The ideal time to plant beets is in the spring. When and how to plant beets with seeds in open ground? Distance when planting beets in open ground

Beets are a popular crop that many summer residents grow on their plot. We will tell you when it is better to sow the seeds, and how to properly prepare the soil in order to get a rich harvest.

When to sow beets in open ground with seeds

Beets can be planted in open ground with seeds and at +7°C, but in order for seedlings to grow well, an air temperature of +16°C is required. But the soil should have a temperature of more than + 10 ° C. Therefore, it is very important to plant the crop at the right time.
Beets prefer to grow in warmth, because of this you should not rush. In addition, if young sprouts survive the return frosts, they usually begin to shoot arrows.
Therefore, taking into account all this, in the North Caucasus, the dates for planting seeds are in the second month of spring, from April 1 to April 10. In the Central Black Earth region from 20 to 30 April. In the north of the Central Black Earth Region, Non-Black Earth Region, in the Volga Region, Bashkortostan, Altai, Moscow Region - from May 1 to 10.
In the south of Russia, you can sow seeds from March 25 to March 30, since in this area the earth already warms up to the required temperature at the end of March.
In Siberia and the Urals, early beet varieties can be sown in mid-May, when the soil warms up to + 5-6 ° C at a depth of 10 cm. True, early varieties cannot be stored for a long time. But mid-season varieties are sown from June 15, when the earth warms up to + 10 ° C, and beets are harvested at the end of September so that the root crops accumulate sugar in themselves, which will provide them with long storage. But it is best in these regions to first sow the seeds in the house in March, wait until the seedlings grow. And then beet seedlings are planted from April 25 to the site for a permanent place. Then the harvest can be harvested earlier by 18-25 days.


Landing site selection

Beets prefer a site that is well lit by sunlight, has fertile and loose soil and a low level of groundwater. If the place is shaded, then the yield will be greatly reduced. The culture requires a soil that has neutral or slightly acidic characteristics, pH = 6-7. It is not advised to sow seeds in a shaded place with acidic, dense soil. The site must have drainage, otherwise the beets will be tough and tasteless.
It is best to sow seeds annually in a new area. Observe crop rotation, find out after which crops you can plant seeds or seedlings. Plant the crop in the area where potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, radishes previously grew. It is permissible to plant it where peas, garlic, onions grew. It is not recommended to plant beets with seeds in the place where cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, celery, parsnips, chard, spinach grew before it, as these crops have similar diseases. Even beets will feel great in the place where rye or winter wheat was previously planted.
It can be planted near carrots, celery, lettuce, spinach, white cabbage, kohlrabi, onions, garlic, radishes, cucumbers, strawberries.
Sekla prefers loams or sandstones. In clay, sand or podzolic soil, the number of root crops will be much less.


Preparing the soil for planting beets

The soil for sowing beets in the spring must be properly prepared in the fall:

  1. First, remove debris, weeds, branches from the site;
  2. Scatter fertilizers on 1 m2: 30-50 g of phosphorus and 50-70 g of potassium, half a bucket (3 kg) of humus or well-rotted compost;
  3. Dig the soil to a spade depth of 30 cm.
  • If the soil is acidic, then scatter before digging the earth for 1 m - 1 glass of dolomite flour, chalk or lime. You can instead collect the shells from the eggs, crush them and sprinkle them on the ground. In the spring, it is not recommended to deoxidize the soil, as beets can get sick with scab.
  • In the spring, before sowing, dig the ground again, add 30 g of nitrogen, 10 teaspoons of boric acid, 2 cups of ash, 1 teaspoon of magnesium sulfate, a tablet of microelements to 1 m2 of soil. You can not add top dressing in which there is chlorine, since beets do not like it.
    If you have a sandy area, then in the fall, before digging, sprinkle 1 m of sand over a bucket of peat and sod land, a bucket of humus and carefully dig.
  • If you have clay, then in the fall pour a bucket of peat soil and a bucket of sand onto 1 m of clay. And for another 1 m add 2 liters of rotted sawdust, after treating them with a solution of carbamide and dig.
  • If the soil is too dense, then the root crops will grow small, as it is very difficult for them to grow in it. Because of this, sand, rotted sawdust, compost are poured into the soil.

By the way, you can also sow the seeds of those varieties in which the roots protrude strongly above the soil surface. Such varieties are the sweetest, as they are well lit by sunlight. These varieties include Pablo F1, it is medium early. Bushes are adapted to low air temperatures, lack of moisture, they are resistant to diseases. They collect about 700 centners of beets per hectare of plantings, 7 kg per 1 m. Root crops weigh 100-500 g. Their skin is dark red. Scarlet pulp, gives purple.


Preparing seeds for sowing

Preparation for planting - disinfection of seeds. If you purchased seeds in a specialized store, they have already been processed, but if you want to plant seeds collected from your site, then they need to be disinfected.
You need to make a 1% solution of manganese, for this, pour 1 g of potassium permanganate into 100 g of warm water, mix thoroughly so that no crystals remain. Next, cut a 10 × 10 cm square from gauze. Sprinkle the seeds, wrap with gauze and pull the thread on top. Put the bag in a bowl with a solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. Then remove and rinse under water directly in the bag until the water comes out clean when squeezing the bag.
If you want the seeds to hatch quickly, they will need to be soaked. It is necessary to soak the seeds before planting, make one of these solutions: pour 1/4 teaspoon of boric acid and 0.5 teaspoon of nitroammophoska into 1 liter of clean warm water; 1 teaspoon of superphosphate; 1 teaspoon of drinking soda; 1 st. a spoonful of ash You need to soak the seeds in one of these solutions for 24 hours. Then gently rinse the seeds, wrap them in a damp cloth and let them lie for 4 days, but make sure that the cloth is damp all the time.

How to sow beet seeds on the site

Dig grooves, spill them with hot water.

Landing pattern:

  • pour the seeds into the grooves so that there is a distance of 2-3 cm between them, then press them a little;
  • sprinkle them with soil so that they are at a depth of 2-3 cm, if you have a sandy or sandy area, then the seeds should be at a depth of 3-4 cm;
  • if you plan to collect small root crops, for example, to pickle them, then leave a distance between rows of 7 cm, and if you need large ones, then indent between rows of 30 cm, and 10 cm between bushes.

Basically, beets from 1 seed grow 2-4 sprouts, because of this, 5-6 days after the first shoots appear, thin out the culture, leaving sprouts every 3-4 cm. And when 5-6 leaves appear on the sprout, then thin out a second time so that the distance between the bushes is 8-10 cm.

There are different ways to sow beets. The two planting options are seeds and seedlings. The right time can be spring or autumn, the main thing is to keep the right timing. carried out in the period of 1-2 decades of May, when the soil becomes completely warmed up.

If seeds are found in insufficiently warmed soil, seedlings will begin to shoot and a good harvest will not be obtained.

The autumn period can also be chosen for planting beet seeds, usually the end of October or November, depending on the region. Landing is carried out in the event of an air temperature of -4 degrees. should not be carried out too soon, as seeds awakened from warmth may die.

Often beets are planted in seedlings. In this case, the seeds are planted at home. Also, landing is done inside a greenhouse or greenhouse.

Seedlings are sown when the first days of April come and a month later they are placed in open ground. The seedling method of planting beets provides an early harvest and saves seeds, since the sprouts remaining after thinning are also suitable for planting.

What does it depend on?

The sowing time for beets is determined by the climate conditions of the region where you live. The optimal time for planting a vegetable is when the last frosts are gone. The sowing time is also affected by whether you are going to cover the crops with foil.

Sowing time also determines the beet variety. Generally, early varieties should be sown earlier, and later varieties should be planted later. When planting late varieties too soon, coarser root crops will form.

Sowing dates for seedlings and planting in open ground in spring - what's the difference?

You can often hear advice to plant beets in the early spring, in March. However, it does not tolerate frost very well, you should keep this in mind. In the Ural, Siberian areas, it will be necessary to plant beets in open ground one way or another when mid-May comes. When seedlings are grown at home for a long time, they stretch out and future yields decrease. This means that for planting seedlings in the garden, it is more correct to sow it in April, in the early days or in the middle.

The appearance of 2-3 true leaves means that the seedlings are ready for open ground. It is important to prevent overgrowth of seedlings. If the roots are supported on the bottom of the box, the shape of the root crops may turn out to be incorrect.

Planting seedlings in the garden occurs when the soil is warmed up to no less than +10 degrees (usually this is mid-May).

When to sow seeds?

The best thing

Beetroot is a heat-loving vegetable, so it is planted in the ground, which is warmed up to + 5-10 degrees. The timing of planting beets varies depending on the climate. For example, in the southern regions (Krasnodar, Kuban), beets are planted in March-April. At the same time, in the regions of the Moscow region, it occurs in the early to mid-May days, and in the Siberian and Ural regions, this is the period of the second half of May.

It is forbidden to sow beets except when the soil is warmed up at a depth of 10 cm (in spring), or otherwise in autumn for winter planting in late-early October-November.

What happens if work is done outside normal hours?

If you sow beets for seedlings before mid-April under weather conditions that do not allow planting on the garden, then the seedlings will stretch.

Briefly about how to grow a vegetable

Read more about what can be planted after beets, next to the crop and what predecessors are suitable for it, read.

With the right growing place, beets do not require top dressing.

We offer you to watch a video on how to properly grow beets:

The time the beets are planted is the most important factor in caring for them. In the open ground and in the fall. Seedlings are planted when one and a half months remain before transplanting into open ground conditions.

At a temperature of +5 degrees, the seeds begin to germinate and withstand short-term cooling down to -2 degrees. But freezing should be avoided, as this leads to the flowering of plants.

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The key to a good harvest of beets is the observance of agricultural practices for its cultivation. Planting beets should be carried out in a timely manner, according to the timing of ripening and the lunar calendar. It is also important to observe the norms of watering and properly feed the crop.

Varieties of beets for planting in open ground

Beets are a very common crop with many varieties and varieties. There is a canteen, sugar and fodder. In country and garden farms, table beet is the most popular, among which leaf and root crops are distinguished.

Among gardeners, it is customary to classify beet varieties according to ripening time, pulp color (red, red-violet, burgundy) and fruit shape. Early ripe varieties of beets ripen within 60-90 days after sowing. They are intended for summer use, but not for storage. Among the popular early ripe varieties of beets are:

  • Nobol;
  • Egyptian;
  • Bordeaux 237;
  • Red ball;
  • Cold resistant.

In order for the fruits to ripen early enough and, at the same time, they can be stored for storage, it is recommended to grow beets in the open field of mid-ripening varieties. They perfectly tolerate temperature changes and drought, have a high resistance to disease. The most popular varieties among gardeners are:

  • Detroit;
  • Bona;
  • Bohemia;
  • Mulatto.

Late-ripening beet varieties are characterized by good keeping quality:

  • cylinder;
  • Renova.

The harvesting of these varieties begins 130-150 days after sowing, so not in all regions they have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather.

Choosing a place and preparing beds for beets

The right choice of a site for beets determines not only the quantity of the crop, but also its quality. So, beetroot, which is grown and cared for in sunny areas with light, well-drained soil, will give a large crop of sweet tubers.

Loamy and sandy soils with neutral acidity are the best suited for growing beets. On heavy clay soils, hard and tasteless fruits grow, especially if the area is acidic and moisture stagnates on it.

Crop rotation rules for beets

  • It is better to grow beets in areas where potatoes, onions, and cucumbers used to grow.
  • After cabbage, carrots and tomatoes, you should not sow beets.
  • Every year, the plot in the garden for beets needs to be changed. Re-sowing in the same place is possible only after three years.

Beets also feel good in mixed plantings. Neighbors such as cabbage, onions, bush beans, potatoes do not interfere with beets, but also have a beneficial effect on its growth. The neighborhood of beets with corn and chard is not recommended.

The culture grows well along the edges of the beds, which will save a seat, while caring for beets in the open field will be much easier, since it will receive fertilizer and watering together with its neighbors.

Bed preparation

A plot for beets has been prepared since autumn, digging a shovel onto a bayonet and applying fertilizer. From organic matter, compost or humus (half a bucket per m²) is added for digging, from mineral fertilizers - superphosphate and ammonium nitrate (20-30 g / m²) and potassium chloride (10-15 g / m²). In acidic soils, the addition of ash, dolomite flour or lime is mandatory.

Fresh manure should not be applied to the area where beets will be grown. Otherwise, the fruits will grow ugly, and will contain a large amount of nitrates.

Seed preparation and beet planting procedure

Germination of fresh beet seeds is excellent. They are collected in tubers and covered with a common shell. One such tuber can produce up to 5 seedlings. But, for better seed germination and if you want to get early shoots, the seeds should be prepared for sowing.

Germination of beet seeds

Preliminary preparation of seeds consists in their germination. To begin with, they are soaked in a nutrient solution for 20-30 minutes. Recipes for preparing a growth stimulant can be different, one of the most popular:

  • dissolve boric acid (2 g) and nitroammofoska (4 g) in 1 liter of warm water;
  • add 5 g of superphosphates and a teaspoon of baking soda to 1 liter of water;
  • it is recommended to add a tablespoon of wood ash or tobacco dust.

You can use ready-made tools (Epin, Zircon). After exposure to the stimulator, the seeds are washed, wrapped in a cloth bag. It is necessary to keep them in a humid and warm environment for several days.

Technology of sowing beets in open ground

Seeds are sown in spring, approximately at the end of April - beginning of May, when the soil warms up to 8-10º, in furrows. If the planting of beets with seeds in open ground is done too early, the fruits may not set. Instead, the plants will produce a peduncle and large leaves.

A distance of 8-10 cm is maintained between seeds, and 25-30 cm between rows. Seeds distributed over moistened furrows are covered with a small layer of soil (1.5-2 cm) and watered. The bed can be mulched with peat or other material so that the soil warms up faster and seedlings appear faster. Winter sowing of beets is carried out in November and the beds are covered with pine spruce branches.

Planting beets with seeds in open ground video

Care when growing beets in open ground

So that the harvest does not disappoint, you need to consider what beets love when growing, and what procedures should be avoided. During the entire period of growth, beets need watering, weeding, top dressing, as well as measures to combat diseases and pests.

Seedling cultivation and picking of beet seedlings

Beet care after planting begins with the appearance of the first shoots. Given the multi-germination of seed tubers, crops are often thickened and require thinning. You can do without it only when sowing single-sprout varieties. Carry out the first thinning in the phase of two leaves on moist soil.

It is possible to grow and transplant beet seedlings. After germination at home, seedlings with 2-3 leaves are watered and dumped into prepared holes along with an earthen clod.

The second way to increase the volume of plantings - sprouts torn out after thinning, they are planted, having previously shortened the root. They take root quite well and soon catch up with seedlings.

With the advent of five or six sheets, a second thinning is carried out. It is also possible to transplant beets in June with seedlings, but it will not take root as well as in spring.

Feeding and watering

After thinning, the first feeding of beets in open ground with nitrogen-containing fertilizer (urea, potassium nitrate, nettle infusion) is required. Spend it under the root after moistening the soil.

In summer, watering beets in the open field is especially important. It is carried out by sprinkling, abundantly, in the morning or evening hours.

Unevenly moistened soil will negatively affect the yield. The fruits will be irregular in shape, underdeveloped, without a sweetish aftertaste. Irregular watering will lead to cracking of the fruit. After each watering, the soil between the rows is loosened, not forgetting to remove the weeds.

Fertilizing in the summer, beets are needed every 10-14 days. The most valuable element for her is boron. They carry out foliar feeding (2 grams of boric acid per 10 liters of water) while caring for beets in June. The lack of boron in the soil will lead to phomosis of fruits, which will negatively affect their storage.

In order for the beets to be sweet, have a solid structure and crunch a little, it is necessary to fertilize with table salt (1st per 10 liters of water).

When the beet fruits become the size of a walnut (they will already be visible on the surface), they are fertilized with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (azofoska, double superphosphate) every 14 days.

With the approach of autumn, beet watering is gradually reduced and completely stopped two weeks before harvest, as is fertilization.

Protecting beets from pests and diseases

The main diseases of beets are:

  • cercosporosis;
  • phomosis;
  • root rot.

In order to avoid damage, regular treatments of plantings with copper-containing preparations (Bordeaux mixture or HOM preparation) are necessary.

Pests cause great harm to beets:

  • beet fly;
  • nematode;
  • cabbage owl.

Therefore, growing beets in the country requires regular insecticide treatments (Karate, Konfidor).

Growing beets in the open field video

Harvest and storage of beets

The readiness of the beet for harvest is determined only by its size. The most successful root crops are medium in size. They store best and are juicier than larger ones. Ripe beetroot, planted and cared for properly, can be harvested no later than September, as it does not tolerate frost. It is removed from the garden before other root crops in dry weather. After digging, it is laid out to dry.

It is advisable to cut off the tops from the fruits with your hands, since after cutting it with a knife, the wounds heal for a long time and the fruits lose their juice. Only healthy fruits without damage are laid for storage, stacking in separate boxes. Storage on top of potatoes is also acceptable.

Outcome

It is not difficult to grow a good beet crop on your site. It is enough to observe the planting dates, to carry out watering and necessary feeding on time, to loosen the soil and not to delay the harvest.

Gardeners prefer to grow many annual and biennial vegetable crops through seedlings. However, there are crops for which the method of planting directly on the garden is more often used. This is especially true of beets and other root vegetables. How to plant beets with seeds in the open field in spring, and even so that it quickly sprouts and so as not to thin it out later?

There are several agrotechnical points that it is desirable to take into account when sowing. They relate to the processing of seed material, soil preparation on the site, compliance with the sowing pattern, as well as the choice of the optimal variety. With the right approach to this gardening business, it is possible to achieve friendly shoots, active plant growth and a high yield in the fall.

When and how to plant beets with seeds in open ground

Most gardeners are interested in how to plant beets with seeds in the open field so as not to thin out. Proper and rational sowing can save not only planting material, but also time. The last resource is very important, since there is always a lot of work in the country and no one wants to spend precious hours on work.

To achieve this goal, several conditions must be met, the first of which is the correct choice of seeds, more precisely, the determination of their viability. After all, it makes no sense to sow "dummy" - this is a waste of time and effort.

Seed germination test

Do not forget that the seed material of vegetables retains its germination capacity for two years. But it is better, of course, to take seeds collected the previous fall for sowing. If they are purchased, then you should definitely look at the date of production. But even if you yourself grow beets for seeds, checking the germination does not hurt.

First way. Pour salted water (3-5% solution) into any container and drop the seeds there. In a few minutes, “empty”, unsuitable for sowing, will float to the surface. The good ones will sink to the bottom.

The second way. Spread the seeds in a thin layer and pass over them with an electrified stick. Light pacifiers will be attracted to it, specimens with good germination will remain lying.

The third way. Beet seeds are placed on moistened paper or cloth. Cover with a second layer on top. Every day the material is wetted. After 8 days, evaluate the result. If 60-80% of the total sprouted, then the seed material is considered good.

Preparing seeds for sowing

The best varieties

Before you start planting beets in open ground, it is highly advisable to prepare the seeds. First, it is necessary to correctly determine the choice of variety. It depends on when you get the crop and what quality. There are three groups of varieties. The most popular and in demand among gardeners, according to reviews and comments on the forums, are:

  1. Early - Detroit, Red ball, Libero, Red flat, Bohemia, Cold-resistant.
  2. Mid-season - Bordeaux 237, Egyptian flat, Don flat, Bona, Borschevaya, Detroit.
  3. Late - Renova, Mulatto, Mona, Single-growth, Cylinder.

Calibration and soaking

How to prepare beet seeds for planting? To do this, just follow a few steps. At the very first stage, it does not hurt calibration. For this purpose, only large intact specimens are selected. If there are a lot of seeds and it is difficult to manually calibrate them, then they are sifted through a colander or a large sieve. Small specimens are discarded.

The next step is soak. Do I need to soak beetroot seeds before planting? This question very often arises when growing and caring for beets in open ground. Of course, you can do without soaking. But still, this process significantly speeds up germination. Given that the seedlings of this culture do not appear very quickly, such pre-sowing treatment will not hurt.

How to soak beet seeds before planting, more precisely in what? To do this, you can use various disinfectant and stimulating solutions. The temperature of the liquid should be slightly above room temperature. As suitable use:

  • potassium permanganate solution (1 g per 5 l of water);
  • boric acid solution (1 g per 5 liters of water);
  • copper sulfate (1 g per 5 liters of water);
  • ash solution (a large spoon per 1 liter of water);
  • infusion of calendula and chamomile;
  • growth stimulants (Epin, Zircon, etc.)

First, the seed material is soaked in a container with a solution for 10-12 hours. Then the cotton fabric is moistened, the seeds are poured out in one layer and covered with the second half of the fabric. Top can be covered with polyethylene. They put the greenhouse on the battery or just in a warm place. Periodically, the contents must be ventilated so that mold does not appear. As soon as the first white "spouts" of sprouts have hatched, you can start land work.

Coating

Coating can also be done before sowing in the spring. This treatment of beet seeds before planting helps to get earlier and more friendly shoots faster, since the substances of the nutrient shell act as stimulants. In addition, the embryo at the first stages of development receives additional nutrition and protection from low temperatures.

Dragging is as follows. Beet seeds are dipped in a solution of liquid mullein or paste. Then they are poured into a container, into which nutrient soil is gradually added, consisting of soddy soil, humus and crushed mullein in a ratio of 3: 7: 1. Superphosphate (15 g per 1 kg) is also added to this mixture.

When adding the nutrient mixture, shake the container so that it sticks to the seeds. When the granules reach a size of 4-5 mm, the pelleting can be completed and beet seeds can be planted in open ground. This method of preparation will be of interest to those who are looking for an answer on how to plant beets so that they quickly rise and grow stronger.

seed hardening

If the vegetable is sown in early spring, when the soil has not warmed up enough, you can use the method of cooling or stratification. Such hardening will make the seed germs more resistant and ensure early shoots. To do this, the seeds are first soaked for several hours in a small amount of water, and then placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in the snow, wrapped in a wet cloth.

You can also stratify slightly pecked seeds. Cooling is carried out for 2-3 days, periodically mixing the contents. After the specified time, the beet rudiments are slightly dried and sown on the beds.

Preparing the site for sowing beets

Before you start planting beets, you need to prepare the soil. This vegetable does not like a heavy substrate with an acidic reaction. Therefore, before sowing, it is important to add fluffy lime (0.5 kg) to the soil. The soil is well dug up and loosened. If the soils in the plots are depleted, then you can additionally add humus (2-3 kg). It is better not to use manure and compost. A mineral mixture consisting of ammonium nitrate (20 g), superphosphate (30 g) and sodium chloride (15 g) is also suitable for fertilizing the land for beets. All doses of fertilizers are indicated per 1 sq. meter.

For a red borscht vegetable, it is better to choose beds well-lit by the sun, which are oriented in the north-south direction. With such an exposure, the sprouts will receive a maximum of sunlight and quickly increase their phytomass.

It is necessary to take into account the rules of crop rotation. Beets are best grown after crops such as peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, grains and legumes. But if last year the beets themselves grew in the garden, or carrots, potatoes, cabbage, corn, spinach, then you should find another place. If this point is neglected, then the risk of infection of new crops with infectious diseases is high.

When to sow beets in open ground

Even if you have carried out pre-sowing hardening of seeds, it is worth observing the timing of planting beets in open ground. As a rule, sowing begins after spring weather sets in with an air temperature of at least +10 degrees.

The very first sowing dates in open ground may occur in mid-April. But in this case, the bed must be covered with polyethylene. The harvest will be early in this case. When can you sow beets again? The optimal landing time is considered the beginning - mid-May. During these periods, the earth is already well warmed up and shoots appear together.

If you missed the time when it is recommended to plant beets early in the open ground in spring, then you can do this at the end of May or even in June. In this case, the vegetable will yield a crop a little later, but this will not affect the quality. Moreover, such root crops are best suited for long-term storage.

Use in the spring two terms for sowing beets in open ground at once. The interval between them is about two weeks. This will be a safety net against freezing and shooting of plants.

For those who adhere to the lunar calendar, the following information may be useful: it is recommended to plant root crops from the Full Moon to the New Moon, that is, in the third and fourth lunar quarters. Such planting dates guarantee the maximum accumulation of nutrients in the underground organs and their active growth.

The scheme of planting beets in open ground

Planting beets in spring in open ground with seeds is carried out on the basis of a seeding rate of 1.5-2 g per 1 sq. meter. If you previously checked the germination and took a batch of seed material with a high percentage of germination, then you will not need to re-sow. In this case, you do not have to spend time thinning.

How to plant beets, so as not to thin out later? It is most convenient to use paper tapes. To do this, you need to take strips of toilet paper 3-4 cm wide and spread the seeds on the paste. The distance between individual specimens should be 7-10 cm.

You can not use paper tapes, but immediately plant the beets in the ground. In any case, the planting depth is on average 2-3 cm. The distance between beet rows should be 25 cm. In large-scale crops, a different scheme is used - the distance between rows is 45 cm. But in a private garden, denser cultivation is suitable.

In order not to thin out, you need to choose the right variety for planting red beets. For example, to solve this problem, the variety "Single-growth" is suitable. The seedlings of such beets give only 1-2 sprouts, so plantings do not thicken.

If, nevertheless, thinning cannot be dispensed with, then this procedure is carried out in two stages. The first - 6-12 days after the appearance of sprouts. The second time you should thin out when 5-6 leaves appear on the sprouts.

Growing beets through seedlings

Of course, sowing beets in open ground with seeds is convenient. However, you can use the seedling method. This culture tolerates picking and transplanting well. Sow beets for seedlings a month and a half before planting in open ground. Do it at home in boxes or in heated greenhouses.

How to plant beet seedlings? The planting pattern is denser than directly into open ground. The distance between rows is 4-5 cm, and between individual specimens in the strip is 1-2 cm. The sowing depth is 2-3 cm. as a compactor to the main culture.

About a week after germination, the seedlings need to be thinned out. For this, it is more convenient to use scissors - unnecessary sprouts are simply cut off at the soil surface. The remaining beet sprouts should not touch each other with their cotyledon leaves.

After the first or second true leaves have formed, you can start picking. At the stage of the third or fourth leaf, the beets are planted in a permanent place in open ground according to the scheme 10 × 25 or 15 × 25 cm. Transplantation must be done very carefully so as not to damage the tap root of young plants.

For your attention, another useful video that reveals additional secrets regarding beet sowing:

When talking about this red vegetable, one cannot fail to mention the fact that beets are a good indicator of soil acidity in a garden plot. Read about how you can use it to determine this indicator - you will find a lot of interesting and useful information for gardeners.

These are the main points on how to plant beets with seeds in the open field in spring. Knowing and fulfilling them, you do not have to spend time thinning out plantings or, conversely, overseeding. After all, it is no secret that a successful start of cultivation and care guarantees resource savings and a rich harvest.

Good luck with your spring gardening!

Beetroot is a biennial plant. In the first year after planting, the plant grows a root crop and a large rosette of leaves. And already in the second year, flower stems and seeds are formed in it.

The size, shape and weight of root crops can be different and depend on the growing conditions and variety. The shape can be round, conical and even spindle-shaped, and the skin and pulp can have different colors. On average, 3-4 kg of root crops can be harvested from 1 m2, but many vegetable growers achieve an increase in yield up to 4.5-6 kg per 1 m2.

With what neighbors to plant beets. It is believed that this root crop does not grow well next to corn. An increase in yield can be achieved if you plant it near the plantings of beans, tomatoes, potatoes and spinach. Beetroot planted next to lettuce, radish, radish, onion, kohlrabi and garlic also grows well.

Temperature regime

Seeds germinate at + 5 - 6 degrees, shoots at this temperature will appear in two weeks. They quite well withstand short-term cooling down to -2 degrees. And adult plants can withstand frosts down to -4 degrees. The optimum temperature for plant development is 18-20 degrees. But when the beets begin to form roots, the need for heat increases. During this period, the optimal air temperature is 20-25 ”C.

Where is the best place to plant? It is best to plant beets on loose, well-drained and aerated loamy soils with a low level of groundwater. On alkaline and acidic soils, the plant gives a poor harvest.

Beet is a photophilous plant. With insufficient sunlight, the plants are stretched, its yield is reduced. Therefore, choose well-lit places for landing.

Planting beets video

Soil preparation. Apply organic fertilizer to the site selected for planting a year before. If you failed to do this, apply humus or compost immediately before sowing at the rate of 2-4 kg per 1 m2. If the soil in the area is acidic, add lime in the fall at the rate of 300-700 g per 1 m2. Apply mineral fertilizers in the fall too.

When to plant. Plant beets in the spring when the soil temperature rises to 5-6 °C. If you want to speed up the emergence of seedlings, pre-soak the seeds for one day in water, and then keep them at + 18-20 ° C until single seedlings appear. Dry the seeds slightly before planting.

If you want not only to reduce the germination time of seeds and increase their germination, but also to get a large beet harvest in the future, carry out bubbling - saturation of seeds in water with oxygen for 12 hours.

In the garden, beets are planted in three lines.

How to plant. Plant beets on the beds in three lines, plant the seeds to a depth of 4-5 cm. If the soil in your area is heavy, plant the seeds to a depth of no more than 3 cm.

The beet harvest often depends on the weather. Sometimes crops of this plant freeze. If you have already encountered such a nuisance, plant beets in two terms: at the beginning and at the end of May. If the first crops freeze or start shooting, you will have the second ones, from which you are guaranteed to get a harvest.

Beet care

Caring for beets consists in thinning seedlings, loosening the soil, regular watering and fertilizing plants.

Planting thinning.

Thinning beets is carried out twice. Thin out plants for the first time in the 2 true leaf phase (7-10 days after emergence). The distance between the sprouts should be 3-4 cm. The second time, thin out in the phase of 3-4 true leaves. This time, make sure that the plants are at a distance of 8-10 cm from each other.

Thinning is best done in the evening after watering or rain: the plant is easy to pull out of moist soil. Although you can not pull it out, but just pinch at the soil level. This method eliminates damage to the root system of plants remaining in the garden.

If, when thinning, you pull out plants in order to transplant them to another bed, remember that varieties with an elongated root crop should not be dived. When transplanting such plants, their integrity is violated and, as a result, deformed and ugly root crops are formed. But the picking does not affect the quality of the round root crop.

How to plant beets video.

tillage

When caring for beets, pay great attention to loosening, do not allow the formation of a soil crust. At first, loosen the ground to a depth of 3-5 cm, gradually increase the loosening depth to 10 cm. If the root crops peek out of the ground, they should be piled up.

How to water

The most important thing in caring for any plant is regular watering. Beetroot is a moisture-loving plant. The beds should be well moistened before planting, and also watered immediately after sowing. Water regularly throughout the summer season. It is best to irrigate by sprinkling. During the formation and growth of root crops, do not allow long breaks between waterings. Watering should be stopped a month before harvest.

How to feed beets

Two to three feedings should be carried out during the season.

  1. Perform the first immediately after thinning. For her, you will need nitrogen fertilizers at the rate of 10-15 g per 1 m2.
  2. After the second thinning, apply ammonium nitrate (15 g per 1 m2) to the soil.
  3. After 15-20 days, when roots begin to form, superphosphate and potassium chloride (7.5-10 g per 1 m2).

Beets sprout and grow without problems even for beginner summer residents, but not everyone gets sweet and beautiful. True, those who have understood its requirements annually receive a harvest of high-quality root crops.

  1. In order for beets to grow sweet, you need to choose the right variety. Domestic varieties have long taken root in our gardens Bordeaux, Incomparable, Red ball and etc.
  2. Try to plant it in a well-lit garden bed. In the shade of trees, under the canopy of corn, sunflower roots grow unsweetened, poorly colored.
  3. The plant is also demanding on soil fertility, although it should not be sown immediately after manure is applied: the formation of root crops will be delayed, and the quality will be low, as they say, neither taste nor appearance. In addition, on manured land, the plant is often affected by fungal diseases. But being sown after crops under which organic matter was introduced (cucumbers, cabbage), beets will form high-quality, tasty root crops.
  4. Under the digging of the future beetroot bed, up to two tablespoons of superphosphate, 1-1.5 tablespoons of potassium sulfate or a tablespoon of nitrophoska and a glass of wood ash per square meter are added. m.
  5. In order for the beets to gain “sweetness” and grow without defects, they are fed with fertilizers containing magnesium and boron, for example, magbor. In order for the beets not to lack other nutrients, at the beginning of the growing season they are fed with complex fertilizer (st. Spoon per sq. M). Nitrogen is applied if the leaves grow weakly in spring: 2 teaspoons of urea per square meter. m. In the phase of the formation of root crops, top dressing is repeated with complex fertilizer.
  6. At the end of the season, “for sweetness”, the beets are “salted”: they are fed with table salt (a teaspoon in a bucket of water).
  7. Beautiful root crops cannot be grown without timely thinning of seedlings. This plant has the ability to sprout in bunches, even if you spread the glomerular seeds at the right distance when sowing. Therefore, at the stage of 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings are thinned out, increasing the distance between plants to 3-4 cm. After 2-3 weeks, another thinning is carried out - up to 6-7 cm. "Rare" is also not needed: root crops will grow too large , their quality will deteriorate.

As you can see, caring for beets is not much different from caring for all other root crops. If you follow all these not tricky recommendations in the fall, you will get an excellent harvest.