Beet Cylinder got its name from its elongated shape. This variety was bred by Dutch breeders, and for many years now it has been very popular among summer residents and gardeners for its unpretentious care and excellent taste characteristics. In terms of vitamin composition, beets are similar to cabbage and carrots, and by regularly eating this product, you can normalize the functioning of the intestines and the cardiovascular system. Therefore, Cylinder beets are so in demand. Description of the variety is given below.
What does a vegetable look like?
This is a cylindrical table beet with maroon skin and deep red flesh. The size of the root crop is 16-17 cm in length and 9-10 cm in diameter. Weight - from 200 to 500 grams.
The variety is considered medium-late, the ripening period is 120-130 days. The taste of the vegetable is sweet, so you can cook a variety of dishes from it. Also, Cylinder beets are great for canning, they cook quickly and keep well, their skin is thin, and the flesh is juicy. This characterizes the Cylinder beet. The description can also be supplemented with the features of this variety.
How is it growing?
Thisbeet variety is considered high-yielding, as it is not susceptible to specific diseases. Cylinder beets grow well in those areas that used to be under cucumbers, cabbage, onions or carrots. It should not be planted in beds after spinach and similar crops. For a greater yield and product quality, beets need a well-lit area. Its width should be about a meter. Water the beets in the grooves between the rows.
Growing this variety of beets does not require special skills, a rich harvest can be harvested even by inexperienced gardeners. As mentioned above, Cylinder beets taste sweet. But the taste is directly dependent on the composition of the soil. If it is acidic, then adding dolomite flour to the bed will help. Then the beets will not have veins and white rings in the cut.
Seed preparation
The right choice of planting material is an important step in the process of obtaining a good harvest. The quality of purchased seeds is not always at a high level, so you can prepare them yourself. It will also save you some money on your budget. Seeds should be collected in autumn. It's important to do it right. They should have a small size, regular cylindrical shape, rich burgundy color on the cut. Seeds are planted in late spring. After planting, they need to be regularly watered and loosened the soil. Before flowering, the soil must be fertilized.
When most of the seeds on the branch darken, it must be cut. Do not wait until all the grains are ripe, otherwisethey will start to crumble. To collect more material, the peduncle is best tied to a support. Important: different varieties should be sown far apart to prevent cross-pollination.
Store the seeds in a dry and warm place. It is important to prevent their hypothermia, since after planting they can bloom, which will not give growth to the root crop. Before sowing, the seeds must be selected by size and processed. Processing is usually done with a solution of potassium permanganate or ash. After that, the seeds must be soaked for a day in clean water.
Sowing and seedling care
Seeds are planted at the end of May. Suitable for both band and row sowing. Planting depth is about 3 centimeters. It is better to plant three seeds at once, and then you can remove the extra seedlings. Beetroot Cylinder is very responsive to heat, so in warm weather shoots appear after 3-5 days. If the weather is cool, sprouts may not appear for several weeks. Planting seeds is possible already at a soil temperature of 6 degrees. A cold snap could ruin the entire crop.
Strengthened seedlings need to be thinned out: for starters, 3 cm apart, and when foliage appears, 10 cm. You should not make a large distance, otherwise the root crops will outgrow (some vegetables can grow up to 2 kg, and this is not always convenient to use).
It is important to regularly water and loosen the soil. The Cylinder beet variety is considered drought-resistant, but it still needs to be watered. When seeds germinate, a root system is formed and root crops are formed.
Tip: in regions where the climate is cold, it is better to grow beet seedlings. This job is quite labor intensive. When picking seedlings, you need to remember the following recommendations:
- seedling roots can be cut off a little;
- for the plant to take root, seedlings should be no more than 8 centimeters;
- before transplanting, the land needs to be well loosened.
Features of agricultural technology
Cylinder Beets do not like shade, so it is best not to plant them behind fences, under trees, or in the shade of tall crops. The soil on the site for planting beets must be fertile. Otherwise, it needs to be fed with complex fertilizers. The plant itself is usually fed with mineral supplements. Manure is not used at the same time, it does not allow beets to grow and develop. With manure, a lot of roots are brought into the soil, and it also provokes the disease of the soil.
Magnesium and boron must be present in the mineral supplement. They stimulate the growth and development of the root crop. Ash is considered a good fertilizer for vegetables. Beet Cylinder loves high beds. This is especially true for wet areas. If the soil is very damp and acidic, then the root system of the vegetable rots.
Cleaning and storage of beets
Beet harvesting starts in September. During harvesting, the tops are immediately cut off, the vegetables are dried a little (in sunny weather, you can right in the garden) and sent for storage. For better storage, beets are dug up in dry, warm weather.
You can see that the root crop is ripe bythe following features:
- beets have grown to the appropriate size;
- small side roots appeared on the root crop;
- the lower leaves of the leaves turned yellow and withered, began to dry out.
To keep beets for a long time, it is important not to damage the roots during harvesting. The root should also remain intact, so it is better to dig up the vegetables with a shovel and carefully cut off the foliage. Damage during harvesting threatens to rot the root crop.
You can store beets in a pit with potatoes or in large boxes of 10-15 kilograms. To increase the shelf life, you can sprinkle vegetables with sand. The ideal storage temperature is between 0 and 2 degrees and the humidity is approximately 90%. In such conditions, the tubers are fresh until the summer, until the new harvest.
Beet Cylinder reviews
What do gardeners say about this vegetable? Here are the qualities they highlight:
- Cylinder beets are very tasty, fruitful, well stored. It makes excellent salads, soups and preparations.
- This is probably the most common beet variety in our strip. And this is not surprising, because it has wonderful taste. It is great for rich borscht, and for a light snack. And even in the cellar until the summer, it does not lose its taste and quality. Interestingly, it grows quickly (the variety is not late), but it is stored well.
- The harvest of this beet is always rich, and it is very easy to grow it. Minimum care - maximum result!
- Thanks to this elongated shape,Cylinder beets take up less space in the garden. It is very convenient to plant it together with other vegetables (for example, between bulbs). This helps to save space in the garden, especially if it is limited.
Conclusion
Summing up, we can say that the Cylinder beet, the photo of which is presented in the article, is a picky plant. Does well in temperate climates with minimal care. Growing the Cylinder, you need to monitor the acidity of the soil and prevent waterlogging. You can reduce the acidity of the soil with lime.
