Growing beets will be beneficial for those who like to eat well and for those who practice traditional medicine. This vegetable should be planted in prepared soil and properly cared for.
Beets belong to the amaranth family. The first year the plant gives a root crop, and in the second – seeds. The beet fruit contains about 50-80 of them.
Growing beets necessarily includes the stage of thinning seedlings
If the soil is fertile, then before planting, 15 g of ammonium nitrate, 30 g of superphosphate or 25 g of ammonium sulfate per 1 sq. m. If the soil is not fertile, then add organic fertilizers. For this, humus and compost in the amount of 2-3 kg are suitable.
It is best to plant beets in the ground where tomatoes, cucumbers or peppers used to grow. It can also be planted with carrots and onions.
Seeds are soaked and germinated before planting. They are provided with a temperature of 16-19 ° C. The seeds are covered with a damp towel and kept for 3-4 days. Then the temperature is lowered and kept for another week. If desired, seedlings are grown up to 3 true leaves, and then they are planted in open ground.
Seeds are sown in late autumn or spring. Planting is carried out in early May, when the ground temperature will not be lower than + 8 ° C. In the spring, seeds are scattered over the surface and sprinkled with 2 cm of earth. For 1 sq. m will need about 2 g. In winter, the thickness of the powder is increased by 1 cm. Mulching with peat is also carried out.
When growing seedlings, it is important to observe the following rules:
- provide seedlings with light;
- protect them from frost;
- plant in a slightly acidic or neutral soil environment.
Under these conditions, beets will grow rapidly.
Caring for a root crop is simple:
- periodically loosen the soil;
- regularly weed the bed from weeds;
- thin out the beets;
- water it regularly.
All these steps will not take long.
During the season, beets are watered with salted water 3 times. This increases the quantity and quality of the crop. To do this, dissolve a glass of table salt in 10 liters of water.
Root crops must be fed with mineral fertilizers. When the plant is just forming, apply nitrogen fertilizers. To prevent nitrates from accumulating in root crops, carry out such feeding 2-3 times. After the appearance of root crops, emphasis is placed on potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
Root crops are dug before the onset of frost. For long-term storage, choose root vegetables 8-9 cm in size. Cut the tops from them and store in a cool place.
Beets do not require much maintenance and you can have them on your table all year round.