<p>65 days. A striking Italian home garden variety with light red, round roots and bright pink and white alternating rings inside. Beets are about 5cm (2 in.) around with green tops and red-shaded stems. Early and tasty, sweet too.</p><p>CULTURE: Plant beets April through mid-July. Beets grow well in moderately fertile soil, but because of their extensive taproot, prefer to have deep, moist, rich soil. Tilling in compost or well-rotted manure will provide the best conditions. Mixing a 1/2 cup of complete organic fertilizer (per 1.5--3m rows) into the soil below the seed furrow will provide the nutrition needed to get the seedlings well on their way. Be careful not to allow the soil to dry out during root development, as dry soil will increase the amount of zoning (pale rings in the beet) Sow one seed per 2cm, 1cm deep, in rows 40cm (16 in.) apart. Cover seeds with loose soil. Water uniformly, avoid soil crusting. For uniformly sized beets thin carefully, 8--10cm (3--4 in.) apart when seedlings are 8--12cm (3--5 in.) tall. (Eat those thinnings, roots and all, steamed or in a Mesclun Salad) Germination will take place in about 5--14 days. <br>DISEASE: Beets are susceptible to scab, the same disorder that affects potatoes. It causes rough brown spots on the skin. This can be prevented by making sure that the pH level is near neutral (pH 7.0) so plant them with the other root crops the year after the cole crops have been on the bed. Next year rotate to beans and salad greens. <br>INSECTS: Leaf miners cause blistered grey watery spots on the leaves and are best controlled by squishing the offending grub inside the leaf. To prevent the problem, cover the bed completely with a floating row cover so the little fly can’t get onto the leaves to lay eggs. <br>HARVEST: Harvest when they reach their desired size for table or canning use. Root size is controlled primarily by spacing and variety, and not by maturity. Winterkeeper can grow huge without impairing flavour or quality.</p><p>Another really easy-to-grow vegetable that is rarely fresh in stores. Each beet seed is actually a clump of seeds and several will sprout in the same spot. So, to get eating-sized beets, you must thin them so each has enough room.</p>
