets, it is necessary to take into account which culture grew earlier on it. Beetroot has favorable and unfavorable predecessors.
Beets grow well after:
- potatoes;
- Luke;
- Pumpkins
- peas;
- cucumbers
- beans;
- garlic.
Beets are not recommended to be planted after:
- cabbage;
- carrots;
- celery;
- beets.
Neutral predecessors:
- squash;
- pepper;
- radish;
- greenery;
- radish;
- Tomatoes
Beets are not recommended to be planted in one place. Between crops of culture must pass at least 3-4 years.
Site selection and soil preparation
In order for the beetroot to grow large and tasty, it needs to create favorable conditions for growth. And this process begins with the selection of the site.
When choosing a site take into account such requirements:
- Good lighting is needed.
- Soils should be nutritious and loose. Peat soils, sandy loams, loams are suitable for beets.
- Beets need room for growth, so there should be enough space between adjacent plants for root growth.
- The crop can be planted with a “border” along the potato or cucumber plantations, near the beds with onions or herbs.
- Beets require frequent watering. To prevent stagnation of water, it is necessary to plant a crop in well-drained areas.
It is recommended to prepare the soil for planting beets in the fall:
- Remove plant debris and dig up the soil, adding organic matter - manure or compost. Fertilizers must be deepened by 30-35 cm.
- If the soil is acidic, sprinkle slaked lime on it - 0.5-1 kg per 1 sq. Km. m. You can also use crushed egg shells, dolomite flour or wood ash.
- Make fertilizers in the fall - potassium sulfate or superphosphate. Sprinkle the granules on the ground and dig the beds. For 1 square. m - 300 g of fertilizer.
- In the spring, re-dig the bed and sprinkle peat or rotted sawdust on top.
Fertilizer dosage for preparing soil for beets:
Fertilizer | Quantity, g per 1 square. m |
Ammonium sulfate | 20-30 |
Ammonium nitrate | 15-20 |
Potassium chloride | 10-15 |
Superphosphate | 30-40 |
If you exceed the dose of fertilizers, the root crops will be of poor quality - with loose flesh, cracked, with voids.
Planting beds are recommended to be done right before sowing the seeds, then there will be more moisture in the soil and seedlings will appear faster.
Preparing seeds for planting
Beets have large seeds that are easy to plant, observing the necessary intervals. If the purchased seeds are pink or green, then they are already processed in fungicides and stimulants, and are completely ready for planting.
Processed purchased seeds can not be soaked or germinated, they must be planted in the ground in a dry form.
Raw seeds are brown or sand in color. Such planting material must be prepared for planting.
How to prepare the seeds:
- Germination test. Soak the seeds in salt water. After a few hours, check the result - discard all pop-up seeds, they are not germinating or will give small root crops.
- Disinfection. Soak the seeds for 12 hours in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate.
- Hardening. Soak the seeds alternately in hot and cold water - for several hours.
- Treatment in a stimulator. Seeds that have passed the germination test, wrap in gauze and immerse in a solution of "Zircon", "Epina" or other stimulant. The exposure time is from 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the type of drug.
- Drying. Remove the seeds from the stimulant, rinse thoroughly and place them for 24 hours in a warm place. During this time, the seeds swell, and some even begin to peck - now they are ready for sowing.
If the seeds are planted before winter, then the preparation comes down to checking for germination and disinfection. Excessively swollen seeds can germinate, which will lead to their death.
Disembarkation Instructions
Beet seeds are relatively large, so there is no difficulty in sowing them. Unlike carrots, radishes and many other crops, there is no need to mix beet seeds with sand - even without them, you can evenly distribute them on the landing area.
Sowing seeds
If the soil has warmed up, you can start sowing. You should not rush, the soil should warm up to a depth of 8-10 cm. Seeds planted in a cool and moist soil can rot before they reach the ground.
The procedure for sowing beets in open ground:
- Draw 2 cm deep furrows on the beds. To make them even, with a dense bottom, use a board. Press it end into loosened soil. The distance between the furrows depends on the size of root crops:
- for small beets - 10-15 cm;
- for large beets laid for storage - 20-30 cm.
- Pour furrows from a watering can. Water carefully so as not to erode the soil.
- When the water is absorbed, spread the seeds along the grooves. The distance between the seeds is from 4 to 10 cm. The interval is selected taking into account the variety and purpose of root crops.
- Fill the grooves with soil or rotted humus.
- Water the plantings through the rain nozzle.
Planting seedlings
To obtain early beet crops, a seedling method of cultivation is used. The first root crops are received in July. Seeds are sown for seedlings in March-April, and planted in soil in April-May, depending on the region.
Beetroot seedlings are transplanted into the open ground when they have 2-3 real leaves.
When growing beet seedlings, overgrowing should not be allowed. If the roots of the seedlings abut at the bottom of the seedling tank, then the root crops can grow deformed.
Seedling planting order:
- In the prepared beds, make holes. Their size should be such that the roots of the seedlings are comfortable in them. The intervals between the wells depend on the variety:
- cylindrical beets - 10-12 cm;
- medium-sized beets - 12-15 cm;
- beets with large rounded root crops - 15-20 cm.
- Water the wells and wait for the water to absorb.
- Plant the seedlings in the holes, placing the roots evenly, without bends.
- Water the seedlings again.
- Cover the plantings with covering material for 2-3 days - until the seedlings take root.
If the weather is hot, water the plantings every day. When the plants take root, the frequency of watering is reduced to 1 time per week.
When growing beets by the seedling method, one does not have to deal with thinning plantings.
Features of winter and spring sowing
Beetroot refers to crops planted both in the spring and in the winter. If the seeds are successfully wintered, then it will be possible to get early beets without growing seedlings.
Winter sowing
In late autumn, when winter crops are sown, beet planting begins. Harvest of winter beets ripens 2-3 weeks earlier than analogues sown in spring.
Features of winter sowing:
- The optimum sowing date is the last days of October or the beginning of November, when the soil has already cooled down.
- Even if snow has already fallen, sowing can be done. The main condition is cool ground so that the seeds do not sprout. They should only swell in the soil, no more.
- For winter sowing, seeds that are resistant to cold are selected.
- In autumn, the number of seeds planted should be 20% more than in spring.
- Most suitable for winter sowing are varieties resistant to flowering and shooting.
- To seedlings sprouted as early as possible in spring, the seeds are planted on the ridges. On the formed ridges, grooves are made with a depth of 5-6 cm.
- Seeds laid in furrows are sprinkled with a mixture of substrate and humus. Crops are insulated with compost.
Spring sowing
Spring sowing is most common among gardeners. This is the easiest and most win-win option for growing beetroot, almost devoid of risks and surprises.
Features of spring sowing:
- You can plant the seeds dry, without soaking. Especially if it rained shortly before sowing and the soil is moist.
- The looser and lighter soils, the deeper the seeds are laid. The sowing depth during spring sowing varies from 2 to 4 cm.
Outdoor beet care
Beetroot is an unpretentious and drought tolerant crop that does not require much care from the gardener. But in order to get a good and high-quality crop, it is important to ensure that the beets have proper care.
Temperature and light
Beetroot is a photophilous culture. Good lighting is necessary for her throughout the growing season.
Features of the light mode:
- The optimal length of daylight hours is 13-16 hours a day.
- With a reduction in daylight hours to 10-11 hours, beets stop the growth of root crops, only the aerial part grows.
How temperature affects beets:
- Beetroot is capable of sprouting while in soil, the temperature of which is only + 3 ... + 5 ° C. True, germination is delayed, the first sprouts appear only on 23-24 days.
- The higher the temperature, the sooner the beets will rise. At a temperature of + 20 ... + 25 ° C, the vegetable emerges in a week.
- If the temperature rises above +25 ° C during germination of beets, the seedlings may die.
- When plants have 3 or more leaves, they will be able to withstand more unfavorable temperatures.
- If the temperature drops a few degrees from the minimum, the growth of root crops stops, the quality and quantity of the crop falls.
The subtleties of watering
Beetroot tolerates drought, but this quality should not be abused, as a moisture deficit can negatively affect crop yields.
Features of watering beets:
- If it is hot and dry weather, planting is watered by sprinkling.
- It is better to use warm and settled water for irrigation.
- The frequency of watering immediately after emergence is once every 2-3 days.
- In order to retain moisture in the soil and reduce the frequency of watering, the soil is mulched, for example, with dried grass.
Watering alternate with loosening the soil. Loose beets must be extremely careful so as not to damage the growing root crops. Beet does not need hilling.
Thinning
From one beet seed, 2-4 sprouts can appear immediately, so plantings have to be thinned out. If this is not done, root crops will not be able to develop normally and will not grow to their varietal size.
During the planting season, beets are thinned twice:
- When the seedlings form 2-4 true leaves. By this time, plants reach a height of 7-8 cm. First, the weakest sprouts are harvested, and at the same time, weeds are ripped out.
- When plants are at the stage of root formation. A distance of 8-10 cm is left between neighboring plants. Varieties with large root crops are thinned out more strongly, leaving gaps of 15-20 cm.
Top dressing
Beets have enough fertilizers laid before planting. Feeding is necessary only with a noticeable lag of plants in growth.
Beet root crops are ways to actively accumulate nitrates, therefore, it is recommended to feed the crop with natural fertilizers.
How to feed beets:
- Periodically watered with herbal infusions diluted in water, or yeast solutions.
- 2-3 times per planting season can be poured with a weakly saturated saline solution - 1 tbsp. Is dissolved in 10 l of water l salt.
- To apply any complex fertilizer, observing the dosage specified in the instructions.
- If no ash has been added since the fall, it can be used in the summer. Every two weeks, ash is added to the water for irrigation - one glass per 10 liters.
- Ready-made mineral fertilizers can be added to insufficiently fertile soils:
- Potassium. Contribute twice a month. Any potash fertilizer with the exception of manganese is suitable - it makes the soil acidic.
- Nitrogen. Contribute only if necessary. Fertilizer is poured into furrows dug at a distance of at least 5 cm from the roots.
- Bor. Contribute twice a season. 2 g of boron are diluted in 10 l of water.
Harvesting and storage
Beets ripen in 50-70 days. But during the growing season, root crops can be used as food throughout the season.
Features of cleaning and storage:
- Beets must be removed before the onset of frost. If the root crops freeze, they will quickly deteriorate during storage.
- Unripe beets are poorly stored, and overripe beef tastes rough and is prone to cracking.
- Beets are harvested in dry weather, when the soil is easily shaken off from root crops.
- It is recommended not to cut the tops, but to unscrew them so as not to damage the root crops.
- Root crops are diseased and with traces of damage, as well as too small and excessively large, are not stored.
- Beets extracted from the soil are immediately stored.
- The optimum temperature in the basement is + 2 ... + 3 ° C.
- If root crops are pollinated with chalk - 250 g per 10 kg, or sprayed with infusion of needles - 50 g of needles are infused in 1 liter of water for 4 days, then they will be better stored.
Beet Diseases and Pests
Beetroot has high vitality and immunity. Most of her diseases are associated with a violation of agricultural technology and a lack of nutrients.
Beetroot diseases and control measures:
Disease | Symptoms | How to fight? |
Fomoz | Yellow-brown spots with a concentric pattern appear on the leaves. Root crops infected with phomosis rot during storage. | The seeds are treated with Fundazol. |
Cercosporosis | Red spots appear on the leaves, and a gray bloom on the back. | They are fed with ash or potassium chloride. Pickled seeds, sprayed with copper-containing preparations every 10 days and treated with fungicides. |
Fusarium | The leaves turn yellow and wither. The fungus also affects root crops. | Spray with boric acid. Liming of acidic soils is carried out. |
Corneed (black leg) | It affects seedlings. The stems become thin, blacken, the plant dies. | There is no cure. Prevention - improving soil aeration. |
The main beet pests:
- Bear Lives underground, digs moves and damages root crops. It is recommended to treat burrows and lanes with boric acid solution. Spread granular poison, for example, "Thunder".
- Nematodes. Larvae eat the root system of beets. The leaves of the affected plants fade. Plants affected by nematodes are uprooted and destroyed.
- Beet fly. On affected plants, leaves eaten by fly larvae turn yellow and wilt. Control measures - deep pre-winter digging, weeding, spraying heavily affected plantings with any contact insecticide.
Also, beet planting is harmed by fleas, slugs and wireworms. They fight them mainly with preventive measures and natural remedies - they scatter tobacco dust, ground pepper or wood ash on the soil.
What if the beets are big?
Too large beets can only please inexperienced gardeners. Abnormally large root vegetables often have a fibrous structure and poor taste. They cook for a long time and are poorly stored.
To avoid overgrowth of root crops:
- Leave space between adjacent plants appropriate for the variety.
- Dig up the roots when they reach the size of the particular variety. The optimal size for most varieties is 5-6 cm in diameter.
Large root crops can be put on livestock feed. They are added to the mash or cut into pieces.
Useful Tips
The taste of beets depends not only on the variety, but also on the growing conditions. The taste characteristics of the root crop are influenced by the composition of the soil, watering, feeding and much more.
How to get tasty and sweet beets:
- Choose a high sucrose variety.
- Plant beets after onions or potatoes.
- Dehydrate acidic soils - it is impossible to get delicious root crops on them. But on alkaline soils the most delicious beets grow.
- Sugar content in beets increases salted water. In 10 liters of water, dilute 2 glasses of ash and 1 tbsp. salt. Water the plantings with this solution.
The main difficulty in growing table beets is getting tasty and sweet root vegetables. Strict adherence to agricultural technology and caring for plants helps to achieve the goal.
Author of the publication
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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