Growing beets from A to Z - sowing, care, diseases and top dressing, harvesting and storage
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ALL THE SECRETS OF BEET GROWING - FROM SOWING TO STORAGE
Advice is given by an amateur gardener and a professional agronomist.
I am writing to share my personal experience of growing beets.
SOWING
I sow at the beginning of May. I prefer the varieties Cylinder and Egyptian flat. The temperature by this time should be set at 10-15 ° C, not lower. I do not sow beets twice in a row in the same place. I sprinkle the soil with dolomite flour a week before the start of work. This helps protect against wireworms and many pests.
I make a bed with grooves 3 cm deep, then I spill them with warm water from a watering can. Next, I sprinkle with eggshells crushed into flour (it will take about 20 eggs per bag of seeds). I sprinkle chalk on top, but not in large quantities: the shell should be visible. After that, the soil can be considered ready. I sow seeds at a distance of 5 cm; but in the future, as necessary, I still thin out the seedlings.
BEET CARE
When the leaves of the beets appear, I immediately pull the weeds, and then water from the watering can to protect the exposed roots from drying out.
Beets are demanding on moisture: they love pre-sowing and post-sowing watering. She also needs moisture during the growing season. But 2 weeks before harvesting, watering should be stopped.
A week after thinning, I make the first top dressing. I breed 2 tbsp. l. salt and 2 tbsp. ash in 10 liters of water, mix and water the plants with a watering can. The second treatment is carried out in 2 weeks.
I also prepare top dressing with organic matter: I insist humus in water in a ratio of 1: 1 for a week. Next, I stir the liquid and dilute it (0 liters of solution per 5 liters of water), and then water the plants under the root. After that, I water with ordinary water from a watering can so as not to burn the root system.
DISEASES AND PESTS OF BEET
From heart rot, I spray the beets with a solution of boric acid. I dilute 3 g in 10 liters of water and spray the leaves.
Beets have a lot of pests, like all vegetables that we grow in our garden. Aphids eat the leaves of the plant, and they curl up from this; Sometimes they even dry up. I immediately see that growth is slowing down. As a measure of struggle, I use an infusion of shag: for 10 liters of water I add 3 tbsp. l., mix, cover with a lid and leave for 2 days. Before processing, I mix again and spray the beet leaves. Helps 100%.
It also happens that caterpillars overcome plants. I always thought that this pest only loves cabbage. They eat young beet leaves first, and when it grows up, they move to a more juicy place - the stems. The leaves after the caterpillars become lethargic, as if there is not enough watering, a cobweb appears. Gradually, they can penetrate into the root crops themselves. In the fight against them I use Phosphamide. I breed 1 tbsp. l in 10 liters of water, mix and water with a watering can over the leaves and under the root. After such processing, there will be no caterpillars! I advise you to try.
2 weeks before harvest, watering the beets is stopped.
See also: Rules for growing beets - the technology of sowing, care and harvesting
HARVESTING
In mid-September, I start harvesting. If it rains, I wait until the weather improves. But it happens that you have to collect beets on wet ground. I bring it into the barn and pour it out on the floor (I first lay the fabric) for ventilation and drying. Root crops are by no means mine.
STORAGE OF THE BEET
A friend from the dacha said that she keeps the harvest in winter, wrapping it with cling film. At first I did not heed the advice, but decided to just give it a try. I cut the roots, washed the beets, dried them on a towel for a day. Then she wrapped each root crop in cling film in two layers, lowered it into the cellar and placed it on a wooden grate. The beets kept very well all winter. Now this is the only way I use it. The result is good, I advise everyone!
All my recommendations are time-tested. Disease control, proper watering, fertilization will ensure a rich and high-quality harvest!
© Author: n. Stepanova, Povorino, Voronezh region
See also: Beet seedlings - subtlety tips and secrets, pros and cons
LETTER FROM A READER COMMENTS TO K. S.-Kh. N. TATIANA SHAINERT
TERMS OF SOWING
Optimal sowing dates for the middle lane: early consumption - May 10-15, for storage - the end of the third decade of May. Harvest - after 25 September.
TRANSFER
After thinning the crops, some plants can be planted on other beds: the seedlings take root very quickly. The crop obtained from such plantings is well suited for winter storage.
SALT
It is categorically impossible to add salt to the soil, since sodium ions make the site completely. unsuitable for agriculture without the possibility of its further restoration. Instead of salt, it is recommended to use potassium chloride, thanks to which the beets will fill the need for chlorine.
DOLOMITE FLOUR FOR BEET
Nadezhda Stepanova gives very good advice. In addition, the introduction of dolomite flour is mandatory on acidic soils: only in this case can beets give a good harvest. Moreover, for this crop, the soil of a neutral reaction is preferable - not slightly acidic.
MANURE FOR BEET
Even in a diluted form, manure provokes the appearance of weeds on the site, and also reduces the shelf life of root crops due to a decrease in the amount of dry matter. The best way to introduce organic matter is in the fall for digging. It can be humus or compost at a rate of 10-12 kg per 1 m2.
INSECTICIDES
In the first half of the growing season, beet leaves are often used as food. Therefore, the use of a drug such as Phosphamide should be completely excluded. This also applies to any other chemicals. In the fight against caterpillars, it is best to spray the plants with Fitoverm.
The wilting of beet leaves indicates its defeat by a nibbling scoop. Pest preparations are applied to the soil a year before planting in the area chosen for the crop.
HARVESTING
It is better to harvest beets on a dry cloudy day. Hot weather has a bad effect on the safety of root crops.
STORAGE OF THE BEET
It is not recommended to cut the beet roots before storing them in order to avoid injury to the root crops and infection. The crop is stored in bulk in plastic bags (no more than 5 kg). Pre-cut off the growth point and allow the cut to dry (1-2 days). Storage conditions: 0-4 °C at 80% relative humidity.
See also: Own beet seeds - cultivation, collection and selection
ALL SECRETS OF GROWING BEET ON VIDEO
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Beets, as jam
I grow beets, I buy only hybrids, it’s easier with them - the roots grow small. beautiful, smooth, as if calibrated. The flesh is dark, tender, without rings. I try to buy something new - to try. I especially like the Monty hybrid - the pulp is sweet, like jam.
Be sure to grow cabbage. The harvest is not always excellent, a lot depends on the weather, and pests, to be honest. tortured. Favorite varieties -Gift and hybrid Megaton.
We love spicy-flavoring plants - cilantro and celery. And, of course, basil, definitely purple. We love its peppery flavor.