Beets
These vegetables are easy to grow, most varieties maturing in about 60
days, and are very valuable, offering tasty roots as well as tops. Their
green and red leaves also make them ideal for decorative planting.
-Planting: Your first crop of beets should be planted in early spring as
soon as the ground can be worked. The planting bed must be must be finely
tilled and cultivated beforehand, as rough or stony soils will cause
misshapen roots.
Place the seeds in rows about one inch deep, and an inch apart
from each other, and cover them with a light layer of soil. The rows must
be 13 or more inches apart as well. For a continuous harvest, plant a new
crop every two weeks until midsummer.
-Growing: Beets grow rapidly with much watering. As long as there is a
good supply of water, you will have a tasty crop. After the seedlings
sprout about five inches, they should be thinned to about 4 to 6 inches
apart.
-Harvesting: Harvesting should occur when the root is 2 or more inches in
diameter, and any larger growth will cause them to lose quality. The tops
can be harvested for tasty boiling throughout the season.
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