Planting beets with seeds in open ground in spring: terms and rules for sowing
Beets are one of the healthiest and most vitamin-rich vegetables in the country. Everything in beets is edible, including the leaves. It goes into a salad, a side dish, and 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 colossal amount of useful components.
Even a novice summer resident can grow this wonderful plant in his area without much hassle, especially if he listens to proven advice and recommendations on choosing a place for planting, preparing a bed and the intricacies of sowing beet seeds in open ground (or preliminarily for seedlings).
Content
Beet variety selection
According to the ripening period, beets can be divided into the following varieties (from the first shoots to the moment of harvest):
- early maturing-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 late ripening, the following are common: Salad, Matrona and Cylinder.
Interesting! Beet varieties often differ in that some grow on the surface, while others "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 outdoors in spring: optimal timing
Beets are considered to be a relatively thermophilic vegetable, so it is worth planting when the temperature of the earth warms up to +8, and the air temperature to +10 .. + 12 degrees.
Interesting! The national landmark for sowing beets is the moment when small leaves the size of a pretty penny will appear on the birch.
Planting dates depending on the region and variety
Thus, the sowing time of beets varies depending on the climatic characteristics of your place of residence.
For example, in the South (in Krasnodar, in the Kuban), the root crop can be sown in the second half of March-April. But in the Middle Lane (Moscow region), the appropriate dates for planting beets in open ground are in early-mid May, in Siberia and the Urals - in the second half of May.
However, you should not rush to planting beets early - it is better to wait until the return of spring frosts ends and only then start sowing seeds.
By the way! Variety does not affect planting time. The early varieties are not planted earlier, as well as the later ones later. It just doesn't make sense.
According to the lunar calendar in 2021
If you want to choose a certain date for planting root crops, 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 2021 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 we turn to the lunar calendar, then it is worth knowing that it is even more important not to plant a vegetable in unfavorable dates, and this is in 2021 (days of the Full Moon and New moons, as well as the period when the Moon is in Aquarius, because it is a barren and dry sign - italicized):
- in April -5-6, 12, 27;
- in May -2-4, 11, 26, 30-31;
- in June -10, 24, 26-27.
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.
There are different ways to germinate beet seeds before planting:
- on paper or on a napkin;
- in sawdust;
- in a cotton rag.
When using any method of seed germination, the essence is approximately the following: 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 sprouting beet seeds:
- It is immediately clear which seeds have sprouted and which have not. So it turns out to achieve better germination in the open field.
- When planted with germinated seeds, seedlings appear much faster, as a rule, by 4-6 days.
Garden bed and soil
Beets grow well in lighted beds, so it is worth planting where there is often sun.
You can even plant a root vegetable close to the trees on the south side, where the sun will saturate the vegetable for at least half a day.
Advice! If your summer cottage 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 precursors for planting beets are legumes, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers. But cabbage is not a very good predecessor, after which it is not recommended to sow a root crop.
It is advisable to prepare the soil for growing root crops in advance, even in autumn. Although it's okay if you start cooking it right in the spring, shortly before planting.
Beets, like all other root crops, need very good and loose soil, and in clay it is simply difficult for them to grow. Digging up the soil is approximately on the bayonet of a shovel (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 square meter of the garden)by adding a couple of tablespoons of superphosphate to it (30-40 grams), and then carefully digging everything up and mixing.
If your soil is too heavy (clayey), then in addition to humus or compost and superphosphate, you should add peat and very little sand to the soil.
Beets do not like acidic soils, so if you have high acidity of the soil, then you should deacidify it in the fall by adding lime or dolomite flour.
If you apply in advance to the soil wood ashthen it will also have a very good effect on the vegetable. You can also do this during planting and subsequent feeding.
Note! You can not add fresh manure to the soil for the beet bed, even in autumn, especially in spring. This root vegetable is very fond of accumulating nitrates, which we do not need at all.
Sowing in the garden
Many experienced vegetable growers recommend making grooves.along the edge of the garden. With this planting, the roots will grow large, and the garden 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: "Beets like 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 garden and make grooves 2-3 cm deep.
- It is good to spill grooves with water.
- Spread the seeds. Seed material should be planted at a distance of about 3-4 centimeters from each other. In the aisles - at a distance of 20-30 centimeters.
- This root vegetable is very fond of wood ashtherefore it is recommended to add it a little immediately after sowing.
- Then cover the grooves with earth and sprinkle with ashes again.
- Cover with foil against return frost and for a greenhouse effect. As soon as shoots appear, the film can be removed.
- To mulch, for example sawdustwhen the emerging seedlings become 5-10 cm in height.
Video: sowing beets with sprouted 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 thinning in the future for obvious reasons.
The agrotechnology of 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 reckless way.
Further care of beets after planting
Advice! About, how to care for beets outdoors to grow sweet root vegetables, read in this separate article.
When to dig up beets and how to store them
And about this joyful final stage of growing beets, read in detail in the following materials:
If you care about your future health and are addicted to beets, then you can be sure that you are quite capable of growing a harvest of juicy and large root crops.Of course, first of all, for this it is necessary to initially plant the beets correctly in the spring.
Video: when and how to sow beet seeds in open ground