Winter beet planting - what are its huge advantages
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WE SEED BEETS IN WINTER - HOW AND WHEN
Winter sowing of vegetable crops is gaining more and more popularity. This is partly due to the fact that winters have become milder, which means that the seeds are less exposed to danger. No less important is the load distribution for the gardener: the dispersal of work for two seasons makes it possible to carry out them without haste, and therefore, better. Consider the benefits of winter beet planting.
ADVANTAGES OF WINTER BEET SEEDING
Hardened seeds, like people, can endure adversity more easily: they are more resistant to disease, the surprises of spring weather, and lack of moisture. Such a natural hardening just takes place in the winter months.
Seeds that have not passed such stratification and intended for spring sowing require the selection of a favorable moment for “settlement” in the garden, which can also delay the harvest. In many regions, these conditions develop only at the beginning of June. Beets sown at such times simply do not have time to gain more or less normal weight for the remaining warm time.
It should also be borne in mind that beets have a problem in seed germination due to the dense shell. And if before spring sowing it is necessary (and not always successful) to apply various methods of processing the seed, then in late autumn there is no need for this: the "shell" of seeds during the winter is destroyed naturally and germination is easy.
Seeds ready for this process at the same time respond to the “signals” of the weather, therefore seedlings are very friendly, and they appear faster than during the spring “call”. Accordingly, the crop can be harvested at 2-3 weeks earlier. This is especially true for regions where frost is already observed in early September.
PREPARATION FOR SOWING
First of all, it is necessary to stock up on seeds of varieties that are resistant to autumn cold and not prone to darting. Cold-resistant-19, Pod-winter-474, Polar flat K-249 are best suited for podzimnaya sowing, and of the more popular ones - Cylinder.
When choosing a place for future beet planting, it is necessary to clarify the level of groundwater occurrence. If they come close to the surface, it is necessary to build a high bed - its "pillow" should be at least 25 cm.
Clay and acidic soils are not suitable for growing this culture - the latter must be neutralized by adding dolomite flour, chalk, lime or wood ash when digging.
And finally, the place for beets should be well-lit: the sun adds the roots of burgundy paint.
Council
Beets work best after tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cucumbers and onions. Do not sow the seeds of this culture after carrots, cabbage. And it is absolutely unacceptable to grow red root crops in the same place: this threatens the depletion of the soil, the accumulation in it of pathogens and pests that are dangerous for this culture.
Soil preparation for winter sowing is perhaps even more important than for spring. Particular attention should be paid to weeds: all roots of perennial wild plants must be removed, otherwise they are able to drown out the delicate beet sprouts.
The soil must be dug up on the bayonet of a shovel with the simultaneous introduction of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, humus and ash. After the bed is formed, its surface must be leveled with a rake, cut furrows with a depth of 20 cm every 3 cm, not reaching the edges, in order to avoid the flow of spring melt water.
Separately, you should prepare loose fertile soil to fill the furrows after sowing. It can consist of garden soil, sand and rotted compost (all in equal volumes). This "powder" should not be wet, otherwise it will freeze after the onset of cold weather. It is best stored in a dry barn. There it is also necessary to create a supply of peat for mulching the beds.
WE BEGIN SEWING
When the air temperature drops to 0 degrees and it stays stable no higher than this level, you can start sowing in winter. Usually, such conditions develop in early - mid November. At higher thermometer values, the seeds can wake up, sprouting, which will inevitably die when frosty weather sets in.
Note
One of the signals for the beginning of winter beet planting is the fall of the leaves of cherries.
The soil during winter sowing must be dry, as well as the seeds. They are laid out in grooves with an interval of 10 cm. Sprinkle on top with prepared soil mix and mulch with a layer of peat 3 cm thick.
In order to avoid possible seed germination, the bed is not watered in any case. For the same reason, snow is swept off with a broom before sowing if it has fallen.
To protect crops from winter frosts, it is advisable to cover the bed with fallen leaves, spruce branches or sawdust, and when snow falls, throw it on top.
We also recommend reading: What to plant for the winter, the features of the sub-winter planting
SPRING CARE OF WINTER BEETS UNDER WINTER
All shelters must be removed from the garden in spring so that nothing interferes with seedlings. At this time, it is necessary to carefully loosen the top layer of the soil, apply nitrogen fertilizer (urea or ammonium nitrate - according to the instructions) to stimulate plant growth, and cover the garden bed with plastic wrap, which will give another week a gain in the timing of the harvest. Immediately after the appearance of single shoots, the film should be removed.
Even if all the intervals between plants were observed during sowing, the plants must be thinned out a week after emergence. This is due to the fact that the seeds of beets are multi-bud, so there are several times more sprouts than seeds. To prevent unnecessary competition for food, excess plants are removed, leaving only the strongest specimens.
Further care is no different from caring for beets sown in the spring. It is necessary to regularly water the garden so that root crops do not crack due to lack of moisture, periodically loosen the soil, weeding out weeds.
Note
Unfortunately, beets planted before winter are not very well stored. Therefore, its main purpose is to eat in the summer, when the root crops of spring sowing have not yet ripened.
© Author: Zoya Boleslavovna BORTKEVICH
Note: beets and human blood. About the benefits ...
It is no coincidence that beets are red; its juice helps the formation of red blood cells, and generally improves blood composition.
A positive property of beets is that it promotes the solubility of calcium, which can accumulate in the blood vessels, causing the veins to dilate or harden, thicken the blood, provoking an increase in blood pressure and other types of cardiac disorders. Therefore, in case of hypertension, eating beets is one of the best natural remedies. It is also indispensable for anemia, improves overall health, and strengthens the nervous system.
Beetroot syrup helps with stones in the gallbladder and liver. You need to take a few heads of beets, peel, wash, cut and cook for a long time until the broth becomes as thick as syrup. Take 40 ml 3 once a day before meals. It is believed that from such a syrup, the stones in the gallbladder dissolve gradually and relatively painlessly.
Borsch in the old way
Chop the beets, add water, slightly acidify with vinegar or citric acid and cook until almost done. Rinse millet in warm water, soak and then grind. Chop and onion and parsley root in vegetable oil. Pounded millet and vegetables add to the beetroot broth, salt and bring to a boil.
Roll small fish (peeled and washed) in flour, fry in vegetable oil, put in borsch and cook until cooked. When serving, sprinkle borsch with dill.
Reference by topic: When to clean and how to store beets
WINTER SOWING OF BEET - VIDEO
© Author: Maria Semenovna GUSHCHINA, Tomsk
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- My secret to planting beets - sharing experience
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I set aside a bed for beets in a high place protected from the cold wind, which dries out and warms up quickly in spring. I dig the site in advance on the bayonet of a shovel, covering 1-4 kg of humus per 6 square meter with the addition of 60 g of potassium sulfate and 40 g of superphosphate. Then I level the site and form ridges facing south, cutting grooves on them about 4 cm deep (when the soil settles, they will become smaller). Before the onset of stable frosts, I cover the beds with spunbond or film.
I put high-quality loose humus in a bag and put it in the garage so that it does not freeze.
In mid-November, I select the largest beet seeds, immerse them in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate for 3-5 seconds, then rinse with water and dry. I sow it into the grooves and sprinkle it with harvested humus. I mulch the beds with spunbond.
In the spring, when the snow melts, I remove the mulch, cover the beds with foil so that the earth warms up sooner. When shoots appear, I remove the shelter.
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Beet on the windowsill
I prepare salads and borscht from tender beetroot leaves all year round. In winter, I grow beets on the windowsill.
I put 2 cm of expanded clay on the bottom of the box for seedlings. I pour steamed garden soil, spill it with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. I dig small beet root vegetables in moist soil, I do not fall asleep the growth point. I keep it near the battery in the kitchen, watering often, but little by little. The warmer the beets, the sooner it begins to sprout. But this plant does not need a lot of light.
As I grow, I cut the leaves. When they begin to grow back more slowly, I replace the old root crops with fresh ones.
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Last year I bought a successful beet variety. This year I did not find such seeds. Is it possible to plant the root crops that I have stored to receive seeds? How to do it right?
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- Plant root crops 55-65 cm apart (leave about 3 cm of apex above the soil surface). If the land on the site is poor, before planting, bring along a humus bucket per 1 sq. Meter of garden bed. Then, once every 7-8 days, water the plantings, pouring 1 bucket of water over a bucket of water. If heavy rain fell the day before, refuse to water. Weed the beds as needed. When the stems of the peduncles grow by 15-18 cm, tie them to the pegs so that they do not break from a gust of wind. Collect the seeds when they dry, but before they begin to crumble.