How to properly plant beets in winter: step-by-step instructions and important nuances
Beets have long and firmly entered human life. It is unpretentious to the conditions, so it is grown in both the southern and northern regions.
Sowing beets in the spring is considered common. But not many people know that it can be planted in the fall. At the same time, planting root crops in winter has a number of advantages. To get a good harvest, it is necessary to follow agricultural cultivation techniques and take into account the nuances of planting in winter.
Suitable varieties
Special varieties have been bred for planting beets in winter, which tolerate low temperatures well and are not prone to bolting. This information is usually written on the seed packaging.
The most suitable beet varieties:
- Cold-resistant 19: fruit is flat-round, dark red, weighing 145–200 g;
- Podzimnyaya A 474: round, dark burgundy, weighing 200–300 g;
- Incomparable A 463: dark red color, flat shape, weight - 150–300 g;
- Polar flat K 249: smooth, flat-shaped root vegetables, dark red flesh with light rings, fruit weight - 150–250 g;
- Cylinder: dark burgundy cylindrical root vegetables, weighing 250–600 g;
- Bordeaux 237: round fruits from 350 to 500 g.
Landing dates
When planting beets before winter, you need to focus on the temperature. The air temperature should drop to 0 °C, and the ground temperature to -4 °C. There is no need to rush, as the seeds can sprout in warm weather and freeze when it gets colder.
In central Russia, approximate dates for sowing - this is the end of October - beginning of November.In the southern regions they plant later, and in the northern regions earlier.
Important! The basic rule when sowing: dry seeds are planted in dry soil. And if there is already early snow on the beds, it is swept away before planting.
Experienced gardeners and summer residents coordinate sowing work with the lunar calendar. The best time for sowing beets is considered to be the period of the waning moon. Beets sown on a new or full moon grow slowly and produce a poor harvest.
Favorable days for planting beets in winter in 2019:
- October: 4–7, 15–17, 19–21, 23–25, 27;
- November: 1–3;
- December: 3–5, 17–19, 27.
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How to plant beets before winter
After selecting seeds suitable for planting, pre-sowing preparation begins.
Landing place
Choose a well-lit place. Groundwater should not come close to the surface of the earth. If the water rises high, the bed is also placed at least 25 cm higher.
The sowing site should not be located in a low area or be on a slope, so that in the spring puddles do not form on it or the bed is not washed away by melt water.
Follow the rules of crop rotation. It is better to make beds where onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers or potatoes grew. You should not sow beets after carrots and cabbage.
Beets do not like clayey and too acidic soil. Acidity is reduced with dolomite flour or other deoxidizing agents (100–300 g are added per 1 square meter for digging).
Preparing the bed
The bed is made in advance, when the ground is not yet frozen.
Per 1 sq. a meter is brought into the ground 0.5 buckets of compost or humus, 1 tbsp. spoon of potassium sulfate, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of superphosphate or wood ash.Furrows are made in the ground 3–5 cm deep at intervals of 20 cm.
Landing
When the threat of autumn thaws has passed, they begin planting root crops. The seeds are placed in grooves at a distance of 3-4 cm and sprinkle with previously prepared soil. The surface of the bed is mulched with peat (3 cm layer). There is no need to water the crops.
Sawdust, fallen leaves or spruce branches are additionally poured on top, and then snow.
Further care
In the spring, when the snow melts, the bed is cleared of sawdust or branches. The earth is slightly loosened and covered with film. When the first shoots appear, the film is removed. Otherwise, beets require the same care as any root crop sown in the spring.
A week after germination, the beets are thinned out. Since not one, but 2–4 sprouts appear from a seed, the strongest one is left. It is better to do thinning in cloudy weather or after rain.
Beets require regular watering. It helps prevent fruit cracking. The soil under the plant is loosened and weeds are removed. The fact that the beets are ripe will be indicated by wilted and yellowed tops and the characteristic size of the root crops.
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Advantages and disadvantages of winter planting beets
Planting beets before winter has both advantages and disadvantages.
Main advantages:
- beet seeds hardened at low temperatures are more viable, less susceptible to disease and better tolerate lack of moisture and spring frosts;
- when planting beets in winter, an earlier harvest is obtained;
- Planting beets in the fall saves time in the spring.
In regions with long winters, beets sown in spring often do not have time to ripen. In order not to be left without a harvest, they sow before winter.
Disadvantages of planting before winter:
- early sowing, autumn thaw and spring flooding of beds can lead to the death of plants;
- The harvest of beets planted in winter does not last long.
Advice from experienced farmers
To get a generous harvest of winter beets, you must follow the rules of agricultural technology, take into account the nuances of sowing and listen to the advice of experienced farmers.
Basic recommendations:
- give preference to seeds intended for winter planting;
- choose the right time for sowing (optimal air temperature - 0° C, soil temperature - -4° C);
- don’t be afraid of early snow, just sweep it away from the garden bed;
- sow 25–30% more seeds than when planting in spring;
- The landing site should not be in a low place or on a slope;
- in the spring, do not forget to remove the covering material and loosen the soil.
Conclusion
Thanks to winter sowing, an earlier beet harvest is obtained (2-4 weeks earlier). Plant seeds from varieties that are tolerant of low temperatures. Do not place a plant bed in a low area. By following the rules of agricultural technology, you will save time in the spring, and by autumn you will receive a beet harvest much earlier.
Beets planted in winter are not suitable for long-term storage. Spring varieties are more resistant to maturation.