When to sow red beets?

Beets are popularly grown in Poland, primarily for their nutrients. They are a rich source of B vitamins and vitamins C, A, E and K. They also contain minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and phosphorus, as well as sodium and sugars. As a result, beet is a valuable vegetable that often appears on Polish tables. 

Growing the beet itself involves regular watering, caring for the soil and being timely and diligent. To enjoy a good crop, it's worth familiarizing yourself with practices that have been used for years.

Requirements for growing red beets.

The soil for growing beets should be well loosened and have the right pH. Beet does not tolerate acidic or waterlogged soils, so cultivation will only be possible on soils with a neutral or alkaline pH, i.e. between 6.0 and 7.0 pH. It is worthwhile to test the soil every few months, as its condition is not constant. The soil should be rich in micronutrients, humus, calcium and water.

When you decide to grow beets on stony soil, you must expect that the roots will be severely deformed. Beet needs a temperature of about 8 degrees Celsius to germinate, and 11 degrees for emergence. The optimal temperature for plant growth is between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius. Early sowing increases the sensitivity of plants to frost, so it is worth taking weather conditions into account when choosing the ideal sowing date.

Deciding to grow beet, we must accept the need to carry out regular weeding. The process itself is most often performed on cloudy days, when the ground is moist. Weeds are very dangerous, as they stop plant development and increase the chances of pests such as powdery mildew, agrichemicals, wireworms, aphids and beet fleas, beet cyst nematode and many others. Efficient disposal of weeds reduces the likelihood of such threats.

How to sow red beets? Depth and plant spacing.

When you plan to grow beets, remember that beet seeds are sown directly into the ground at a depth of 1.5 cm to 3 cm. You should choose the correct depth yourself, as it depends on the type of soil present in the field. On light soils, sowing can be done deeper, and when dealing with heavy soils, sow shallower.

Sowing distance varies depending on what our beets will be used for. Vegetables intended for botvinka, we can sow more densely, while for roots we can sow much less frequently. Most often the seeds are sown in rows, at a distance of 20 to 40 cm.

Recommended sowing date for red beet.

Beets must be grown at the right time. In Poland, beets are sown at different times. Beet seeds sown in April allow us to obtain plants for the early harvest of the so-called bunch crop (botwin). On the other hand, sowing seeds from May to July yields plants for summer harvest, as well as autumn-winter harvest, when we count on large storage roots. It is then worth choosing late varieties such as Red Ball, for example.

What to fertilize red beets with?

Beets are very sensitive to deficiencies in certain minerals, such as magnesium, boron and manganese. Due to their high nutritional requirements, fertilizers must be used during cultivation. Unfortunately, the use of artificial fertilizers often leads to the accumulation of toxins in the roots, which adversely affects their taste.

Red beets grow best the second year after straw fertilizers. To create such a fertilizer, we need animal manure. Beet has a strongly developed root system, so that beets even in the late growing season are able to take up individual components located in the deeper layers of the soil. It should be remembered that the most important thing is to fertilize in the early stages of development. Then organic fertilizers in the form of compost, green manures or humus fertilizers are used.

Harvest date for beet.

Beets are harvested depending on the choice of sowing date, which can be early or late. If we care about harvesting bunches of beets, harvesting begins as early as June. When our beets are intended for direct consumption, the earliest you can start harvesting is July to the end of August.

However, if we are thinking of growing beets that we want to use for winter storage, then we harvest beet from September to early October, before the first frosts appear, which can have a negative impact on the crop.

Summary.

Counting on healthy beet plants, you need to take care of several important aspects of growing this vegetable, such as:

• full soil;
• rows at least 20 cm apart;
• proper soil pH level;
• fertilization that offsets boron and other nutrient deficiencies;
• timeliness depending on the type of crop;
• selection of appropriate depth;
• weeding so that young leaves can develop healthily and reliably;
• ensuring that the seeds are at the right temperature for germination (above 8 degrees Celsius).

It is worth sowing beets, because the work itself is not very difficult, and the vegetables themselves are very nutritious.