PLANTING, GROWING AND HARVESTING BEETS
Planting, growing and harvesting beets
Beetroot or beetroot, scientifically known as Beta vulgaris, is a root vegetable. Because of the various health benefits of eating beetroot, it is often referred to as a functional food. Beetroot is grown in many countries around the world and is part of the staple diet of many countries. It is also used as a color pigment in the industry. The benefits of beetroot come from its rich content of active compounds, providing many health benefits. Due to its various nutritional benefits, beetroot has been used for centuries. Some people eat it raw, but it is also added to salads, soups and other curries.
Planting
Choose a planting location with full sun. Beets should receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day.
Beets grow well in fertile, well-prepared soils, but accept medium and low fertility soils. Soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 is preferred, and slightly alkaline soil (7.0+) can be tolerated. Beets will not tolerate acidic soil (pH below 6.0). In order for the beetroot roots to grow well, the soil must be free of stones and other obstacles.
Avoid planting beets where Swiss chard or spinach have recently grown, as they are cousins of beets and can be susceptible to pests and similar diseases.
When to Plant Beets
- Start your first harvest in early spring, as soon as the soil can be used. Do continuous planting every 2 to 3 weeks until mid-summer.
- Continuous crops can be planted in summer if daytime temperatures do not exceed 75°F (24°C).
- In soil at least 50F (10°C), germination occurs in 5 to 8 days. In colder soil, germination may take 2 to 3 weeks.
- Tips: To speed up germination, or when planting in areas with low humidity and rain, soak the seeds in water for 24 hours before sowing.
- For a fall harvest, plant beets from mid-summer to late fall, starting about four to six weeks before your first frost.
- Winter crops are the obvious thing in zone 9 and summer. Plant beets in early to late fall for a winter harvest.
How to plant beets
We prefer to sow beets directly in the field so as not to damage their roots. However, unlike most root crops, beets generally tolerate being transplanted while still growing. Because they tolerate the cold, beets do not have a problem growing outdoors.
Sow seeds ½ inch deep and 1 to 2 inches apart in rows about 12 to 18 inches apart. After planting, cover the seeds with a thin layer of mulch.
Make sure the soil remains moist for best results. Soak seeds for 24 hours before planting to speed germination.
Growing
- Each wrinkled “seed” is actually a single 2 to 4 seed, so you’ll want to cut the young plants back to 3 to 4 inches apart once the top reaches a point. about 4 to 5 inches long. This allows their roots to grow to the proper size.
- Tip: When you cut, do not pull the plants, because you can damage the roots of beets that you want to keep. Instead, just cut or pluck the tops (and eat them).
- Mulch and water regularly with about 1 inch of water per square foot per week. Beets need to maintain plenty of water to grow well.
- weed is still important, but slow to grow in trees; Beets have shallow roots that are easily disturbed.
- Consider covering the beets with a blanket to prevent insects such as leaf miners from attacking the plant’s leaves.
- Additional fertilizer additions are not necessary. If you fertilize, go fast with nitrogen; too much will result in very tall but small bulbs underground.
Recommended varieties
Beets come in a variety of shapes and a rainbow of colors. Red is the most common, but yellow and white versions are also available, as are the red and white ones (below)!
- ‘Chioggia’: red; when opened, reveals concentric red and white rings.
- “Detroit Dark Red”: strong and diverse culture. Around the red root.
- “Formanova”: long cylindrical beets that grow in the same way as carrots. Good for canning.
- Yellow varieties include ‘Bolder’ or ‘Touchstone Gold’
- White varieties include ‘Avalanche’ or Dutch heritage ‘Albino’
Harvest
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Days to maturity are usually between 55 and 70 for most species. In other words, plan to harvest beets about 2 months after planting.
- Remove the roots when they reach the size of a golf ball or more; big roots can be hard on the plant.
- loosen the soil around the beetroot and carefully remove it from the soil.
- Weed beets are harvested almost every time, starting when you cut the plant. Take one or two mature leaves from one plant, until the leaves are more than six inches long and firm. (Roots will not grow completely without green leaves, so it is important to leave some for good development.)
How to store beets
- Fresh beets will keep 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator.
- Tip: cutting off the tops of beets will keep them fresh longer. Leave about 1 inch of each beet and keep the vegetables separate.
- For long-term root protection, be sure to clean off any soil that sticks to the roots, and bury them in layers (but not touching) surrounded by dry sand or sawdust .
- Store in a cool, dry place. An unheated bedroom can do the trick, or put them in the fridge in your basement. Learn about new ways to store beets in the basement.
- Germination is a sign of poor storage leading to decay. -Beets can also be frozen, canned and pickled!
Beet pests and disease
1. Downy Mildew: Young leaves are turned sideways. A gray fungal growth is found on the underside of the leaves. Infected parts turn brown later.
- Control: The disease is from seeds – use good seeds. Don’t be too wet. Speak into the ground well. Control the weeds. Do not plant crops in close proximity.
2. Root rot ,damping off: Germination is not good, young plants grow well, turn yellow, wilt, shrink and die. Rotten roots turn black. The disease can be serious in compact soil.
- Control: Do not overwater. Plant only on the ground properly. Treat the seed with thiram. Make a crop rotation. Make sure that the plant is not deficient in boron. Plant at the right time and not too deep.
3. Cutworm: A gray/brown to black cutworm that feeds on parts of the plant above ground level, causing recently planted fruit to drop.
- Control: Keep the soil weed-free for about six weeks before planting. Add commercial cutworm feed back around the stems of the seedlings.
4. Hawaiian Beet Webworm: The tiny green larvae of a small brown and white moth feed on the underside of leaves and hide in loose webbing.
- Control: Crop rotation, intervention with marigolds, mustard and rapeseed; fall; approved pesticides.
5. Lesser armyworm: Also known as beet armyworm. It is usually green, but can be brown or black and averages 25mm long. Larvae hide during the day and descend on trees between stems or between clumps on the ground and emerge at night to feed on calves.
- Control: As above.
6. Nematodes: Causes galls (galls) on the roots, stunting the plant’s growth.
- Control: As above.