How to plant beets in spring in open ground? Photos and videos, examples. When and how to plant beets in open ground Distance when planting beets in open ground

Beetroot is a widely known and healthy vegetable. It is easy to grow and has a long shelf life. In rather harsh conditions of our country, it provides us with the necessary vitamins during the harsh winter and during the period of spring beriberi. Subject to the conditions, if you care for and love the plant, planting this vegetable with seeds in open ground is not difficult.

Beets are planted in different ways. It can be planted from seeds or seedlings. Do it in spring or autumn, it is important to observe the correct timing. Spring planting of seeds in open ground is carried out in the 1st-2nd decade of May after the soil has completely warmed up.

If the seeds are placed in insufficiently warmed soil, the seedlings will begin to shoot and a good harvest can not be expected.

You can plant beet seeds in the fall, late October or November, it depends on your region. Landing is carried out when the air temperature drops to -4 degrees. You should not rush into planting, if the planted seeds wake up under the influence of heat, they will die.

Sometimes beets are planted with seedlings. With this method, the seeds are planted at home in special boxes. You can plant seeds in the country in a greenhouse or greenhouse.

Seeds for seedlings need to be sown in early April, a month before they can be placed in open ground. Planting beet seedlings allows you to get an early harvest and save seeds, since you can also plant sprouts that remain after thinning on the beds.

The most popular varieties for growing in the country or garden

Beets may be sugar, fodder or table. Varieties of sugar and fodder are usually grown on an industrial scale and are not sown in summer cottages. On garden beds, it is more common to see table beets.

There are a lot of popular varieties, they differ in growth rate and storage time. All table varieties are distinguished by high taste and brightness of color. Here are just a few:

. An early variety, specimens are not very large with excellent taste. Root crops of bright burgundy color without rings on the cut, weighing about 200 g. The variety provides high yields.
. Mid-season productive root crop. Fully justifies its name. Red beets, cylindrical shape up to 16 cm in length. Disease resistant, long shelf life.
. Mid-season variety with excellent yield. Delicious, does not lose color when cooked. Weight 300-350g. Has good keeping quality.

Some varieties are great for the middle lane, others for the Urals and Siberia. When choosing seeds for planting, be sure to consider the weather conditions of your region.

Varieties to plant in Siberia and the Urals

In Leningrad and other cold regions are especially popular Merchant, Coldproof 19, Ordinary Miracle. These varieties are distinguished by excellent resistance to diseases and cold, high yields. The cylinder also took root well in these regions.

To plant in the suburbs

In the Moscow region and the western regions, many varieties are grown. Some gardeners prefer juicy early varieties that cannot lie until spring, but are very tasty and provide vitamins in autumn and winter. Others plant late varieties, less juicy, but stored for a very long time.

The early varieties are Red ball, Detroit, Mulatto. All of them give high yields, differ in intensity of coloring and good taste.

Bordeaux, Cylinder and Mona, also liked the Muscovites. These are later varieties, with high yields and wonderful taste, they are stored for almost a whole year.

Instructions for planting beets with seeds in open ground

Soil preparation

Before planting a vegetable according to the step-by-step instructions, you need to prepare a bed for beets, do this autumn. Any sunny, open, well-drained place is chosen, on which cucumbers, tomatoes or onions grew before. The vegetable does not grow well in places where carrots or cabbage used to live. Does not tolerate neighborhood with celery and garlic.

You can plant a vegetable in the same place after 3-4 years. It does not tolerate waterlogging, it is better not to place beds on clay soils. Sunny, well-drained areas for planting, what this vegetable needs for good growth.

The selected area is completely cleared of any parts of plants (roots, seeds, leaves). Humus is introduced into the soil, a complex of mineral fertilizers and the earth is dug up to the depth of a shovel. To make the soil less dense for beets, the soil is mixed with sand or sawdust. An excellent top dressing for a vegetable is wood ash.

Beets do not tolerate fresh manure at all.

If the soil in the selected area is acidic, add a little lime, changing the pH to neutral or alkaline. The optimal value for beets is 6-7.

In the spring, the soil in the garden is loosened with a rake and brought complex mineral fertilizer. The culture needs nitrogen and potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, as well as pest control.

Planting seeds in spring

Seeds are sorted out and they need to be kept in solution for a day growth promoter or wood ash. For the preparation of which 2 tbsp. l of ash is poured with a liter of warm water, mixed well.

After 2 days, the solution is drained, it is possible to soak not only beets, but also seed material of other vegetables in it. Ash provides the seeds with a complex of essential minerals. After a day, they are washed and placed in a damp cloth, before planting.

On the bed, even grooves are carried out with a depth of 2-3 cm. These grooves are shed with water, some gardeners prefer warm water. When the water has been absorbed, large beet seeds are placed one at a time at a distance of 10 cm from each other and sprinkled with earth.

Beet seeds are multigerm, one beet seed gives 2 to 6 sprouts. Sprouted seeds are thinned out after the appearance of 2 leaves. The second time the procedure is carried out when the 4th sheet appears.

Autumn landing

Often, beet seeds are sown in open ground in the fall, when the air temperature drops. up to -4 degrees. In this case, the soil is prepared in the same way, but the bed is made high, 20-25 cm, so as not to be washed away by melt water. The grooves during autumn planting are deeper, 4 cm.

Seed material during autumn planting does not need to be soaked and the bed is not watered.

When planting in autumn, dry seeds are planted in dry ground.

Benefits of autumn planting:

seed material perfectly tempered for the winter;
early friendly shoots are provided;
frees up time for other garden chores;
harvest arrives much earlier.

This method has only one drawback, but it must be taken into account. Beet harvest planted before winter not stored for a long time.

To protect the seeds from frost, the bed is covered with straw on top, you can throw it with snow. In the spring, when the air warms up to + 7-10 degrees, the straw is removed. This method allows you to get an early harvest, even with a delay in spring heat.

Planting seedlings at home

Seeds are planted in special boxes or under a film in the country, a month before planting in open ground. Distance between rows 5-8 cm, between seeds 3-5 cm. When 2 leaves appear, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving the strongest sprouts, after the appearance of 4 leaves, it is watered abundantly, carefully, together with a clod of earth, transferred to open beds.

Before planting in the ground, the seedlings begin to harden off, removing the film daily and airing the sprouts at home. In order for the sprouts to get used to, they need 7-10 days.

Planted one sprout, after 10 cm. At a tender age, the sprouts take root perfectly in a new place. Such a successful method allows you to get a high, early harvest and save on seeds, because all sprouts can be planted.

At what distance and according to what scheme to plant in the ground

On narrow and long beds, the vegetable is often sown across, while the distance between the seeds 10 cm, and between rows 20-25 . This method makes it easier to care for crops. This is a one line method.

With the two-line planting method, two even furrows are made at a distance 25 cm from each other, then leave a free tape 50 cm wide. So alternate landing. A three-line scheme is also used when the vegetable is planted in 3 rows, through 20-25 cm. This is done to facilitate watering, weeding and loosening the soil.

To grow a large crop, beets need to be watered regularly and loosen the soil in the beds.

Beetroot is an unpretentious vegetable that gives excellent yields if you follow the described tips and secrets. Gardeners grow it in the southern regions, Belarus, the Chelyabinsk region, the middle lane and the northern regions. It is good, in the usual first courses, various salads, they make preparations for the winter from it.

It is remarkably stored, providing us with the necessary minerals and vitamins until the new harvest. It is able to purify the blood and normalize digestion. All these qualities have made beets popular among different peoples, and the history of its cultivation dates back many centuries.

You can grow sugar, fodder or table beets not only in the southern and central regions of the country, but even in Siberia and the Urals. The main thing is to know how and when to plant this tasty and healthy vegetable in open ground, which is often called beetroot by the people. Success in growing a root crop depends on the variety chosen, climatic conditions, soil characteristics and the availability of sufficient light.

Methods and timing of planting beets

You can sow beet seeds in spring or autumn. Specific landing dates depend on the region and weather conditions. It is advisable to carry out spring sowing work when the snow has already melted, the air has warmed up to + 6 + 8 ° С, and the earth has still retained moisture and managed to thaw to a depth of 10-15 cm. In the southern regions, the weather allows you to sow seeds as early as April, in the central regions and the Moscow region, favorable conditions fall on the first decade of the last month of spring.

Autumn sowing is recommended when the soil is slightly frozen and the threat of thaw has passed. The return of warm weather is fraught with premature germination of seeds and the death of sprouts. The length of our country is so great that it is difficult to name the exact dates of landing. Long-term observations of experienced gardeners can serve as a guideline:

Moscow region- from mid-November to early December;

Leningrad region - end of November;

Ural– from October to November;

Siberia- mid-October.

Winter sowing has several advantages, which allows most summer residents to choose this particular method:

During the time spent in the cold ground, the seeds undergo natural hardening. Therefore, plants grown in this way have strong immunity, are highly resistant to disease, insufficient watering and frost.

Since beet seedlings appear much earlier in spring than during spring sowing, the first root crops can be harvested as early as early summer.

By planting beets in the winter, you won’t have to waste your time in the spring, but you can pay more attention to those crops that cannot be planted in the fall.

Interesting! There is a popular belief that beets should be sown after the cherry trees have shed their leaves. You can rely on the centuries-old experience of your ancestors and use the hint of nature.

Selecting a landing site

Any garden and field work begins with the choice of a suitable place. The plot for beets must meet several criteria:

The root crop prefers long daylight hours and minimal or no shading. It is under the influence of sunlight that intense staining of vegetables in their characteristic color occurs. Any shading during the day is contraindicated.

The planting bed must be protected from through winds.

It is better to choose a place on a southern or southwestern slope, where the soil warms up faster in spring.

You can not plant beets in a lowland or where groundwater lies close to the surface.

It is important to take into account the rules of crop rotation and remember after which crops a useful root crop will grow best. This will increase the yield of the selected variety and prevent mass damage by diseases or pests:

You can not plant beets in the same area for several years in a row, as well as after radish, radish, daikon and any kind of cabbage.

Neutral precursors include carrots, tomatoes, and onions.

It is favorable to plant a root crop after potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, green manure and any winter crops.

On the next bed, you can place radishes, onions, kohlrabi, cucumbers, radishes and beans.

Near the beet plantation, the neighborhood of corn, leeks, potatoes, spinach and celery is undesirable.

Sowing beetroot can be resumed in the same place only after 3-4 years. After harvesting the root crops, the plot can be planted with cucumbers, sweet or hot peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, cauliflower or white cabbage.

Rice. 1. The famous Bordeaux variety

Soil preparation

The area intended for beets must first be prepared:

Apply the required amount of organic and mineral fertilizers - 4-6 kg of rotted manure (fresh can not be used), 60 g of potassium sulfate and 40 g of superphosphate for each square meter of land.

If possible, add wood ash, and to neutralize acidic soil - dolomite flour, ground chalk or fluffy lime (0.5-1 kg per 1 sq. M.).

Dig to the depth of the shovel and level the surface of the bed with a rake.

Along the way, remove the remains of previous crops, weeds and rhizomes.

When all the work to improve the fertility and structure of the soil has been completed, you can start cutting furrows, depending on the chosen planting pattern:

Single line. Furrows are located at a distance of 40-45 cm from each other.

Two-line. Cut the grooves not one at a time, but two at a time next to an interval of 25 cm. Leave a distance of 50 cm between the double “lines”.

The optimal depth of spring sowing is 2-3 cm, winter - 3-4 cm.

Rice. 2. One-line beet landing pattern

Features of spring and winter beet sowing

The process of planting beets in open ground is simple. The seeds of the root crop are quite large, so it is easy to distribute them individually in the grooves. However, the technology of spring and autumn field work is significantly different.

Spring sowing beetroot in the garden

Stimulation of beet seeds should be carried out in the following way:

Soak overnight in warm water(+35+37°C), adding any growth stimulator. Epin, diluted according to the instructions, or hydrogen peroxide at the rate of 1 tbsp is best suited. l. for 0.5 liters of water.

Place the seeds between layers of toilet paper or tissue paper, moisten generously and cover with cling film or a plastic bag.

Sowing operations can be carried out when the soil warms up to +5°C. If you hurry up a lot and put the seeds in cold soil, the plant will go into the arrow and will not give the long-awaited harvest.

The prepared planting material must be distributed into pre-watered grooves at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other. If it is planned to grow large root crops, it is advisable to increase the interval to 10 cm. The approximate seed consumption is 1.5-2 g per 1 sq. m with spring crops and 2-3 g - with autumn-winter. Do not worry if the sowing was carried out more closely - this is easy to fix during the first thinning, without which it is impossible to get high-quality vegetables.

After the beet seeds are sown, the grooves should be sprinkled with a mixture of earth, humus and coarse-grained river sand, lightly tamped with a hand or a wide board so that no air pockets remain in the ground. The final stage of spring planting in a seedless way is watering the beds. A sufficient amount of moisture will provide the necessary boost of energy for the germination of the crop.

2-3 plants appear from each beet seedling, so young shoots must be thinned out:

1st time in the phase of the formation of the first leaf, leave a distance between seedlings of 3-4 cm;

2nd time after the appearance of the second pair of leaves and an increase in the root crop in diameter up to 1.5 cm, maintaining a distance between plants of 8-10 cm.

It is better to thin out beds with beets on a cloudy morning after another watering or rain. Extra sprouts removed from the site can be planted elsewhere

Winter sowing of seeds in open ground

When planting winter beetroot, seeds are not soaked: they are sown in dry soil, and after leveling the soil, the beds are not watered. This rule is very important, since any excess of moisture can provoke premature germination of beets and their death when frost occurs.

To avoid the risk of losses from freezing, you can increase the consumption of seeds and sow them more closely, and thin out in the spring. It is advisable to mulch the beds for the winter using any available material: sawdust, peat, humus, pine litter, spruce branches.

In the spring, when the snow melts, the mulching material must be removed from the bed, and the bare ground should be covered with a transparent film to create a greenhouse effect. When single sprouts appear under the polyethylene, the shelter must be removed.

Choosing a variety of table beets

Getting a good harvest depends not only on meeting the planting dates and proper care. It is very important not to make a mistake with the choice of variety. Vegetable growers recommend giving preference to varieties bred by domestic breeders. Such plants are better adapted to the climate of our country, while foreign varieties may not give the promised yield.

Variety name	Root shape	Note
	Rounded or slightly flattened	Resistant to florescence and cercosporosis
	rounded	It has juicy, tasty pulp, high immunity to diseases and flowering.
Egyptian flat	Elliptical	It is resistant to drought and flowering, has a high keeping quality. Suitable for autumn-winter cultivation
red ball	rounded	Not prone to stalking and flowering. Lower temperatures affect yields in a negative way
	rounded	It has a high yield - up to 6 kg per 1 sq. m. - and medium resistance to shooting
	rounded	Drought tolerant, considered one of the most beneficial varieties for human health
Cylinder	Elongated in length up to 10-16 cm, cylindrical	The variety is characterized by excellent keeping quality, high yield, excellent sweet taste, high content of vitamins and niacin.
	rounded	Resistant to flowering, the fruits do not deteriorate until spring. Beets of this variety can be eaten even raw.
Polar flat K-249	Flat with a thickened axial spine	Suitable for cultivation in northern regions. Not prone to coloring, well transported and stored
Cold resistant 19	rounded	Juicy, pleasant to the taste, but not able to be stored for a long time
	Cylindrical	Differs in good keeping quality, suitable for long-term storage and canning

When choosing a beet variety for spring planting, you can give preference to varieties with the best taste or high yield. For winter sowing, it is worth purchasing seeds of early ripe, non-shooting and cold-resistant varieties of beetroot.

Rice. 3. Sweet beet variety Cylinder

Growing beet seedlings

In order for the plants to have time to form a high-quality root crop, a long growing season will be required. When sowing seeds at the end of May or June, it is not always possible to harvest before the onset of frost. And if seedlings are planted within the specified time, then the ripening period of vegetables will be significantly reduced.

Therefore, when asked how to plant beets, many experienced summer residents answer that they prefer the seedling method. It is suitable for producing early vegetables, and can also be used in regions with short summers and cool climates where the soil and air warm up late.

Sowing beets for seedlings in the spring should be carried out 3-4 weeks before the planned planting in open ground:

Soak the seeds for 1-2 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.

Transfer them to wet gauze or toilet paper moistened with Epin's solution or warm water.

Leave until pecking, placing in a plastic bag.

Pour the soil for seedlings into cassettes, plastic cups or boxes, pickle with Fitosporin solution.

Arrange the seeds that have hatched 1 piece into a separate cell or cup, when planting in a common container, maintain an interval of 3 cm between the seeds and 5-6 cm between the grooves.

Sprinkle beets with a thin layer of soil and water well.

Seedlings need to provide at least 10-12 hours of daylight, slightly moist soil, a constant moderate temperature without sharp fluctuations and daily airing.

You need to dive seedlings only once, and then on condition that they are in a common box. Sprouts from cups can be planted outdoors when they have 4 true leaves.

You need to plant young beets in the garden in warm, cloudy weather so that the plants can adapt to new conditions. For better acclimatization of seedlings, a few days before being transferred to the ground, it is useful to take it out into the open air, increasing the time of stay every day. The soil at a depth of 10 cm by the time of planting should warm up to + 8 + 10 ° С.

Important! Before transferring plants to open ground, they must be well watered.

Soil preparation for planting seedlings is carried out in the same way as before sowing seeds: the rules for digging, fertilizer application rates and the planting scheme are identical. For each sprout, you must first shorten the central root by a third.

Rice. 4. Growing beet seedlings in cassettes

Caring for beets in the open field

For better rooting, beet seedlings should be immediately watered with a solution of humate, and for protection from the sun, an arched shelter should be built from any non-woven material. As the beetroot grows, when the tops increase and practically close, the shelter can be removed and the area mulched. This measure will ensure that moisture is retained in the ground and prevent unwanted growth of weeds. Further care for vegetables consists in regular watering, weeding, loosening the soil and fertilizing.

Watering

The culture tolerates short-term drought well, but in order to harvest a generous harvest, care must be taken to sufficiently saturate the earth with moisture. Watering the beds with beetroot is necessary as the top layer of soil dries. It is better to do this at sunset or in cloudy weather.

An effective method of watering is sprinkling, so many gardeners use this option. However, you should not get carried away with watering too much, as excess moisture in the soil can provoke fungal diseases.

Estimated water consumption per 1 sq. m. is 20-30 liters, the minimum number of irrigations per season is 3-4 times.

Advice! To improve the taste of beets, increase their sweetness and keeping quality, it is recommended to water the beds twice with a weak solution of table salt (1-2 tablespoons per bucket of water): the first time in the initial fruit formation phase, the second time 2-3 weeks before the planned harvest harvest.

Weeding and loosening

The next day after each watering or rainfall, the area with beetroot should be loosened to a depth of 5-6 cm. This will destroy the integrity of the soil crust, which makes air exchange difficult and inhibits the growth of vegetables. Along the way, weed sprouts should be removed, which take away nutrients from table or fodder vegetables.

Weeds are terrible only for young shoots, and when the tops of the leaves close up, weeds will no longer harm beet plantations. Some gardeners use tractor kerosene to control weeds. They spray the area with liquid even before the small seedlings appear. At the same time, the consumption of kerosene is small - only 35-50 g per square meter.

top dressing

For the formation of root crops, a sufficient amount of mineral and organic substances that increase soil fertility is necessary. During the season, it is necessary to carry out several top dressings, the composition of which will depend on the phase of development of vegetables:

After the first thinning of seedlings, fertilize the beds with beetroot solution (1 liter per 8 liters of water) or bird droppings (1 liter per 12 liters of water). The approximate consumption of liquid top dressing is 10-12 liters per 10 square meters. m. It is necessary to introduce organic matter not under the plants, but into small grooves made at a distance of 5 cm from the plants.

When the tops close, the beets must be fed with wood ash - before the next watering, scatter it over the surface of the site at the rate of 1 glass per 1.5 square meters. m.

No less useful experts consider foliar top dressing of beets, which is carried out by spraying the leaves. This method helps plants to better assimilate some microelements, which, when applied by root, turn into a form inaccessible to garden crops. For foliar feeding, milk of lime, diluted at the rate of 200 g of dry lime per 10 liters of water, or saline solution (1-2 tablespoons per bucket of water), is well suited.

Harvest and storage

Early ripe beet varieties ripen in mid-summer. By that time, the diameter of root crops usually reaches 5-14 cm. They can be used for cooking first courses, salads and other culinary recipes.

The main sign that the root crops are ready for harvesting is yellowed and dried tops. Depending on the variety and region of cultivation, harvesting begins in late August or early autumn. A cool day with no rain is best for digging up vegetables:

Dig up the root crops with a pitchfork, trying not to pierce the pulp, clean from lumps of earth and cut off the tops, leaving two-centimeter petioles. On sandy soils, vegetables are recommended to be pulled out by hand.

Sort out the crop, separate spoiled and damaged specimens. Use them for cooking or preparations for the winter.

Remove high-quality vegetables to dry in a dry, ventilated room where the sun's rays do not fall.

After a week, the beet crop is transferred to permanent storage. For these purposes, a cellar or basement with an air temperature of 0 + 2 ° C and a relative humidity of not more than 90% is suitable. In warmer conditions, the beetroot will wither, hurt and deteriorate.

Containers with beets (plastic or wooden lattice boxes) are recommended to be placed at a height of 10-20 cm from the walls and floor surface.

Rice. 5. Harvesting root crops

The main nuances of planting beets and caring for them are shown in this video.

Beets can not be attributed to the capricious plants, and yet some gardeners often do not succeed. Much has been said about growing beets, but today we invite you to consider the most common mistakes and questions that arise when growing beets - planting beets, proper watering and feeding beets, thinning and soil for beets.

Soil for beets: with sourness - you can, heavy - you can’t

The acidity of the soil for beets varies between 6.2 ... 7 pH - neutral or slightly acidic. What happens to beets planted in too acidic soil? Micro- and macronutrients are poorly absorbed, and gas-retaining soil bacteria also die, which is why beets begin to suffer from nitrogen deficiency. Therefore, the acidity of the soil for beets must be controlled - either with the help of litmus paper (sold in garden stores), or with improvised means. If the acidity turned out to be too high, be sure to deoxidize the soil with lime, chalk, ash, dolomite flour. Otherwise, don't be surprised why beets grow poorly: acidic environment prevents the absorption of minerals.

The second important indicator is how light the soil is. In dense soils, it is difficult for a root crop to develop: carrots grow clumsy, beets - small. Therefore, either sand is added to it, but compost or rotted sawdust is better. Due to this, the soil becomes air and moisture permeable.

Owners of dense soils can go the other way: plant beet varieties that protrude strongly above the ground. Beetroot is not a potato, the sun does not harm it. On the contrary, varieties in which only the tail is hidden in the ground are usually sweeter. As a rule, manufacturers mark this varietal feature on the seed packaging.

The ideal soil for beets can be considered loam, fertilized with organic matter and humus. In addition, the soil on the beet garden is regularly loosened so that a crust does not form on the ground that prevents gas exchange. And to make your work easier, you can cover the soil with mulch - grass, sawdust, needles and any other materials at hand.

When to plant beets? Better - later

Although beets and carrots are considered the main root crops in the garden, you can’t call them sisters. Carrots are more cold-resistant: they can be planted before winter, and in the spring before planting potatoes. Beets, with the exception of specialized winter varieties, are not planted in autumn, and in early spring too. You need to wait for the soil to warm up to 8-10 degrees (immediately after planting potatoes, or when the leaves on the birch are the size of a marigold). That is, not earlier than the beginning of May, but for the northern regions and the beginning of June.

What happens if beets are planted too early ? Firstly, she can easily go into flowering without tying a root crop. Secondly, falling under frosts, and even just low temperatures (+4 degrees and below), beets are threatened by a root beetle. This is not a pest, as the name might suggest, but a disease comparable to the “black leg” of seedlings. Shoots, weakened by cold weather, are immediately attacked by the fungus. As a result, the sprout darkens, rots and dies. Even if a root crop that has been ill with a root crop manages to survive, it lags behind in development and will not please with a harvest. Therefore, with planting beets in open ground no need to rush.

But residents of the northern regions can start planting beet seeds for seedlings in early May. Compared to the same carrots, beets tolerate transplanting excellently. Seeds are sown either in a greenhouse, covered with lutrasil, or in boxes, wrapped with the same lutrasil in several layers. The box is placed on a stool (it is warmer) and placed either on the veranda, balcony, or in the open air (for example, under the southern wall of the house).

How thick should beets be planted? If through seedlings, then according to the scheme 15x15 cm. And if you like small beet heads (for one borsch), then it is better to reduce the feeding area and plant according to the scheme 10x10 cm, or plant two plants in one hole at once.

If carried out sowing beets in open ground, then it is better to initially sow thicker than necessary for safety: then remove the extra seedlings, but you will not be left with a “bald” garden bed. But the extra sprouts are removed not at once, but in two or three. As soon as the cotyledons unfold, carry out the first thinning, leaving 1-2 cm between the plants. Do this on moist ground so that the seedlings are more easily removed from the ground. And if your bed is small, then you can cut off the extra shoots with scissors so as not to accidentally pull out strong neighbors. Since beets tolerate transplanting well, thickening plants can be transplanted to another bed in the phase of 2-3 true leaves. The second or third thinning is carried out when the plants reach a maximum of 8-10 cm. 10-15 cm are left between the beets - if the soil is good, fertile, and 20-25 cm - if the soil is heavy, poor.

Fertilizer and top dressing of beets: nitrogen and sodium do not need much

Traditionally bed for beets prepared in the fall: they add compost, humus or other organic matter, as well as a tablespoon of complex fertilizer per linear meter of the bed. In principle, you can do without the application of mineral fertilizers, but you need to understand: in the same compost, in addition to organic matter, there are quite a lot of macro- and microelements, but not all that are necessary for the development of the plant. Especially beets suffer from a lack of boron and sodium.

So, fertilizing the bed under the beets since autumn, with compost, in the phase of four or five true leaves, when the root crop begins to tie, the beets are fed with a solution of common salt (sodium chloride) and boric acid. To do this, a glass of salt is dissolved in 10 liters of water, and boric acid dissolved in hot water is also added here (2 g per glass). Beets love sprinkling watering, so top dressing is poured directly over the leaves at the rate of 1 liter per 1 running meter. As for the chlorine contained in salt, you can not worry - beets are resistant to it in such concentrations.

From organic fertilizer for beets great herbal infusion, mullein or ammonia. But such top dressing for beets is applied only before the plant begins to "work for the turnip", that is, until July. This is an excellent impetus for the formation of a good leaf apparatus, which will henceforth collect food for the root crop. But organic matter is rich in nitrogen, and beetroot is prone to the accumulation of nitrogen in the form of nitrates when they enter the soil in excess. This will be evidenced by light concentric rings on the beet cut. Naturally, there will be little benefit from such a vegetable. Therefore, on good soils, a single application of nitrogen-containing organic top dressings in the phase of 4-6 leaves is sufficient, and on poor soils, twice, two weeks after the first top dressing (per running meter - 1-1.5 liters of solution).

How often should beets be watered?

Beets need to be watered only in the first period of growth - before she begins to tie a root crop. In the future (without the need for beets) do not water. The fact is that the central sucking root of the root crop is able to penetrate into the ground for several meters, independently extracting moisture for itself.

Young plants, immediately after germination, are watered at the rate of 10 liters of water per "square" of the beds; grown up - at the rate of 15-20 liters of water per "square" of the beds. Soil moisture is controlled at a depth of about 10 cm: the earth, when compressed in a fist, remains in a lump - which means you can not water it. It happens that beets need to be watered twice a week, and in wet weather you can do without watering - that is, act adequately to the circumstances. Beets during pouring are watered only in drought, and a couple of weeks before harvesting root crops, watering is stopped. And do not forget about mulching the soil - this simple agricultural technique will save valuable moisture in the soil, which means it will save your strength.

Table beets are a very healthy and dietary vegetable that can be used to make soups and various salads. Any gardener, even a beginner, can grow a delicious root crop. The main thing is to make the right sowing and observe the cultivation technique.

When is it better to plant beet seeds in open ground in the spring of 2019, in which month? First of all, when choosing the time for sowing, you need to focus on the temperature of the soil - the soil should warm up to 6-8 degrees Celsius a. To check this, you need to dig a hole about 15 centimeters and insert a thermometer.

Due to different weather and climatic conditions and the time of warming up the earth in different regions of Russia, the timing of spring planting of seeds in open ground differs:

In the Middle lane (Moscow region)- it is optimal to plant a crop in the second decade of May.
In the South (Krasnodar Territory (Kuban), North Caucasus)- the optimal sowing time is at the beginning of April.
In Siberia, in the Urals, in the Leningrad region(and in general in the North-West of Russia) - it is better to plant in the second half of May.

By the way! Young shoots of beets can withstand small short-term frosts (up to -1-2 degrees).

You can also choose the most accurate e dates for planting beets according to the lunar calendar 2019:

Auspicious days:
- in March - 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30;
- in April - 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30;
- in May -1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23;
- in June - 9, 10, 11, 18, 19, 20.
Bad days:
- in March - 6th, 7th, 21st;
- in April - 5, 19;
- in May - 5, 19;
- in June - 3, 4, 17.

Landing step by step instructionse beets in open ground

It is important to know and follow not only the rules for planting beet seeds in open ground, but also the features of preparing and processing beds and seeds. Consider all the stages and steps in more detail.

Seed preparation

It is possible to plant dry root crop seeds without any pre-treatment without problems. However, in this case, they will rise much longer. Therefore, the preparation of beet seeds before spring planting in open ground is only welcome!

As a pre-sowing treatment, soak the seeds for eight hours in water(the optimum temperature of the liquid is 30-35 degrees), while you need to change the water after 4 hours, pouring a new liquid from a suitable temperature. By the way, for convenience, before you start soaking, you can immerse them in a cloth or gauze bag.

Instead of soaking germinate beet seeds. For sprouting you need:

put the seed on moistened gauze, cotton cloth, or even in sawdust;
wrap them on both sides with a cloth or gauze, or sprinkle with wet sawdust;
put a cloth or gauze in a bag, and if you decide to germinate the seeds in a container with sawdust, then you need to cover it with glass or film;
leave in a warm place (+20-22°C);
every day, check the seeds, do not allow the fabric or sawdust to dry out, moisten in a timely manner, and also monitor whether the seeds have germinated.
after the germination of the planting material (as a rule, this happens after two or three days), it is necessary to immediately sow in open ground.

Note! Such a method of preparing beet seeds as germination is very effective. Firstly, seedlings appear several days faster than when sowing dry seeds. Secondly, you can immediately determine viable instances during processing.

Choice of location and soil

Where is it better to plant beets in open ground on the site? It is best to plant a vegetable crop in a sunny place, without excessive moisture.. It is necessary to avoid areas with a high level of groundwater, swampy and excessively waterlogged places.

When choosing a place for planting in the spring, one should not forget about crop rotation. After what crops is it best to plant beets in open ground? The best predecessors are: onions, legumes, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes.

By the way! For this culture, mixed (joint) plantings can also be made. What can you plant beets next to? Good neighbors are tomatoes, lettuce, dill, onions, cabbage.

The soil for sowing and growing vegetables should be fertile, loose and nutritious, have a neutral acidity.

Note! If you have a high occurrence of groundwater in your area or you just want to plant a crop in a lowland, then it is best to plant root crops in high beds.

Garden preparation

Preparing the soil and beds for planting beets in the spring is the most important stage of the whole event, which cannot be ignored. It is recommended to make it since the fall, if you do not have such an opportunity, then at least 3-4 weeks before the event.

You can prepare the garden bed and soil according to the following scheme:

It is necessary to dig a plot to a depth of 25-30 cm with humus or compost (a bucket of substance per square meter). You can also use mineral fertilizers, such as superphosphate and potassium sulfate (1 tbsp per sq.m.).

Important! Fertilization is especially necessary on depleted or sandy soil.

If your dacha or plot of a private house has clay, heavy soil, then in addition to the above fertilizers, you also need to add peat and sand (half a bucket of each substance per square meter).
If the soil is too acidic, then it should be deoxidized. You can, for example, make wood ash (200 grams per square meter, and if the soil is clay - 300 grams).
Immediately after digging and fertilizing, as well as immediately before planting, you need to level and loosen the area with a rake.

Advice! If you cultivated the soil in the fall, then in the spring, 3-4 weeks before sowing, it is recommended to dig up the bed again, loosen and level the ground with a rake.
If you started preparing in the spring, then instead of superphosphate and potassium sulfate, you should add a tablespoon of complex mineral fertilizer per square meter, for example, Nitroammofoski.

Beet sowing scheme

The scheme for the correct planting of beet seeds in open ground in spring:

Make grooves on the bed, their depth is 3-4 centimeters, the distance between rows is 30 centimeters.
Water the rows abundantly, let the water soak in.
After that, sow the seeds, it is best to plant them at a distance of 4 centimeters from each other.
Cover the seeds with soil, lightly compact.
Water again and mulch, for example, with peat, humus, sawdust, the layer thickness is 3-5 centimeters.

Advice! If, according to the weather forecast, a cold snap is expected, then it is recommended to cover the beet bed with agrofiber, but do not forget to remove it as soon as sprouts appear (if sprouts have already appeared, you can put arcs so that they do not come into contact with the material).

Sowing beets for seedlings

Some gardeners are engaged in growing beets from seeds through seedlings at home. This method is relevant for those who want to get an earlier harvest, and at the same time live in colder regions (Moscow region, Leningrad region, Siberia, the Urals, etc.).

By the way! In order not to thin out beets in the future, you can simply first plant them on seedlings, and then plant them in open ground at an optimal distance.

It is necessary to sow beet seeds for seedlings at home about a month before planting in open ground (and the optimal planting time is described above). In this case, it is required to choose a sufficiently deep container (it can be either a wide box or individual cups. You can also pre-prepare the seeds using the technology described above. You can plant seedlings in a permanent place after the plants have two or three real leaflet.

Plant beet seeds for seedlings at home correctly according to the following scheme:

Prepare a potting soil, such as an all-purpose potting mix for seedlings.
Spill the soil with Fitosporin-M for disinfection.
Fill a deep bowl with earth (about 10 cm).
Lightly compact the soil and moisten it with a spray bottle.
Now you need to plant the seeds for seedlings, for this, spread them on the surface of the earth at a distance of 2-3 centimeters.
Sprinkle soil on top, layer thickness - 1 cm.
Moisten again with a spray bottle.
Cover the bowl with foil or a lid.

Seedling care and growing rules are standard - you need to remove the shelter after germination, regularly moisten the soil, maintaining moderate humidity, put the plants on the sunniest windowsill.

How to properly care for beets

If you plant beet seeds correctly, then seedlings will not take long to wait. After the emergence of seedlings, you should take care of the plants. Basic rules and steps for caring for beets in the open field after planting:

One seed of this crop may have two to four sprouts, so it is necessary to carry out thinning. If you do not thin out the plants, then the root crops will turn out small and frail. Manipulation should be carried out after watering and preferably on a cloudy day. When growing, 2 thinnings should be carried out:
- It is recommended to thin out for the first time at the moment when the plants have two to four true leaves. It is necessary to pull out the weakest and frail shoots, as well as plants growing too close. There should be a distance of five centimeters between them.
- The second thinning is carried out after the roots begin to be tied in the plants. You also need to remove the weakest, frail or diseased specimens. Now you should leave the plants at a distance of 15 centimeters from each other.

First watering after planting is carried out after the first thinning. The frequency of watering is approximately once every 5-7 days, and even more often on dry and hot days. Irrigation rate - ten liters per square meter. As the plant grows, the watering rate increases. It is necessary to constantly maintain moderate soil moisture, otherwise the root crops will grow tasteless. Watering stops 10 days before harvest. This culture is moisture-loving, so you need to be responsible for this element of care.
If you applied fertilizer to the soil during planting, then you can not fertilize the beets. In other cases top dressing will be very useful and help to get more yield (it is especially useful for medium and late-ripening varieties). It is optimal to feed the beets 2-3 times (if you have fertile and well-fertilized soil, then 2 times is enough).
- First dressing. You can use, for example, a stock solution of chicken manure or mullein - 1 kilogram per 10 liters of water, leave for 10 days, and then dilute 1 liter of the resulting infusion in 10 liters of water, it is recommended to add 1 gram of boric acid. After feeding, you need to wash the plants with plain water and irrigate. Also, as the first top dressing, you should use a solution of Nitroammophoska (30 grams) and wood ash (one glass), dissolved in 10 liters of water.
- Second top dressing. It is carried out 14 days after the first, this time it is worth using phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
- The third dressing of beets. It is produced in the phase of closing the tops between the rows, as in the second time, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used.

Advice! To get sweeter beets, you can water them with saline solution two or three times a season (a tablespoon per 10 liters of water).

It is not difficult to plant table beets correctly, but it is important to observe all the subtleties and tricks of the event, and then take good care of the plants in the garden.

Beets are one of the most useful and vitamin vegetables in the country. Everything in beets is edible, including the leaves. She goes to salad, and to a side dish, and to borscht. This popular root vegetable is good because it can be eaten both raw and boiled. And what is important - it is tasty and appetizing of any size, not to mention a cocktail of a huge amount of useful ingredients.

Even a novice summer resident can grow this wonderful plant in his area without much hassle, especially if he listens to proven tips and recommendations for choosing a place for planting, preparing a garden bed and the intricacies of sowing beet seeds in open ground (or pre-seedlings).

According to the ripening period, beets can be divided into the following varieties (from the first shoots to the moment of harvesting):

early ripening-medium early (80-110 days);
mid-season (110-130 days);
late ripening (130-145 days).

The most popular varieties of early or early ripening beets include the following: Early Wodan, Carillon, Red Ball, Mona, Egyptian and Gribovskaya flat, Action, Nastenka.

Mid-season varieties are represented by the following: Bordeaux-237, Sonata, Crimson Ball, Valya, Detroit and Cold-resistant 19.

Among the late-ripening, the following are common: Lettuce, Matron and Cylinder.

Interesting! Varieties of beets often differ in that some grow on the surface, while other root crops "sit" exclusively in the ground. So, for clay soils, the first ones (which crawl to the surface) are better suited.

When to sow beet seeds in open ground in spring: optimal timing

Beet is considered a relatively heat-loving vegetable, so it is worth planting when the temperature of the earth warms up to +8, and the air to +10..+12 degrees.

Interesting! The popular landmark for sowing beets is the moment when small leaves the size of a penny will appear on the birch.

Planting dates depending on the region and variety

Thus, the timing of sowing beets varies depending on the climatic features of your place of residence.

For example, in the South (in Krasnodar, in the Kuban), the root crop can be sown already in the second half of March-April. But in the Middle lane (Moscow region), suitable dates for planting beets in open ground fall on the beginning-middle of May, in Siberia and the Urals - in the second half of May.

However, you should not rush into planting beets early - it is better to wait until the end of the return spring frosts and only then start sowing seeds.

By the way! Varietal affiliation does not affect the time of planting. Early varieties are not planted earlier, like late ones - later. It just doesn't make sense.

According to the lunar calendar in 2020

If you want to choose certain date for planting a root crop, then you will always come to the rescue moon calendar.

So, the most favorable days for sowing beets for seedlings or in open ground according to the lunar calendar in 2020 are:

in April - 5-7, 9-15, 17-22, 27-30;
in May - 2-6, 9, 11, 12, 20-22, 29-31;
in June - 7-9, 11-14.

If you already turn to the lunar calendar, then you should know that it is even more important not to plant a vegetable on unfavorable dates, and this is in 2020 (the days of the Full Moon and New Moon, as well as the period when the Moon is in Aquarius, because this is a barren and dry sign - italicized):

in April - 8, 15-17 , 23;
in May - 7, 13-14 , 22;
in June - 5, 9-11 , 21.

According to the lunar calendar, from the magazine "1000 Tips for a Summer Resident".

How to plant beets in open ground: sowing rules

Preparing seeds for planting

You can always plant beets with dry seeds, but to improve germination, it is advisable to pre-soak and germinate them.

You can germinate beet seeds before planting in different ways:

When using any method of seed germination, the essence is approximately as follows: the seeds are placed on a damp surface, the container with which is placed in a warm place where the temperature fluctuates around + 20-22 degrees, and make sure that the seeds do not dry out, periodically adding water to capacity.

Benefits of germinating beetroot seeds:

You can immediately see which seeds have sprouted and which have not. So it turns out to achieve better germination in open ground.
When planting with germinated seeds, seedlings appear much faster, as a rule, by 4-6 days.

Bed and soil

Beetroot grows well in lighted beds, so it should be planted where there is often sun.

You can even plant the root vegetable close to the trees on the south side, where the sun will nourish the vegetable for at least half a day.

Advice! If your dacha is located in a lowland and the places are relatively swampy, then it is better to plant beets (and not only them) to high beds. Many gardeners, in principle, love and successfully grow vegetables in such beds.

Excellent predecessors for planting beets are legumes, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers. But cabbage is not a very good predecessor; after it, it is not recommended to sow a root crop.

It is advisable to prepare the soil for growing a root crop in advance, even in the fall. Although it's okay if you start cooking it right in the spring, shortly before planting.

Beets, like all other root crops, need a very good and loose soil, and in clay it is simply difficult for them to grow. Digging up the soil costs about a shovel bayonet (20-25 cm).

If you have too much sandy ground, then you can improve its composition by introducing high-quality humus or compost (3-4 kg per 1 sq. meter of beds) by adding a couple of tablespoons of superphosphate to it (30-40 grams) and then thoroughly digging and mixing everything.

If your soil is too heavy (clay), then in addition to humus or compost and superphosphate, you should add peat and quite a bit of sand to the soil.

Beets do not like acidic soils, so if you have an increased acidity of the soil, then you should deoxidize it in the fall by adding lime or.

If you add it to the soil in advance, then this will also have a very good effect on the vegetable. You can also do this during planting and subsequent top dressing.

Note! It is impossible to introduce fresh manure into the soil for beet beds, even in autumn, especially in spring. This root crop is very fond of accumulating nitrates, which we absolutely do not need.

Sowing in the garden

Many experienced vegetable growers recommend making grooves along the edge of the garden. With such a planting, the root crops will grow large, and the bed itself will be beautiful. Good neighbors for beets can be onions, dill, tomatoes, cabbage and lettuce.

By the way! There is even such a saying: "Beetroot loves to rub against the hem of the hostess."

Step-by-step instructions for planting beet seeds in open ground in spring:

Prepare the seeds: soak and germinate.
Choose a place for the beds and make grooves 2-3 cm deep.
It is good to shed the grooves with water.
Spread the seeds. Seed material should be planted at a distance of about 3-4 centimeters from each other. In the aisle - at a distance of 20-30 centimeters.
This root crop is very fond of, so it is recommended to pour it a little immediately after sowing.
Then fill the grooves with earth and again sprinkle a little with ash.
Mulch with sawdust (lightly, a thick layer is not necessary).
Cover with foil to protect against recurrent frosts and for a greenhouse effect. As soon as shoots appear, the film can be removed.

Video: sowing beets with germinated seeds

Sowing beet seeds for seedlings

If you want to get an earlier harvest, you can plant beet seeds for seedlings. The main specificity of sowing is that the planting capacity must be high enough, because we are planting a root crop.

By the way! Beets grown through seedlings will not require future thinning for obvious reasons.

Agrotechnics for growing beets through seedlings is quite simple: watering is necessary as the soil dries up, as well as a bright place. When the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, a small root crop can be planted in open ground.

On a note! If you want to get a little confused and try to get an earlier harvest, then sow beets for seedlings. If not, then it grows beautifully and in a seedless way.

Further care for beets after planting

Advice! About, how to care for beets outdoors to grow sweet root crops, read
If you care about your future health and are “addicted” to beets, then be sure that you are quite capable of growing a crop of juicy and large root crops. Of course, first of all, for this it is necessary to initially plant beets correctly in the spring.

Video: when and how to sow beet seeds in open ground

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