Planting beet seeds in open ground: how and when?

Planting beet seeds in open ground can be done in different ways in spring or autumn. The vegetable is easy to grow, it is only necessary to observe certain conditions when planting and caring for it. In this case, the harvested crop will be stored for a long time, and the root crops will retain all the nutrients.

Beet varieties for outdoor cultivation

Varieties differ in terms of crop maturation, duration of storage of harvested root crops, color, shape, purpose. In the latter case, the vegetable can be sugar, fodder or table.

Popular beet varieties for growing include the following:

• Beetroot Detroit is distinguished by its high yield and excellent taste. It takes 100 days from sowing to harvest. The variety shows resistance to frost and disease, seedlings appear evenly and show unpretentiousness during cultivation. The shape of the root crop is round, the flesh is burgundy without rings and veins. Average root weight 200 g.
• Mid-season table variety Cylinder refers to mid-season, high-yielding varieties. Harvest begins after 120 days. The shape of the roots is cylindrical, the flesh is dark red. The average beet weight is 30 g. The harvested crop is well stored for more than 4 months.

• Productive, mid-season variety Smuglyanka begins to ripen after 105 days. The plant tolerates cold well, shows resistance to cold and diseases. The root crop is flat-round, its weight is 300 g. Juicy flesh is bright red.
• Bordeaux beets belong to table varieties. The shape of the root crop is rounded, slightly flattened. Vegetable weight 350 g. The flesh is juicy, rich burgundy. The yield depends on the weather. A vegetable develops poorly in a cold and rainy summer.

Other popular varieties of beets include: Merchant, Red Ball, Boyarynya, Red Ruby, Bohemia, Red Ice, Pablo.

Date of planting

Planting seeds in open ground in spring is done in early May, when the soil warms up to +10 degrees. The last dates for planting beets are the numbers no later than May 10.

In autumn, the last days of October or the first days of November are chosen for planting seed material in open ground. It is better to wait until the air temperature drops below -4 degrees. In warmer weather, this should not be done, as the seeds will stick out and die.

During the autumn planting of seeds, the beds are made high, raised by 25 cm, so as not to be washed away by melt water. The depth of the furrows is 4 cm, they do not need to be watered before planting. To protect the seeds from frost, it is recommended to cover the beds with straw until spring.

If beet planting is planned through seedlings, then special boxes are prepared. Seeds for seedlings begin to be planted in early April, a month before transplanting to a permanent place. This method of planting allows you to harvest ahead of time. In addition, the sprouts left from thinning can be transplanted into an empty space.

You need to plant the seeds at a distance of 4 cm, between the rows the distance should be 6 cm. After two leaves unfold on the sprouts, thinning is carried out. Leave only strong and he althy sprouts. As soon as 4 leaves appear, the sprouts will be ready for transplanting to a permanent place.

Choosing a place in the garden

It is best to choose areas for planting beets that are protected from through winds and where sunlight freely penetrates. The soil must be well-drained, the vegetable does not tolerate clay composition and waterlogging.It is advisable to change the landing site every 3-4 years.

There is a list of crops, after which it is allowed to plant beets. The best predecessors for beets in the garden are cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, potatoes. The vegetable feels bad in the garden where cabbage, chard or carrots used to grow. Celery and garlic should be avoided.

Lighting

Beets are light-loving vegetable crops. It develops well during long sunny days. If the length of the day when growing a vegetable is 14-16 hours, then you can harvest the richest possible harvest. In the case of a reduction in daylight hours by 3 hours or more, the formation of the root crop slows down.

For planting beets in spring in open ground, you need to choose well-lit areas, away from fences and trees, so that they do not have a shadow. Don't plant the vegetable too thickly.

Sometimes vegetable growers may face a problem when the beets do not sprout.

Before we can determine what to do, we need to find out the reason why she did not rise. There may be several:

• infertile or acidic soil;
• little light;
• poor quality seeds;
• wrong watering;
• failure to meet sowing dates.

To ensure good germination of beets, you need to fertilize and use lamps for additional illumination. If the vegetable is grown by seedlings, then, if necessary, additional lighting is organized up to 13 hours with fluorescent lamps, which are hung at a height of 15 cm above the seedlings.

A good harvest can only be obtained if important conditions are met. It is necessary to feed the beds in time, remove weeds, monitor lighting and watering. It is important to carry out preventive treatment against pests and diseases.

What kind of soil do beetroots like?

To get a good harvest of root crops, it is important to know what kind of soil beets like best? Beets love fertile, light soil. Well suited peat and loamy composition. If the acidity is too low or high, the vegetable begins to suffer from fungal diseases, and the ability to be stored for a long time is lost.

Since the vegetable loves light, well-drained soil, it is best to mix it with sand or sawdust. If the soil is acidic, then liming is carried out. Culture loves neutral or slightly alkaline soil.

Sowing root crops in open ground

Sowing beets can be done with dry or germinated seeds. Germinated seeds are sown in moist soil. On a flat surface of the prepared area, furrows are made at a distance of 20 cm.

If the soil is heavy, then sowing is done to a depth of 2 cm, if light, then to a depth of 4 cm. The distance in the row between seeds is 2.5 cm. Later, during thinning, the distance should be increased to 7 cm .

If the summer is short, then beet seedlings are planted in open ground. You can grow seedlings at home or in a greenhouse. You can transplant a plant that does not exceed 8 cm in height. The higher the sprout, the poorer the root crop will form. Do not deepen the seedlings too much. Distance between sprouts 13 cm, between rows - 30 cm.

Soil preparation

In order for beets to grow quickly, you need to properly prepare the land. The soil for planting seeds must be prepared in the fall. From the site where it is supposed to plant beets, remove all plant debris from the last harvest (tops, leaves, roots, weeds). The earth is dug up to a depth of 25-30 cm, complex mineral fertilizer and humus are simultaneously applied.

In the spring, before planting seeds or seedlings, the land is loosened to a depth of 10 cm and leveled with a rake.

Recommended to add mineral components. For the entire growing season, the crop requires nitrogen and potassium-phosphorus fertilization. Beetroot responds well to cultivating the land with wood ash and does not tolerate fresh manure at all.

Seed preparation

During the preparation of beet seeds for sowing, they are sorted out, soaked in solutions that stimulate plant growth. You can put the seeds in a solution based on wood ash. Ash allows you to saturate the seed material with all the necessary mineral components.

It is also recommended to carry out a decontamination procedure.

An easy way to quickly germinate beet seeds:

• seeds are soaked in water at room temperature (seeds that float should be discarded);
• water is drained and placed in a solution of Epin or Zircon for 4 hours;
• after that, the seeds are placed in a warm place for a day.

These actions will help the seeds swell and hatch. After that, you can start planting seeds.

Boarding process

There are two beet planting schemes - one-line and two-line. Landing is also allowed in a three-line way. This makes it easier to care for the plant. The beds are more convenient to water, loosen and weed.

In the case of single-line planting, furrows are made into which seeds are placed at a distance of 10 cm. The interval between furrows is 45 cm.

When planting a vegetable in two lines, two furrows are made at a distance of 25 cm, then a free space of 50 cm is left. This pattern is alternated several times.

Beetroot seedlings are planted in the open field with an interval of 11-14 cm. The interval between rows is 25 cm. This will allow you to collect large root crops, while maintaining the benefits and juiciness of the pulp.

Rules of care

Beets begin to germinate when the soil temperature is +9 degrees and the ambient air is +7 degrees. But active development is observed at an air temperature of +20 degrees. How many days does it take beets to germinate after sowing? The first shoots appear on the 6-8th day.

Caring for beets is to follow some rules:

• beds should be weeded regularly and weeds should not be allowed to grow;
• carry out regular loosening of the soil to ensure free access of oxygen and nutrients;
• recommended to fertilize;
• important to set the correct watering schedule.

The first loosening is carried out 5 days after the appearance of the first shoots. Initially, the loosening depth is 3 cm, gradually, as the plant grows, it can be increased to 7 cm.

Feeding

Feeding is carried out at least twice during the entire growing season of beet development. Fertilizers help increase the plant's resistance to diseases and pests.

The following solutions help for the normal development of the culture. When planting seedlings in the ground, it is recommended to add a tablespoon of wood ash to 1 hole.

During the first feeding, you can make nitroammophoska or a mixture of sodium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium chloride. If there is a deficiency of nutrients in the soil, you can add a solution of mullein or bird droppings. Urea can be added to the solution. Fertilizing with organic solutions is carried out only at an early stage of plant development.

The second fertilization is carried out two weeks after the previous top dressing. Use superphosphate or potassium chloride. Mineral components can be replaced with wood ash.

It is also useful to carry out foliar feeding. At the stage of formation of 4-5 leaves, it is possible to treat with a solution of boric acid or an infusion of wood ash. With a lack of phosphorus, additional spraying with superphosphate can be carried out (a teaspoon of superphosphate is taken per liter of water).

Correct watering

During the cultivation of crops, you must follow the correct watering regimen. Beets need to be watered regularly, but waterlogging of the soil should be avoided. An excess of moisture causes various diseases and a decrease in the shelf life of the crop. With a lack of moisture, the pulp of the root crop loses its juiciness and becomes rough.

During mass shoots, care for beets involves the frequency of watering up to once a week. During the period of formation of root crops, the frequency of watering can be increased. Stop watering 3-4 weeks before harvest.

Thinning

If the seedlings were planted in a common container, when two true leaves appear, the beets are picked into separate containers, do not shorten the roots of the seedling.

When planting a vegetable with seeds, as soon as the first shoots appear on the surface of the earth, thinning is carried out:

• The first thinning is carried out in the phase of unfolding the first two true leaves. The distance between the sprouts is 4 cm. The sprouts that have been pulled out can be planted in a new, free place.
• After 2.5 weeks, thinning is repeated, leaving a distance of 7 cm between sprouts. By this time, small root crops are formed that can be used for cooking.

Knowing the rules of how to dive beets in the garden, you can get juicy, he althy root crops. In addition, it is important to follow the beetroot planting pattern in your area.

Harvesting

If the beets were planted in the spring, then the crop must be harvested before the onset of frost. Harvesting begins in late September or early October. By this time, most of the leaves turn yellow and fade. If the roots freeze, they will not be stored for a long time and will lose their taste.

After harvesting, the root crops are sorted, the tops are cut off, leaving hemp up to 1-2 cm. He althy root crops are dried and transferred to storage at a temperature of +3 degrees. You can store the beet crop in boxes with sand, peat, sawdust.

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