Beets are a favorite food of many people. Did you know they are available in more colors than red? Yes, there are purple, white and gold varieties. The colors are not the only difference. The shapes can be oval, round or cylindrical.
They are a nutritious and healthy vegetable and if you want to learn how to grow and care for them in your own garden, take a look at the following.
Planting
The best soil for growing is a sandy soil that allows the roots to grow. The pH level is important so it should be tested. The best level is 6.0 to 6.8. The soil should drain well and be fertile and must be kept moist.
The best way to ensure the soil is rich enough for the growing season is for every 100 square feet of planting space add about 20 pounds of compost. The soil should not be compacted. In fact, it should be loose to the depth of 12 inches at the least.
If the soil is hard to drain or is compacted, you can make your own raised beds for growing the plants. Full sun is preferred by beets but they will put up with some shade.
The rule of thumb for growing to feed everyone in the family is from 5 to 10 feet per person. If you plan to can them, a 10 to 20 foot row is required for each person.
When placing them in the ground, space them about 3 inches apart and anywhere from a foot to 20 inches should be spaced between rows. The plants can be thinned when they are about 3 inches tall and should end up being about 6 inches apart.
They should be planted when the air temperature is between 50 and 65 degrees and the soil temperature is 45 degrees or above.
The best time for growing is when the soil is around 80 degrees.
Planting in the early spring is the best time. The soil should be rich in nitrogen. The best way to ensure this is to plant them where peas or beans have been grown before. The spots where you have planted melons or potatoes should be avoided.
The seed may be soaked for about 15 minutes before planting. Compost tea is the best thing to soak them in and then they can be placed into the soil about a half of an inch down.
Keep them going by planting about every 30 days once you start planting. You can continue this until the middle of summer.
Caring for Beets
By keeping the beet soil moist but not soaked, the plants will get the right amount of water. They should have mulch added to help hold the moisture and keep unwanted weeds out of the plants.
Its roots are not very deep so if you have to weed, do it by hand. Once the leaves have developed fully use a solution of seaweed fertilizer and liquid fish oil to soak down the beet plants.
If you do this once a week until the plants are about 3 inches tall the roots will not get hard, black areas. They will also get the right amount of boron to keep the roots from being stunted. About a cup every two feet will suffice. In about 56 to 70 days, the beet roots will be ready for harvesting.
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