A beet seed is a fruit containing several seeds. Overcrowding the plants will mean that the roots cannot spread out and grow. Thin the beets by removing the smaller ones. These can be used as greens.
Cindy Haynes says little or no fertilizer is needed in fertile soils. But once the seeds are planted, she does suggest covering the soil with a little mulch to protect it during rains and dry periods. She also suggests putting a fence around the plants to keep away rabbits and deer.
She says the only work needed once beets have been thinned is weeding and, when the weather is dry, a weekly watering.
For best results, beets should be picked when they are four to five centimeters across. Beets much larger than that can be tough and have to be cooked for a long time.
And that’s the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. For more gardening advice, go to voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find captioned videos of our reports on the VOA Learning English Channel on YouTube. I'm Bob Doughty.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25