Step-by-step instructions for planting beets in spring in open ground and further caring for them

Beets are a popular vegetable in our country. It is used to make vinaigrette, borscht and salads, baked, boiled and pickled. It is quite possible to grow a large harvest of beets in your garden. In this article we will talk about the nuances of caring for a crop and choosing a variety, consider advanced growing technologies and features of storing beets at home.

After what crops can beets be planted

Every year, planting beets in the spring in open ground should be carried out in different areas.... You can return to the previous landing site in at least four years. This is due to reasons such as:

• depletion of the soil;
• reproduction of pests;
• the development of diseases.

Beets like to grow after nightshades: potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants. It is useful to plant it after plants rich in essential oils: garlic and onions.

It is good to plant beets after cucumbers, squash, zucchini... The roots of these plants grow on the surface, so the soil retains the necessary nutrients for the growth of beets.

What to plant after beets and what to combine planting with

Observing crop rotation, it is important to remember that it is not worth planting crops of one family in one place.... After harvesting, plan to plant garlic, eggplant, cucumber, pumpkin, or carrot next year.

To save space in the garden, plant together... Plant parsley, onion, spinach, lettuce, dill between the rows of beets.

Variety selection

Beets are grown in vegetable gardens, which is used to prepare borscht, vinaigrette, salads.

Varieties differ in terms of ripening:

1. Early maturation - from 50 to 80 days.
2. Mid-season varieties - from 80 to 100 days.
3. Late ripening - longer than three months (such roots are stored longer and have a rich taste).

When choosing a variety, it must be borne in mind that the sizes and shapes of root crops differ from each other.:

• spherical;
• cylindrical;
• elongated;
• flattened.

Council. Choose varieties bred in your area for planting in the garden.

When to plant a vegetable

Planting seeds on time is the key to a bountiful harvest... Beets do not like the cold, they are planted when the earth is already warmed up.

Calendar dates

Sowing beets in open ground in spring begins when the daytime air temperature reaches 16 ° C... The vegetable is planted after planting carrots, the time for sowing seeds is until May 15. In warmer regions, planting begins at the end of April. If the spring is delayed, planting dates are postponed a week later. The main thing is that the weather is warm.

Lunar landing

The lunar calendar will help to calculate the correct days when to plant beets in spring, and to carry out timely planting... It has been used since ancient times, calculating the planting time of crops depending on the phase of the moon. Our ancestors noticed that during its growth, the terrestrial part of the plants actively develops, and as it decreases, the root system grows. The calendar is calculated annually.

Growing and care

Planting and caring for a crop outdoors in spring requires the following measures:

1. Seed preparation. For germination, the seed is soaked for three days in a solution of water, adding 1 tsp. soda for 0.5 liters.
2. Landing in the ground.Prepared wells before sowing seeds are watered with hot 1% solution of potassium permanganate.
3. Seeds are sown in holes at a distance of 3-5 cm from each other.
4. During planting, nitrogen fertilizers are applied: 1 tbsp. l. ammonium nitrate per 1 m of the garden.
5. The soil is loosened throughout the entire period of crop growth.
6. When the seedlings grow up to 7 cm, they are thinned out, leaving 10 cm between the plants.
7. The soil between the rows is mulched with straw and mown grass.

It will be interesting:

Top 12 best beetroot varieties: overview and tips for choosing

Rules for obtaining a rich harvest of beets

Step-by-step guide on how to thin beets correctly

Soil preparation

Preparation of the soil for planting begins in the fall or early spring. They choose lighted places where there is no groundwater.

The remains of vegetation are removed from the garden and the earth is dug up. If the soil is too acidic, lime is added, scattering it in a thin layer before digging.

When preparing to grow beets, pay attention to the condition of the soil. Beets do not like clay soils. Acceptable soil - loamy, sandy loam, black soil.

Measures to improve the soil in the garden:

1. If the soil is acidic, wild sorrel, colza, horsetail grows, lime should be added.
2. Clay soils require the addition of sand.

Seed preparation and planting procedure

Seed preparation will help to avoid diseases and grow crops without losses. Consider what activities should be carried out:

1. Hardening... The seeds are placed in a freezer for 30 minutes.
2. Disinfection... The seeds are poured with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate and kept for two hours. Then the water is drained and the seed is dried.
3. Soak... The seed is placed in a deep dish, filled with water to cover the seeds, and put in a dark place for three days.

The autumn harvest depends on the correct planting of beets in the spring.

They are planted in two ways:

1. Seeds... They make holes in the ground 3 cm deep and fill them with water. When it is absorbed, place the seeds at a distance of 3-5 cm from each other. Fall asleep with earth, tamping the top layer of soil.
2. Seedlings... Seeds are sown in a greenhouse, planted four pieces per hole. When four leaves grow, they are transplanted into the ground. Before planting, the seedlings are hardened by regularly airing the greenhouse.

Council. When thinning beets, the plucked one can be used as planting material. It is accepted and grown.

Thinning of seedlings

With dense planting, the plants grow poorly, the stems weaken, stretch out.

To form a bed, two thinning are carried out:

1. When the second leaf appears... Seedlings are thinned out, removing excess ones. The distance between the plants is kept 7 cm.
2. In three weeks... Leave the distance between plants 15-20 cm.

Important! Before thinning, the garden bed must be watered so as not to damage the plant roots when pulling out.

Care

Care includes fertilizing, watering, loosening and mulching.

Feed twice a season:

1. When the seedlings have four leaves... The seedlings are fertilized after rooting. Urea is introduced at the rate of 10 g per 1 sq. m.
2. In a month... During this period, plants need potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate and potassium chloride are diluted in a bucket of water. Fertilizers are designed for 1 sq. m. landing.

Attention! Fertilizers should be applied after watering.

What to do with the following problems:

1. Root core rots - there is not enough boron or copper. In this case, do foliar dressing with boric acid (1 tbsp. L. Per 1 liter of warm water).
2. Yellow spots appeared on the tops - lack of potassium. The soil is deoxidized by adding milk of lime (dilute a glass of lime in 10 liters of water, add 1 tbsp. L. Potassium chloride). The solution is enough for 10 linear meters. m beds.
3. Beet tops turn red from a lack of sodium - sprinkle the bed with ash or sprinkle with salt water (a glass of salt in a bucket of water).

Beets love moisture, so they need careful watering.

Watering rules:

• pour a shower on top of the plants;
• pour thoroughly so that water penetrates deep into the roots;
• after watering, loosen the earth;
• prevent the soil from drying out.

To enrich the plants with oxygen after each watering, the soil should be loosened... In order not to damage the roots, loosening is carried out in the aisles.

Mulching will help preserve moisture in the soil.... To do this, use straw, hay, laying mulch in rows with a layer of 3 cm.

Pests and diseases

There are more than 30 pests that most often attack young shoots... The most common ones are:

1. Beet aphid spreads on the leaves.
2. Root aphid: the affected plants turn yellow, wither, the root is covered with a white bloom, the plants are easily pulled out.
3. Beet flea affects young shoots. If you do not react in time, it can destroy the entire plantation.
4. Weevil winters in the soil and affects the first shoots.
5. Miner fly lays eggs in early spring. The hatched larvae penetrate deep into the stem, feeding on tissue. Such plants die quickly.
6. Beet nematode - a small filamentous worm that penetrates the root and disrupts its structure. Roots branch excessively, vegetables lose weight.

Beets are susceptible to the following diseases:

1. Corneed - microorganisms that damage beet seedlings. The stem of the shoot is pulled over, the root dies.
2. Cercosporosis - a fungus that multiplies in leaf tissues grows into a mycelium. Over time, many spots form on the leaves, the plant withers and disappears.
3. Peronosporosis - a fungal disease affecting the leaves. The color changes, the leaves grow poorly, and die off over time. Root crops affected by the disease quickly disappear.
4. Fomoz appears with a lack of boron. In young plants, the disease affects the roots, they rot and dry out. On adult plants, phomosis appears as light brown spots. Such roots rot quickly.
5. Rope rot - a kind of fungal disease. Affected fruits are dark in color and cannot be stored.

Read also:

How to treat beetroot cercosporosis and prevent the appearance

The most common beet diseases

Harvesting and storage of crops

Harvesting begins in late autumn, before the first frost appears... Store beets in cellars, poured in a bunch. With a small harvest, you can store the fruits on a glazed loggia by placing the roots in a basin and covering them with oilcloth on top so that they do not dry out.

Council. If you store the crop on a loggia, you need to leave a little soil on the roots when harvesting.

Features of planting and care, depending on the region

Planting dates and methods of caring for beets depend on the region where the vegetable is grown.

Features of crop care in warm regions:

1. Planting begins at the end of April, the harvest is harvested in August.
2. In hot weather, watered twice a week.
3. To retain moisture, the earth is mulched.
4. In chernozem conditions, fertilizers are applied twice a season.

In cold regions:

1. The vegetable is planted in May, harvested in September-October.
2. Watering is carried out if necessary.
3. The earth does not need to be mulched.
4. Due to the cold, wet weather, the prevention of fungal diseases is carried out. Plants are sprayed with preparations containing copper.

General rules for growing

It is not difficult to grow beets and get a good harvest. Introducing you a few simple rules of care:

1. Prepare the beds in the fall. Dig up and add 1 sq. m: 10 kg of rotted manure, 30 g each of potassium chloride and superphosphate.
2. Thinning plantings.
3. Keep the beds clean.
4. Prevent the soil from drying out.
5. Timely fight against pests and diseases.

Conclusion

It is not difficult to get a rich harvest, carefully following all the rules for caring for beets. Spring planting produces good results and has several benefits. The crop ripens later and is stored longer.

When starting planting, remember that beets do not like acidic soils. Observance of crop rotation will help to get rid of diseases. The vegetable is moisture-loving, so timely watering is important.In hot regions, beets are watered twice a week. To prevent the plants from crowding and interfering with each other, thinning is carried out.