How to understand that it is time to harvest beets: gardening tricks known only to a select few
Timely harvesting of beets, as is known, is the key to their successful storage.
The main guideline is the harvesting dates indicated by the manufacturer on the seed packaging.
But you can also be guided by the signs that the plant itself gives: the leaves of beets ready for harvesting are yellowed and wilted, the tops are lodging, and the size of the fruits corresponds to the varietal characteristics.
It is better to harvest beets in dry weather, carefully removing the roots from the soil and lifting them by the tops.
After harvesting, using a knife, you need to carefully cut off the tops, being careful not to damage the root vegetables themselves.
The beets should then be dried in the sun to allow the cuts to dry out and thus prevent rotting.
Once the beets are ready, put them in the cellar. Ideal storage conditions are a temperature of -3..+1 degrees and air humidity of 90%.
Experienced gardeners prefer to store large beets, and use small ones immediately, as well as damaged root crops.
It is best to store beets in sand, but if there is too much of it and it is impossible to collect enough sand, you can do without it and simply place all the beets on top of the already harvested potatoes.
The fact is that during storage, potatoes evaporate a large amount of moisture, and beets absorb it, which prevents them from wilting.
