Not a single real housewife has yet managed to do without cabbage, carrots, onions or beets in the kitchen, for example. The nutritional value of the latter is quite high. Beetroot is rich in vitamins, macro- and microelements, as well as organic acids, which can improve the activity of blood vessels and the heart, stomach and intestines as a whole. Therefore, it is not surprising that she has firmly established herself in the gardens of most summer residents. But to get a good harvest, you need to know the technology of growing beets.
Soil requirements
As you know, planting beets begins with choosing a place and preparing the site on which it will grow. This culture feels good on sandy loam, peat soils and loams. To ensure a good harvest, the site must be prepared in the fall.
Gardeners should know that the following plants are good beet predecessors:
- greens, cereals and legumes;
- peppers and tomatoes;
- garlic and onion;
- cucumbers, zucchini and pumpkins.
It is strongly not recommended to plant beets after:
- celery, parsnips and carrots;
- potatoes;
- radish and cabbage.
This crop will grow very badly on land where table, sugar and fodder beets, as well as chard were grown before it.
Seed treatment
The process of growing beets can be divided into several stages. The first of these is the preparation of seeds, which are shriveled drupes of a fairly large size. That is why it is convenient to plant them, observing the necessary interval between them.
Seeds sold in specialized stores are often already treated with fungicides and stimulants. They are easy to recognize as they are colored pink or green. Such seeds do not need additional processing. They begin to sow directly into well-moistened soil.
Preparation of raw seeds
Usually they are painted in sand or brownish color. Growing beets is not complete without preliminary preparation of seeds. Before boarding them, you must do the following:
- soak the seeds in lukewarm water for a few hours. However, some of them may float to the surface. Such seeds will have to be thrown away, as they germinate late and form very small root crops, and even irregularly shaped;
- drain the water. After that, immerse the seeds, after wrapping them in gauze, in a special germination stimulant solution, such as "Zircon" or "Epin". The rules for the use of these drugs indicate for how long it needs to be done;
- get the seeds out of the solution and place them in heat for 12 to 24hours. The seeds begin to swell, and some of them peck. This means that you can proceed to the next stage of growing beets, that is, planting them.
Sowing seeds and thinning seedlings
It's no secret that growing beets outdoors is influenced by many factors, the first of which is planting time. The first sprouts can appear already when the soil is heated to +5 … +7 ⁰C, however, friendly shoots should be expected only when the soil temperature is at least +13 … +16 ⁰C. Most often, landing dates fall somewhere in the middle of May. Planting beets in open beds should not be too early, because, getting into wet and cold ground, most of the seeds can die, and those that sprout will inevitably grow into the arrow.
For planting seeds, it is necessary to make grooves no more than 2 cm deep on pre-prepared beds. They are very quickly and conveniently marked with a board, the end of which is pressed into the loosened soil. In this case, the planting depth will be the same, and the grooves will be dense. The optimal distance between rows is 10-15 cm if you need small root crops that will be used for cooking summer dishes or pickling, and 20-30 cm for the free formation of large table beets intended for winter storage.
First, the grooves must be carefully watered so as not to wash them with water, and then wait until it is absorbed. After that, they begin to lay out the seeds at a distance of 4-10 cm. The interval depends on the purpose and sizeone or another variety of beets. Now you can cover the seeds with earth or rotted humus and water again.
Such a procedure as thinning is best done in cloudy weather and with wet soil. The first time it is done when the plant acquires one or two true leaves. In this case, 3-4 cm should be left between seedlings. The second thinning is done already when 4-5 leaves and root crops appear, the diameter of which is at least 3-5 cm. This time, you will need to leave a distance of about 6-8 cm.
Weeding and loosening
Beet seedlings require a lot of air for the first month. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of the air permeability of the soil by loosening, as well as mandatory weeding during the first thinning. Then you can transplant extra plants to another place.
To do this, a relatively deep hole is made, and the seedling is hooked with a fork, carefully transferred and lowered into it, carefully straightening the root. Then sprinkled with soil and watered. It will be necessary to moisten the soil in the following days until the seedling takes root.
Feeding
It must be done twice a season. The first top dressing is carried out after thinning, because it is at this time that the plants especially need nitrogen. However, mineral fertilizers based on it should not be used, because this often leads to cracks, improper development and the formation of voids in root crops. It's better to mixon one's own. To do this, take 1 tbsp. a spoonful of nitrophoska, 0.5 liters of mullein, 0.5 teaspoons of boric acid and dilute it all in a bucket of water. The consumption of the mixture during irrigation should be 3 l / m². Boric acid in the cultivation of beets is used as a prophylactic against rot.
The second dressing is done before the tops close. To do this, you need to prepare the following solution, which should include components such as 0.5 liters of chicken manure and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of complex fertilizer diluted in a bucket of water. The consumption of the mixture in this case should not exceed 7 l / 1 m². If the development of the leaf occurs in slow mode, the plants can be sprayed with a solution of urea - 1 tbsp. spoon on a bucket of water.
Irrigation
Growing beets outdoors is not that difficult. The main thing is to make sure that there are no weeds, and also water the plants as needed. This is usually done several times per season. In hot weather, beets will have to be watered much more often. Approximate water consumption - 2-3 buckets per 1 m². However, do not overwater the soil, otherwise it can lead to beet disease and, as a result, a poor harvest.
Some gardeners during watering pour s alt into the water at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon per ten-liter bucket. It is believed that such an additive helps to increase immunity in plants, and also increases the sugar content of root crops. Watering the beets is stopped about two weeks before harvest.
Cleaning and storageharvest
Its quantity and quality directly depends on beet growing conditions. If you follow the simple rules described above, then a good harvest of root crops will be ensured. It is recommended to harvest beets in dry and clear weather. Experts do not recommend cutting the tops of the plant with a knife. The fact is that moisture will ooze from the wound for a long time, which is so necessary for long-term storage of the root crop. For the same reason, beet skins should not be damaged during harvesting.
Before the root crops are lowered into the cellar for winter storage, they must be dried well in a shady place, and then the remaining soil must be removed from them. You can store beets in sand, a dry pit or a box.
