Secrets of gardening: planting beets

Beet planting is carried out from the beginning of May to June. But you must carefully prepare the seeds beforehand. If this is not done, then the germination will be low. So, two to three days before sowing, the seeds are soaked in warm water, it is best to fold them in a rag bag first. During the day they are removed and dried. Seeds should crumble in their hands and not stick together.

There is another way of preparing beet seeds, it consists in soaking them in a specially prepared solution. The recipe is simple: 1 liter of water, 1 tsp. Superphosphate, 1 tbsp. L. Wood ash, 1 tsp. Drinking soda. 4 days prior to disembarkation, seeds are placed in this solution, wrapped in tissue. After soaking them thoroughly rinse with running water and, closing with a wet napkin, keep in this form for at least three more days.

It is very important to know that planting beets does not require special fertility of soils. An excellent crop can be obtained practically on any soil. However, it should be borne in mind that beets prefer loose soil with a high concentration of minerals. Not the most successful choice will be sandy, podzolic, clay soils, especially with a high content of moisture in them. If the ground is wet and groundwater is close to the surface, you can make ridges or high beds. Excellent results will result in the planting of beet on loam, sandy loam, chernozem, and of course on peat bogs, after their liming. This culture grows well in those places where before this the onions, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes and beans grew. Beets are not planted in beds where cabbage was planted before, the yield will be low.

The soil is prepared for the beds from the autumn. It is not deep dug and well loosened. Beet planting is carried out in soil with a pH greater than 7, if this figure is lower, then add chalk, slaked lime or dolomite flour. These substances make one glass before digging at the rate of 1 square meter. In the spring before sowing the soil is fertilized with mineral substances. To do this, make a mixture of the following components: micronutrients (1 tablet), magnesium sulfate (1 tsp), wood ash (1 glass). You can use another composition: ammonium nitrate (20 grams), superphosphate (30 grams), sodium chloride (15 grams). It is worth not using fertilizer as a manure. The thing is that beets can absorb nitrates. Therefore, it is not recommended to make it in large quantities.

In general, the planting dates for beets are not compressed, it can be planted from the middle of May to June, but if there is a desire to get an early harvest, then it is best to land at the end of April. To ensure that such early crops are not frozen, they are safely covered with a film. If long-term storage of beetroot roots is planned in cellars or vaults, then it is planted no earlier than May 15.

Before sowing the soil is once again leveled with rakes and makes even furrows deep to 2-3 centimeters. Between the rows the distance should be at least 25 centimeters, with high germination, the planting of beet seeds is allowed and with intervals of 10 centimeters. If there is no complete confidence in the quality of the seeds, then it is better to plant them thicker, and after the emergence of the shoots just to thin.