Beets...one of my most favorite vegetables
Beets, I have tried to grow them for years and I always get scanty produce and just don't seem to have the knack to grow them in abundance. Has any one else had the same problem? They love sandy soil because their "tap roots" are over a foot long or longer and the light sandy soil is easier for the beet to burrow into the soil and find moisture and nutrients deep in the soil.
The beet is a relative of swiss chard and spinach...interesting combination I would say. They love to be planted in full sun if you are growing for the traditional vegetable. If you only want the leafy greens, then they do pretty well in the shade. And the beet loves the cool weather for planting and germination. So, be sure to plant your first crop about four weeks before the last frost. You can continue to plant a new crop every 2-3 weeks till mid summer if the weather isn't too hot. Remember they like cool. Try planting a fall crop about two months before the first expected frost date.
When planting to encourage good growth you can put a one inch layer of compost on the soil you will be planting them in, then plant them about 1/4 inch deep. Beets also need to be "fed" or fertilized with a balanced fertilizer about every two weeks. If the roots are skinny and you have lots of greens, then you have too much nitrogen in the fertilizer you are using. Beets prefer higher levels of phosphorus or P. You can use a foliar spray on plant leaves every 2-3 weeks instead of other fertilizers. I plant the seeds heavier than recommended and then thin them out went they are about 2 inches high. Here is a suggestion for thinning that is presented by Rodale's book
Find-It-Fast Answers for your Vegetable Garden
Then it is time to sit back and watch them grow and dream of the steamed beets that get fried in a little butter before they hit my plate. Or pickled beets. My mom used to make these all the times and the jars of canned pickled beets disappeared so quickly, she swore we gave them to friends. Would never share my pickled beets with friends.
Enjoy!
www.bing.com/images
The beet is a relative of swiss chard and spinach...interesting combination I would say. They love to be planted in full sun if you are growing for the traditional vegetable. If you only want the leafy greens, then they do pretty well in the shade. And the beet loves the cool weather for planting and germination. So, be sure to plant your first crop about four weeks before the last frost. You can continue to plant a new crop every 2-3 weeks till mid summer if the weather isn't too hot. Remember they like cool. Try planting a fall crop about two months before the first expected frost date.
When planting to encourage good growth you can put a one inch layer of compost on the soil you will be planting them in, then plant them about 1/4 inch deep. Beets also need to be "fed" or fertilized with a balanced fertilizer about every two weeks. If the roots are skinny and you have lots of greens, then you have too much nitrogen in the fertilizer you are using. Beets prefer higher levels of phosphorus or P. You can use a foliar spray on plant leaves every 2-3 weeks instead of other fertilizers. I plant the seeds heavier than recommended and then thin them out went they are about 2 inches high. Here is a suggestion for thinning that is presented by Rodale's book
Find-It-Fast Answers for your Vegetable Garden
- When the first "true" leaves emerge, use a small scissors and snip off the strongest seedlings in each cluster at the soil level. Don't PULL them out at this stage.
- Two weeks later, thin them again so the small plants are about two inches apart.
- Wait another two weeks and you should be able to harvest your baby beets which are usually by then about one inch in diameter.
- After doing this last thinning, your plants should be about four inches apart and they are the ones that will mature and provide you with your main harvest.
Then it is time to sit back and watch them grow and dream of the steamed beets that get fried in a little butter before they hit my plate. Or pickled beets. My mom used to make these all the times and the jars of canned pickled beets disappeared so quickly, she swore we gave them to friends. Would never share my pickled beets with friends.
Enjoy!
www.bing.com/images
No comments:
Post a Comment