Sample Chapter – Gardeners Guide to Growing Beets

Sample Chapter

Gardener’s Guide to Growing Beets

Propagation:

Beets are propagated by planting seeds. The beet seed is what botanists call a multi-germ seed. This is because the “seed,” is actually two or three seeds attached to each other. This happens because beet flowers occur in a cluster and the petals of two or more flowers fuse together as the seeds mature. The result is the multi-germ seed that the gardener plants. Most of the time, both seeds germinate together, resulting in two, or even three, seedlings occupying the spot where one seedling should be. For this reason, the gardener needs to thin the seedlings to give the plants more room to grow. The thinned seedlings may be added to a salad, so they do not go to waste.

Planting the Seeds

Begin planting beets when the soil temperature has reached about 50 degrees. In the garden, plant the seeds from one to two inches apart in shallow depressions in the soil. Space the rows about one foot apart. If planted in raised beds, the rows can be two to three inches apart. Cover the seeds with about 1/4 inch of soil and water with a fine mist. Keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate. The seed should germinate in seven to ten days. When the seedlings reach about one to two inches tall, thin the seedlings to about two to three inches apart.