When to remove beets from the garden for storage: harvesting on time
Beetroot has been grown in Russia for several centuries. This healthy and tasty vegetable is rich in vitamins and minerals, and young tops and beet greens are perfect for salads.
The root crop is also valuable because it is well stored in winter. In this article we will talk about when to remove beets from the garden and how to prepare them for storage.
Beet harvest time
The date of harvesting from the beds depends on the variety, weather conditions and growing region.
Cleaning dates according to the calendar
Beets are one of the last to be dug up. The root crop is cold-resistant and continues to grow, ripen and accumulate sugar until night temperatures drop to +2-3 degrees.
Important. Despite its cold resistance, beets do not tolerate frost. Frozen fruits rot and are poorly stored.
Like any other root vegetables, this vegetable is dug up in clear, dry weather. After all, in addition to harvesting, the fruits need to be cleared of soil and dried.
Determination of timing depending on the growing region
In Siberia and the Urals, beets are removed from the beds in the second half of September. In the warmer southern regions of Russia, harvest time begins in October.
The main condition for preserving the harvest in winter is to have time to harvest it before the onset of frost. Even slightly frozen beets will quickly deteriorate and become moldy.
Favorable time for harvesting according to the lunar calendar
According to the recommendations of astrologers, the waning moon and the new moon are the best times for harvesting root crops. It is on these days that all plant juices are concentrated in the fruits.
Thus, the most favorable dates in September 2019 are from September 15 to 17 and from September 27 to October 1.
It is best to store vegetables when the Moon is in fire, air or earth signs. Root crops will rot less.
It is not recommended to dig up beets when the Moon is in water signs of the zodiac - such a crop will not be stored for long.
Harvest dates by ripening time
In accordance with the timing of ripening, beet varieties are usually divided into early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. Let's take a closer look at each of these types.
Early ripening varieties
This type of crop reaches maturity in 80-110 days from the moment of germination. Fast-growing varieties do not have a pronounced and rich taste compared to mid-season and late varieties.
Early ripening root crops begin to be dug from mid-July to the end of August.
Mid-season varieties
These are the beet varieties most often chosen by Russian gardeners for their optimal ripening time and excellent taste.
The root crop is ready for harvesting 110-130 days after emergence. When sowing mid-season beet seeds in May, you can begin harvesting by the beginning of September.
With careful digging and storage, mid-season beets keep well all winter.
Late ripening varieties
This type of crop is harvested 130-145 days after germination. Late-ripening varieties have the sweetest and richest taste. They are perfectly stored until the next season without losing their taste.
Due to the long ripening period, late beets are cultivated only in the southern regions of our country. Harvesting begins in early or mid-October.
How to understand that it’s time to harvest beets
So, summer chores are behind us, it’s time to dig up ripe vegetables. But how can you tell if the beets are fully ripe?
The first thing people pay attention to is the variety and time of emergence. Based on this information, you can calculate the approximate time of ripening of root crops.
However, weather conditions make significant adjustments. After all, one summer is warm and dry, and the other is rainy and cold.
Therefore, when determining the time of harvesting, it is more logical to focus on the external signs of the fruit. They will tell you more accurately whether the root crop is ripe or not.
If in doubt, you can selectively dig up a few fruits and determine how ripe they are.
Signs indicating ripeness
You can tell that beets are ready for harvest by the following distinctive features:
- tops (especially leaves at the base of the fruit) began to turn yellow and wither;
- growths appeared on root crops;
- the size and weight of the fruit correspond to the promises of the seed manufacturer;
Important. If the summer was dry, there is no need to rush into harvesting. If it’s rainy, it’s better to dig up the root crops in time, as they will begin to rot due to excess moisture.
Is it possible to harvest the crop earlier or later than expected?
One of the important factors for good harvest preservation before the onset of the new season is timely harvesting.
Harvesting ahead of schedule
You should not dig up beets prematurely, since at air temperatures above 2-3 °C the vegetable actively metabolizes, and the fruits continue to ripen and accumulate sugar.
Unripe beets are worse stored in winter and is inferior in taste to ripe root vegetables.
It makes sense to start harvesting ahead of schedule if cold weather sets in prematurely.Then the beets are dug up immediately, even unripe ones. Otherwise, the entire harvest will be lost.
Harvesting late
Is it possible to leave beets in the garden longer than expected? Yes, you can if the weather conditions are good and the summer has been dry and dry. If not, then you shouldn’t keep root vegetables in the ground.
Need to know. If the autumn is warm, beets and carrots can germinate again. Such root vegetables become tasteless and are poorly stored.
Proper harvesting
It is not enough to grow a rich harvest; it also needs to be properly harvested and stored for winter. When starting to dig up root crops, take into account the following important points:
- Beets are harvested in dry, clear weather so that the soil is crumbly. The last watering is carried out 2-3 weeks before harvesting. Excess moisture has a bad effect on the further preservation of harvested vegetables.
- Root vegetables are pulled out of the ground by hand. This avoids damage to the fruit during harvesting. If the soil is dense, use shovels or pitchforks. Use tools carefully so as not to cut root vegetables. Infections penetrate into the vegetable through wounds. Such a fruit will quickly rot and infect healthy neighbors.
- The tops are immediately removed from the plants. Otherwise, the leaves will evaporate moisture and the roots will quickly wither. For beets and radishes, the tops are cut using pruning shears or ordinary household scissors, leaving stumps 1–1.5 cm long. If the root of the root crop is very long, it is also trimmed.
- Harvest dry for 1-2 days outdoors under a canopy.
- Before harvesting for storage, root crops are sorted. Deformed, damaged and small ones are set aside for processing or immediate use.
Advice. Do not remove stuck soil from root crops by slamming them together. This damages the delicate skin of the fruit, which will affect its preservation in winter. It is better to clean the soil with your hands.
Preparing beets for winter storage
In winter, beets are perfectly stored in a dry, ventilated basement or cellar at a constant temperature of 0 to +3 °C. Wooden boxes or wicker baskets work well for storage.
Attention. When the temperature rises to +7 °C, the beets will begin to germinate.
It is advisable to sprinkle each layer of root vegetables with sand or sawdust. Vegetables that you plan to eat in the near future can be stored in small quantities in the refrigerator.
Before storing vegetables for winter storage, you must carefully sort all root vegetables. Just one damaged vegetable infected with a fungus will spread the rotting process to all nearby beets. Therefore, they approach sorting with special attention.
Large root vegetables, even if they are in excellent condition, are stored less than medium-sized fruits. Root vegetables with a diameter of approximately 10 cm last the longest. Therefore, it makes sense to sort the beets by size and place large specimens in a separate box.
Early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening varieties also differ in shelf life. Late ripening ones are the easiest to grow. They should be stored in separate containers.
Dipping beets in clay
A fun way to store beets is to dip the roots in a clay solution.
Clay has proven itself to be an excellent remedy that prevents the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria and the spread of moisture through root crops. To prepare a solution of the required consistency, you need to mix the clay with water to the consistency of sour cream.
Each fruit is dipped in a clay solution and completely dried.
Storing beets in absorbent
The method of sprinkling layers of vegetables with a moisture absorber has also worked well. Wood ash, sawdust, sand or salt are used as absorbents. The sand is pre-disinfected.
With this storage method, the beets are placed in boxes in layers and each layer is sprinkled with the mixture of your choice.
Storing beets on top of potatoes
Another interesting storage method is to lay beets on top of potatoes.
The idea behind this method is that the potatoes evaporate the moisture and the beets absorb it. Beets draw excess moisture from the potatoes, which allows them to remain elastic.
In plastic bags
The least preferred storage method is in plastic bags with a capacity of 15-20 kg. First, they are tied tightly. And when condensation appears, the bags are untied, leaving a small hole for the evaporation of excess moisture.
Read also:
Step-by-step instructions for planting beets in open ground in spring.
How to treat beet cercospora and prevent the occurrence of this disease.
An interesting preparation for the winter: we store dried beets correctly along with the tops.
Conclusion
Knowing when to remove beets from the garden and how to properly prepare them for storage, you can easily save the crop until the next season. Timely harvesting and proper preparation significantly reduces crop losses when storing beets in winter.