Planting and caring for beets in the open field in the Moscow region

The first mentions of beets were known in the records of the Babylonian king Marduk Appal Iddin in 722 BC. Since then, this vegetable has become known all over the world and got seaklon from the Greek language. Today, it is hardly possible to find a summer cottage in the Moscow region, on which this root crop would not have been planted, so we propose to find out how to grow beets in the country in the open field with your own hands.

Beetroot history

Beets are grown everywhere, because many dishes are prepared from them, using not only root vegetables, but also beet leaves. These are all kinds of salads, casseroles, borscht, and in Armenia they even make khachapuri from beet tops.

Photo of sugar beet

Even 2000 years ago BC. BC beets were known in ancient Persia. Beets were considered a symbol of rubbish and gossip. But this did not prevent the Persians from using beets as a medicinal plant and eating beet leaves for food. After the Persians, the Turks and the ancient Romans began to cultivate beets. After the Romans, somewhere in the 10th century, they learned about this amazing vegetable in Russia.

Photo of beet seeds

Hippocrates considered beets to be a medicinal plant, and people were treated with this vegetable. They applied root crops to the skin, insisted and drank against infectious diseases. In Asia, 500 years ago BC. er people ate beet roots and believed that they were healthier and more satisfying. It was in the 16th century that beets in Russia began to be considered a local vegetable, so today they are often grown in open ground in the Moscow region.

When to plant beets in the country

Beet varieties are classified as follows:

1. Fruit ripening rate: early maturing, mid-maturing and early maturing.
2. Fruit shape: spherical, cylindrical, flattened.

In Russia, it was believed that beets should be planted on May 1, in no case earlier or later. They thought that only then would there always be a good harvest, which was harvested on September 1. Today the weather conditions have changed, so experienced summer residents first plant beet seeds in a greenhouse in the Moscow region, and then in open ground.

How to properly grow beets with your own hands

In order for the beets to be a success, you need to carefully choose a place for future planting and choose a suitable site. It is not recommended to constantly grow beets in one place, since the pest accumulates - the beet nematode. If the beets are planted in the same place, then due to the large number of nematodes, the vegetable becomes ugly and small. This is important to know for novice summer residents who are experimenting with planting in the Moscow region.

Photo of growing beets from seeds in the Moscow region

You will be interested to learn about the diseases of bell pepper and the fight against them.

Beets do not tolerate acidic and alkaline soils, since on such soils they simply stop growing and become shallow or do not grow at all. Beets are also sensitive to the presence of boron in the soil.If there is not enough of it in the soil, then the beets begin to rot right in the soil from the inside, If the leaves on the beets turn red, then the soil lacks magnesium and manganese. To plant beets in the open ground in spring, you need to prepare the soil. To do this, remove unnecessary vegetation from the site, as well as glass, cans and other unnecessary garbage.

In order to start planting beets in open ground in the suburbs, they should be soaked in water by adding a few drops of a growth stimulant. Dry seeds sprout very slowly, so they are soaked. After the seeds are swollen, they are lined with a thin layer on a thin cloth and kept at room temperature for 24 hours.

Photo of growing beets from seedlings

The higher the soil temperature, the faster the first shoots will appear when planting. It is necessary to sow beets in moist soil in the country, the ground should be moist up to 12 cm deep. The beets are planted approximately 2 cm deep, making small beds, the distance between the seeds is 20 - 25 cm.

As soon as the first shoots appear, do not allow the formation of a crust on the soil. The soil must be constantly loosened, weeds removed, otherwise the weeds will drown out its seedlings, then the roots will turn out to be small and ugly.

Photo of beets in the open field

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The most important care for beets is their timely thinning. When beets in the open field in the Moscow region are just beginning to sprout, two shoots can sprout from their seed, and the faster the beets are thinned out, the larger their harvest will be.

Diseases and pests of beets in the Moscow region

Beet pests include beet fly, beet aphid and beet nematode. You can fight these pests by sprinkling wood ash on beets. If slugs appear on the site, then pour iron vitriol around the beds (1 teaspoon, per 2 meters of the furrow).

Photo of healthy beets

When to harvest beets in the Moscow region

Beets are harvested in August, early September, gently pulling out the tops. Root crops, which will be stored all winter, are not cut short: an inch is left by 2 cm, and the tail of the root is not touched. It is best to store beets in the basement in boxes with sand, then you can use the harvest until spring.

Photo of harvesting beets

Growing beets in the open field at a dacha in the Moscow region is no different from growing in other regions. The main thing is to monitor the weather conditions in order to plant seeds or seedlings when the last spring frosts have passed, and to harvest before the cold weather. With your own hands, you will be able to plant the site with healthy vegetables and provide your family with natural food for the whole winter.

To grow a delicious root crop with good yields, you will need to know some of the intricacies of planting and caring for beets in the open field. The culture is two years old, but with improper cultivation, the formation of a peduncle will begin, while the root crop will not work or it will be small and ugly. Cultivated varieties that form round heads and elongated cylindrical fruits. Beets are table, fodder and sugar beets. The color of a table root vegetable can be not only burgundy, sometimes varieties with a different color are found. There are leafy beet varieties.

Soil preparation and sowing seeds

Beets like fertile light soil with a neutral reaction. Therefore, the cultivation garden is prepared in the fall. The best predecessors will be crops that are demanding on soil fertility. It can be onions, cucumbers, tomatoes. Do not sow beets after cruciferous crops because they have common pests. The bed must have been limed in previous years. Before sowing, superphosphate and potassium chloride are additionally introduced into the soil. For fertility, a sufficient humus content is important, which is created with the introduction of compost or humus.

Fresh manure is not added to the garden bed for root crops. Beets absorb nitrogen fertilizers well and store them in root crops. Therefore, an excess of nitrogen in the soil is unacceptable.

The soil is loosened deeply and cut into furrows with a distance of 25 cm. The seeds are laid out at a distance of 9-10 cm. From above they are sprinkled to a depth of 2 cm, the soil is moistened. Seedlings will appear in a week if pre-sowing seed treatment is carried out.

Beet seeds are collected in nodules and are located on top in a common shell, which must be destroyed to accelerate seed germination. They are soaked in an ash solution, in stimulants, followed by germination. For this, the seed is kept wet for a day or two. During this time, the seeds swell, and their germination in the ground is faster.

Up to five seedlings can emerge from the nodule. Therefore, after germination, the plants should be thinned out, leaving one strong sprout from the glomerulus. There are single-sprout beet seeds and this information is written on the package. How to plant beets, at what distance, depends on further care. If you need to use young leaves and nodules, beets are sown more often in order to thin out and use early products.

Summer beetroot care

To grow tasty root vegetables with good yields, you must follow simple care rules:

• sowing at the optimum time;
• proper watering of plants;
• weed and pest control;
• plant feeding.

If the beets are intended for obtaining marketable products for winter storage, you should not rush to sowing. The soil should be warmed up by 10 degrees, the seedlings should not fall under a cold snap, otherwise the beets will shoot themselves. Therefore, sowing begins when stable warmth for young seedlings is guaranteed.

In each region, warmth comes at different times. Therefore, for Ukraine, sowing can be in April, in the Moscow region in mid-May, in Eastern Siberia at the very end of May. When growing beets, there are several features that will help you grow a tender root vegetable.

Only beets need to be fed with ordinary table salt. At the same time, it becomes softer and sweeter. The explanation for the phenomenon lies in the origin of the plant. In the Mediterranean, for centuries it was blown by the sea, saturated with salt air, and it became physiologically necessary for a plant.

After thinning the plant, it is watered with the addition of fertilizer for the fastest development of the rosette. How to feed the beets for growth is chosen according to the circumstances. This can be herbal infusion with nettle, potassium nitrate, or urea. Any of the presented fertilizers contain nitrogen.

After 6-7 developed leaves appear, foliar feeding with microelements should be carried out, the most important of which for beets will be boron. If, after applying nitrogen, the beets grow poorly, then they decide to feed them after analyzing the acidity of the soil. It is possible that the acidic environment interferes with the assimilation of elements. The first aid in this case will be the introduction of ash.

The lack of boron in the soil must be replenished. Signs of a lack of an element will be beet fomoz - the formation of black spots on the root crop. Preventive spraying with a solution of 5 g of boric acid per 10 liters of water will save root crops from flaws.

After the fruit has formed the size of a walnut, a second feeding is done with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. How to feed the beets in July is chosen based on the requirements of the development of the plant. From the moment the root crop begins to form, any fertilizing with the inclusion of nitrogen compounds should be excluded. Fertilizer Agricola-4 can be considered an example of such a balanced feeding. In this case, feeding is carried out without spraying, from the spout closer to the plants, without wetting the leaf blade. Any top dressing is performed on wet soil after watering.

Sometimes the question arises of how to water beets outdoors. The root crop does not develop well with uneven soil moisture.Abundant watering of dry soil can lead to cracking of root crops. Therefore, water-charging irrigation is required by sprinkling with the supply of up to 20 liters of water per square one time. In between, weekly watering is required, which is stopped 2 weeks before harvesting.

Beet pests and diseases

Healthy beet leaves have a shiny surface without spots. The appearance of uncharacteristic chlorotic manifestations, dry spots indicates that it is time to carry out foliar treatment with fungicidal preparations. The best will be prevention using Fitosporin or Bordeaux mixture with a concentration of 1%.

Pests inflict great damage on beets:

• beet fleas;
• nematodes and wireworms;
• winter and cabbage scoops.

The control of these pests includes methods of mechanical sampling of pests from the ground, biological and chemical methods of control. The use of repellents on developing crops is the best prophylaxis. Using soil stimulants will allow microorganisms to rebalance themselves without the use of chemicals. Therefore, the regular use of drugs such as Radiance and EM-1 Baikal will help increase the immunity of plants to pests and diseases. In addition, a film is created on the leaves, which prevents the penetration of spores and punctures.

How and when to store beets

The most valuable are medium-sized root crops. That is why you should not rush with the spring sowing of seeds. The larger the beets grow, the coarser their fiber. Remove the beets before frost, since the root crop does not tolerate sub-zero temperatures and will be unsuitable for storage. And the biology of the plant is such that the grown root rises above the surface. Therefore, the beets are harvested early.

The vegetable is freed from the stalks without a knife, by twisting the tops. The cut with a knife dries for a long time and more juice leaves the root crop than with uneven twisting. The earth dries out and is gently scraped off the surface without disturbing the thin skin. Damaged fruits are not suitable for storage. You can store beets in a box of sand and just on top of the potatoes. It picks up excess moisture from the cellar.

Beet planting video

Beetroot is a fairly common root vegetable. This can be explained by the presence in the vegetable of a large amount of minerals, vitamins, ions, as well as metals useful for the human body. However, it is not uncommon for

sugar beet

The Moscow region is not growing, which is due to the wrong choice of plant variety.

Varieties

Before opting for a specific variety of root crops, it is worth studying the main groups of beet varieties.

Sugar. The specific features of the vegetable are the white color of the vegetable and the elongated conical shape of the fruit. Typically, these fruits are used to make sugar. This is explained by the fact that the sweet part is at least a quarter of the root crop.

Stern. Its vegetables are large in size, they most often serve as food for cattle. This beet has no taste, but it contains a large amount of fiber.

Leafy, which is characterized by the active formation of lush tops. The green part of the plant tastes like spinach, while it contains many useful substances. This variety is not very common in the country, so gardeners rarely grow it.

Beetroot is the most popular type of vegetable. It is grown practically throughout the country. The shape of the vegetable can be varied. The color of the root vegetable ranges from pink to deep dark red.

Summer residents mainly grow table beets. Therefore, it is worth carefully considering the specifics of just such a root crop.

Video "Sorts"

From the video you will learn the characteristics of many varieties of beets.

Varieties for suburban areas

Like any vegetable, beets are divided into groups:

• Early varieties (the growing season of such plants lasts about 3 months, and they are used immediately after collection, since they are unable to be stored for a long time).
• Mid-season crops with a growing season of up to 4 months. Such a vegetable is able to be stored without damage and harm to it. In addition, he is not afraid of drought.
• Late varieties. Such plants grow and mature for 5 months. Late fruits are capable of long-term storage without losing their positive properties.

Taking into account the climatic conditions inherent in the Moscow region, one can single out the following varieties that are most suitable for growing in the region:

• early: Russian single-seed, Bolivar, Red ball, Regala, Modana, Detroit, Libero and others;
• mid-season: Egyptian flat, Borshch, Cornel, Delicatessen, Crimson ball and others;
• late: Cylinder, Renova, Commander, etc.

Early varieties

Bikores. Vegetables of the variety are very pleasant to the taste, therefore, such root vegetables are widely used in cooking. The pulp of such beets is deep red. Each weighs on average 200 - 300 grams. Up to 9 kilograms of harvest can be harvested from a unit of area.

Red ball. After the first shoots appear, after 3 months, you can already collect the vegetable. The shape of such fruits is round, the flesh is dark scarlet, and has a piquant taste. The mass of a vegetable can reach a maximum of 500 grams. The yield of the variety is up to 12 kilograms per unit area.

Modana. This beet is able to tolerate replanting well, therefore, when thinning, the "extra" individuals can not be destroyed, but simply moved to a new place of residence. Modana's flesh is burgundy. The mass of one beet is 350 grams. The growing season of the plant is about 80 days.

Mid-season varieties

Daytroit is considered to be high yielding. This vegetable is characterized by a round shape and burgundy color of the pulp. Moreover, their weight reaches a maximum of 250 grams. The main features of Daytroit are resistance to low temperatures, good storage properties, and widespread use in conservation.

Bordeaux 237. The most popular variety with excellent taste. The shape of the fruit is round, the color is dark scarlet. The mass of one beet is from 250 to 500 grams. The advantages of the variety are: good cold tolerance, excellent keeping quality and resistance to ailments. The yield of the variety is 8 kilograms per unit area. Vegetables are widely used in preservation, as well as for the preparation of various dishes.

Borscht. The ripeness of the fruits of the variety occurs 3 months after the appearance of the first shoots. The pulp of the variety is red in color. The root crop can be stored all winter without losing its characteristics.

Bovine blood is a variety that has a constant yield, resistance to cold, excellent keeping quality in winter. The vegetables are round, deep red. Each fruit can weigh up to 200 grams. Most often, the harvest of Bovine blood is canned.

Crimson ball. The variety ripens in 4 months. The fruits are shaped like a ball weighing up to 250 grams each. The variety does not have a special keeping quality, but it is widely used in cooking.

Seed selection rules

After the beet variety has been selected for planting, a new problem arises for gardeners. The problem of choosing a quality seed. In order to choose seeds faster and more correctly, you should follow a few simple guidelines:

• zoned seeds can have a different growing season;
• tops should be formed in the form of a regular rosette located near the roots;
• the root of the tops should not be thickened at its base;
• the pulp of a vegetable, which has a uniform uniform color without veins, is another sign of the quality of the variety;
• small vegetables, low in sugar and other nutrients;
• spindle-shaped or cylinder-shaped beets are more likely to wilt or deteriorate during storage than other fruit shapes;
• for use in cooking, the most acceptable fruits are medium-sized beets, which have a round, slightly flattened shape.

How to grow

To harvest a rich harvest, you need to properly cultivate and care for beets. To do this, it is worth considering some factors:

So, the cultivation of beets in the Moscow region has its own specifics. To get a rich harvest, everything should be taken into account - from varieties to top dressing. Therefore, those who decide to grow a crop in the conditions of the Moscow region need to carefully study the main specific points of the process.

Video "The subtleties of growing"

The video will tell you all the intricacies of growing beets.

Beets are one of the favorite garden crops and can be found in almost every garden plot. The secret of a good harvest of beets lies in the correct choice of varieties, timely planting and good care.

Growing beets in the open field

Variety selection

There are quite a few varieties of table beet used in cooking. Experienced gardeners recommend planting several varieties of different ripening periods. At the same time, the harvest is removed in two terms, early varieties for use in summer, mid-season and late ones - for canning and storage.

The most popular varieties:

• early - Libero, Incomparable A 463, Vinaigrette Jelly;

Beetroot Vinaigrette Marmalade

• mid-season - Smuglyanka, Negritanka, Larka;

Beetroot

• later - Cylinder, Ataman.

Beet Ataman

In addition, when buying, you should pay attention to the purpose of the variety - for fresh consumption and cooking, for canning, for storage. The shape and color of the root crop is a matter of taste, but it has been noticed that varieties with uniform pulp without rings are more juicy.

Varieties with uniform flesh without rings are more juicy

Preparing a site for beets

Beets love warmth and bright light, so they need a sunny area with nutritious and loose soil. It grows well on peat soils, sandy loams and loams with high fertility. In order to ensure a high yield, it is better to prepare the area for beets in the fall.

Good predecessors of this culture are:

• tomatoes and peppers;
• cucumbers, pumpkins and zucchini;
• greens, legumes, cereals;
• onion garlic.

Land preparation

It is not recommended to plant beets after:

• potatoes;
• all types of cabbage, radish;
• carrots, celery and parsnips.

Beets grow worst of all on the plots where their closest relatives were grown: chard, fodder, sugar and table beets.

The site is dug at the end of the garden season or in early spring on a shovel bayonet with the fertilizers indicated in the table.

It is important not to exceed the recommended doses of mineral fertilizers, otherwise the root crops will turn out to be loose, with voids and cracks. You can replace fertilizers with organic matter: rotted manure that has lain in the herd for at least two years, humus, ash.

The beds are best done just before planting.

It is better to do the beds just before planting, so more moisture will remain in the soil, and the seeds will germinate faster. The soil is loosened and leveled with a rake, if it has dried out, you need to water it well, after which you can start sowing.

Seed treatment

Beet seeds

Beetroot seeds are shriveled drupes and are fairly large in size, so they can be easily planted at appropriate intervals. Commercial seeds are often treated with stimulants and fungicides and are easily recognized by their bright pink or greenish color. Such seeds do not need processing, it can even harm. They are sown dry without preparation in moist soil.

Beet seeds treated with stimulants and fungicides

The color of untreated beet seeds is brownish, sometimes sandy with a greenish tinge. Before planting, it is recommended to prepare them in the way described below.

1. Soak the seeds in room temperature water for several hours.The floating seeds are thrown away, they usually germinate late, give small roots of irregular shape.
2. Drain the water and immerse the seeds, wrapped in gauze, in a solution of Epin, Zircon or another germination stimulator. They are kept in solution from half an hour to 4 hours, focusing on the instructions for using the drug.
3. Remove the stimulant from the solution and place in a warm place for 12-24 hours. During this time, the seeds swell, some of them peck, after which you can start planting.

Beet seed processing

Planting beets in open ground

In order for the beets to please you with a good harvest, it is important to correctly determine the planting dates. Single shoots appear at a soil temperature of 5-7 degrees, but massive and friendly shoots can be achieved only when the earth warms up to a temperature of 13-16 degrees at a depth of 8-10 cm.

This usually does not happen until mid-May. It was pointless to plant beets in open ground before - being in cold, damp soil, the seeds can rot, and the emerging plants will then go into the arrow.

Beets are usually planted no earlier than mid-May.

On the prepared beds, grooves are marked with a depth of about 2 cm. It is convenient to make them using a board, pressing it with its end into the loosened soil - the bed of the grooves will be dense, and the planting depth will be the same. By choosing a board of the desired width, you can also use it to mark the distance between the rows. It should be:

• 10-15 cm for small root crops intended for summer consumption or pickling;
• 20-30 cm for varieties with large roots for winter storage.

The grooves are poured from a watering can, preventing erosion, and left until the water is absorbed. Seeds are laid out on the bottom of the grooves, maintaining an interval of 4 to 10 cm, depending on the size and purpose of the selected variety. From above they are covered with soil or well-rotted humus and watered.

Planting beets

For large planting volumes, you can make a template, as in the figure, while the distances between the plants will always be the same.

Sowing template for beets at equal spacing

Video - The subtleties of planting beets in open ground

Beet care

Beets are unpretentious and drought-resistant, but they can only give a high yield with good care and adherence to agricultural technology.

1. In dry and hot weather, beets are regularly watered from a watering can by sprinkling. It is better to use water that is settled and heated in the sun. At the same time, the leaves are refreshed, the plants perceive the feeding better, and grow faster.

   In dry and hot weather, beets are regularly watered from a watering can by sprinkling

2. Beets must be loosened regularly to prevent the appearance of a hard soil crust. It is better to do this in the morning after watering. The depth of loosening is no more than 3-4 cm, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the roots.
3. Mulching will help reduce the frequency of watering and loosening, and also reduce weeds. Sawdust, straw, humus are used as mulch.

   Mulching will help reduce the frequency of watering and loosening

4. It is necessary to weed the beets regularly from the emergence of shoots to the closure of the leaves, after which weeds are not afraid of it.
5. In the phase of two true leaves, the plants are thinned out, leaving a gap of 3-5 cm between them. The second thinning is carried out when the roots reach 1.5-2 cm in diameter, while leaving enough space between them for the selected variety. Plucked plants can be used to make soups and salads.

   In the phase of two true leaves, the plants are thinned out

6. Frequent feeding of beets with properly prepared soil is usually not required. On poor soils in the first weeks after germination, you can water the seedlings with infusion of mullein or chicken droppings.
7. It is recommended two or three times during the growing season to feed the plants with a complex fertilizer containing trace elements: potassium, boron, copper, molybdenum. Dusting with ashes is also helpful, and will also help with pest control.

   It is recommended to feed the plants with complex fertilizer two or three times during the growing season.

Diseases and pests of beets

With good care, beets rarely get sick and are affected by pests, but for a full harvest it is important not to miss the first signs of the disease.

Fomoz		Fungal disease, accompanied by the appearance of spots on the lower leaves and dry rot of the core of the root crop. The reason is a lack of boron, it is necessary to feed with boric acid
Cercosporosis	Cercosporosis of beet	It affects plant leaves, impairs the growth and development of root crops. The reason is a lack of potassium, it is necessary to feed with potassium chloride or ash
Downy mildew, downy mildew		It can be identified by a gray-purple bloom on the underside of the tops, then they begin to dry out or rot. The plant must be sprayed with fungicides, it is better to do this prophylactically in the phase of 2-3 leaves
Corneed		An infectious disease affecting seedlings. At the same time, the leg becomes thin, turns black, and soon the plant dies. Disease occurs when there is a lack of aeration on heavy damp soils
Fusarium		Occurs in dry weather with insufficient watering. Leaf cuttings darken, root crops crack with the formation of a white bloom at the site of damage
Brown rot		It appears, on the contrary, at high humidity and excess nitrogen. It manifests itself as a brown or gray bloom on root crops. When rot appears, the fruits are removed, and the site is not used for growing root crops for 4-5 years

Compliance with all recommendations will allow not only to get a good harvest, but also to keep it until the next season, while the roots will be juicy, tasty and healthy.

Video - How to grow beautiful, healthy and tasty beets