Beet Collection
If you're looking for a variety of beets, try this collection of an early beet (First Crop), a dark medium early beet (Merlin) and a specialty beet (Taunus). 1 pkg of each.
First Crop: Nicely globe shaped, tender and sweet, with an attractive deep red colour. This Veseys exclusive is ideal for the home garden or for bunching for early market. Excellent tops for beet greens with fine flavour and good colour. Extra early maturity. 45 days. Sized seed.
Merlin: Great colour, flavour and uniformity. One of the sweetest and darkest red beets we have found in our trials. Along with its very good flavour, Merlin has disease resistant tops that continue to look good throughout the summer. This hybrid has good stress resistance and very little zoning. Keeps its shape better than other varieties in high density plantings.
Taunus: Intense dark red cylindrical beet that is easy to slice. This hybrid produces smooth 6-7 inch roots that are ideal to use for canning, freezing or pickling as it has no zoning on the interior and makes a perfect slice all the way to the bottom.Young leaves can be picked for delicious greens. Days to maturity 50-55 days.
Scroll down for more details and growing information.
Details
Growing Information
Planting:
Sow seeds thinly 1⁄2-1 inch deep, in rows spaced 8-12 inches apart. Soil temperature should be 18-24 degrees C for optimal germination. Thin seedlings1 inch apart for greens and 3 inches apart for summer use of roots. Plant every two weeks, starting as early as soil can be worked until late June.
Growing:
Choose a full sun location. Beets require a light, well-drained, cool soil with pH between 6.5 and 6.8. Compost or well-rotted manure along with pure wood ashes, as a supply of additional potassium, should be mixed well into the soil prior to planting. Applying Boron after 4-6 weeks of growth will prevent internal browning, particularly in dry seasons. Keep well-watered as drought will result in tough or woody roots.
Harvest:
Young and tender beet leaves can be used as greens. Dig or pull roots when 2-3 inches in diameter or desired size.
Pests & Diseases:
Generally beets are bug free with the possible exception of the Spinach Leaf Miner. Control leaf spots (Cercospora) with a sulfur or copper fungicide at the recommended rates.
Companions:
Bush bean, cabbage family, corn, leek, lettuce, onion, radish.
Sowing Rate:
Approximately 350-600 seeds/package will plant 25-30 foot row. 2000 seeds/25g, 4-5kg/acre.