When to sow the beets in the open ground. Beet growing in open ground

Beetroot canteen was imported to Russia from Byzantium in the 10th century. In ancient times this plant was very appreciated for its medicinal properties, for example, Hippocrates used it for the treatment of infectious and skin diseases. Currently, beetroot has firmly entered our diet, in addition, there are many recipes of folk medicine, in which this useful root crop has found application.

It is difficult to find a summer resident who does not grow table beet on his plot, and there is a simple explanation for this. Not only is this a very useful vegetable, as already mentioned above, so, on top of everything, it is easy to grow it, because it is an extremely unpretentious plant. But, in spite of this, in order to obtain an excellent harvest, some rules must be observed. Let's understand how to plant beets (seeding, seedlings, features, care), about all this we try to tell in this article.

Terms of sowing

First, let's define when to sow the beets in the open ground. This useful vegetable can be sown in the spring, and it is possible for winter.

For early harvest, sowing is carried out in autumn, early November, or under a film at the end of April, and that beet, which is intended for long-term storage, is sown in May, after 10, but no later than May 20. If the seeds are sown too early, in cold soil, the roots may not grow, instead flower stems are formed. After the first sprouts appear, the film can be removed (shoots of beet bear freezing up to -2 ^о С).

Selecting a place for landing

Growing beets in the open field requires some preparation.

The site on which you are going to sow this useful vegetable should be sufficiently illuminated and well drained, otherwise the root crops will be stiff and tasteless. The soil for planting is best chosen from loamy or sandy loamy, with a pH of no higher than 7. On clayey, sandy and podzolic plots, the yield will be much lower.

Ideally, the best place for a bed is to allocate a place where cucumbers, potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin or onions used to grow, the choice of land after peas, garlic or cabbage is not entirely successful. And, of course, you should not plant beetroots after root crops such as carrots, parsnips, celery, and after spinach and chard, which have common diseases, at the same place for two consecutive years it is not recommended to grow beets at all, and Only after three years it can be returned to its original place.

Soil preparation

Determined with when to sow the beets in the open ground, we will start preparing the soil.

The seedbed for planting is best prepared from autumn. First of all, it should be dug into the spade bayonet, and properly loosened. It is advisable to introduce into the soil half a bucket of m ² pereprevshego compost or humus (fresh manure to make is not recommended). If the acidity of the soil is large, it is recommended to add dolomite flour, lime or chalk at the rate of 1 glass per m ² during digging (it can not be added in the spring, it can cause such rooting disease as a scab). Before sowing, fertilize the soil, such a mixture is suitable: 10-12 teaspoons of boric acid, 1 teaspoon of magnesium sulfate, about 2 glasses of ash and a tablet of microelements (all per m ² ). You should not make chlorine-containing fertilizers for planting, but magnesium really likes this root crop . Growing beets in the open ground on sandy soil requires the introduction of peat, turf and humus to the site (1 bucket per m ² ). In clay soil, make a full bucket of peat and large river sand with the addition of two liters of dead sawdust, which should be treated with urea solution before this.

Seed preparation

How to plant beet seeds in the open ground, you ask? So, before sowing, the seeds should be prepared beforehand for planting. To do this, they should be soaked in a solution of drinking soda or ash (half a teaspoon per 0.5 liters of water) per day, then rinsed, wrapped in a wet rag and soaked at a temperature of at least 25 ⁰ C for two days. This method allows you to get amicable shoots a week after sowing.

Sowing

How and when to plant beetroot? Planting is carried out, as already mentioned above, in the spring or in the autumn. So, if you plant beetroot in autumn, the seeding rate will be 3g per m ² , the seeds are laid down to a depth of about 4 cm, mulch is filled on top of them.

How to plant beet seeds in the soil and seedlings In the spring? Seeds are sown in rows at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other, in striae to a depth of 2.5-3 cm. The prepared grooves are spilled with hot water, seeds are placed in them at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other, then they are slightly pressed into Land and mulch. Most beet seeds are multi-growth, that is, 2-4 sprouts appear from one seed, therefore, after 5-6 days after emergence, the first thinning is performed, at which the plants are left at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. The second thinning is done after the formation of 5-6 leaves, leaving a distance between root crops of 8-10 cm.

We examined how to plant beet seeds in the open ground, but in the spring some gardeners prefer to plant this vegetable seedlings, so let's talk about how to do it right.

A month before the beet landing on a permanent place in a specially prepared substrate, seedlings are planted according to a 4 x 4 cm scheme. This method of cultivation allows you to harvest 3 weeks earlier than usual. Before landing in the soil, seedlings do not need to be dived. The necessary temperature for cultivation is 15-20 ^o C. Seedlings are best grown beets with oval roots. Transplanting it to a permanent place begins when the plant forms 3-4 leaves. Before this, the container with the seedlings should be spilled properly with water, after which the plant is excavated with a special spatula. In order for the beet to get better, before planting, the root of the sprout is shortened by about 1/4 part. After that, the seedlings are well watered. Plants are planted at a distance of 8-10 cm from each other.

Further care for the beet is the timely loosening, weeding, fertilization and watering.

Care

So, when we sow the beets in the open ground, we sorted it out, now let's talk about how to take care of it.

Seeds of beet, as already mentioned above, rise slowly, therefore, approximately 3-4 days after sowing it is recommended to slightly loosen the soil on the ridge by spring rakes, this will ensure amicable shoots. The real deep loosening is carried out for the first time 4 days after the friendly shoots appeared. In general, beets are very responsive to loosening, so do not forget to loosen the soil after rain or watering, but after the leaves have closed, loosen it.

This vegetable does not like blackout, so do not forget to weed the weeds in time, especially this is important in the phase of rooting. By the way, in August the beets require one more thinning, weeding out the extra root crops during weeding, the distance between the plants should be 15-20 cm. After weeding and thinning, necessarily mow the plants and cover the soil.

Many summer residents cut off leaves on beets for cooking summer soups and salads. This is strictly forbidden, the harvest will be much lower. Do not forget to water the beet in a timely manner, with a lack of moisture root crops become woody. For better maturation, watering is stopped 4-5 weeks before harvest.

Diseases of beets

Excess nitrogen in the soil can lead to the formation of voids inside the root crops, with a lack of boron, core rot can develop. The appearance of yellow spots on the leaves indicates a lack of potassium, the redness of the tops indicates a lack of sodium and an increased acidity of the soil.

Beets are affected by diseases such as downy mildew, rust, phomosis, leaf spot. The pests of this root crop are corn root, beet aphid, nematode, flea, fly, root aphid, smooth deadwood. With these diseases and pests will help to cope with folk, centuries of proven means.

Cleaning and storage of beets

Beet harvesting begins before the onset of frosts, that is, not later than mid-September, in general the vegetative period of the root crop (depending on the variety) is 50 to 80 days. Before storage it is necessary to cut off the leaves at a distance of about 3 cm from the root. Store beets in boxes, pouring sand, at a temperature of 1-3 ⁰ C.

Recommended varieties

"Bordeaux 237", "Pablo", "Podzimnyaya A-474", "Cold-resistant", "Renova", " Griboyedovskaya flat A-473, Egyptian flat, Pushkin flat K-18, Incomparable A-46, Unicolored.

Well, actually, everything, you now know, when to sow beets in the open ground, what seeds to prefer, how to care for it and how to store it.

Good harvests to you!