Chioggia Guardsmark Organic Beets 200 Seeds
Seedsplant
PRODUCT DETAILS
Chioggia Guardsmark Organic beets are a striking Italian type with light-red, smooth round roots and bright pink and white alternating rings inside. These sweet beets (pronounced kee-OH-jee-ah) are about 5cm (2") in diameter with mild green leaves and pale red stems. Chioggia Guardsmark organic beet seeds are a staff favourite that add festive colour to any meal.
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- Smooth round roots
- Bright pink and white
- 5cm (2") in diameter
- Open-pollinated seeds
- Matures 65 in days
How to Grow Beets
Timing
Direct sow 4 weeks after last frost to mid-summer. Beets will not produce roots if planted when the soil is too cold. Seeds will germinate in 5-12 days, depending on soil temperature. Optimal soil temperature: 10-26°C (50-80°F).
Starting
Sow 1cm (½”) deep, 5-10cm (2-4″) apart in rows 30-45cm (12-18″) apart.
Growing
Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.
For uniformly sized beets, thin carefully to 7-15cm (3-6″) apart when seedlings are 5cm (2″) tall. Eat any thinned plants, roots and all. Root size is controlled by spacing and variety.
Germination
Days to maturity: From direct sowing.
In optimum conditions at least 75% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 600-1M seeds, per acre: 436M seeds.
Harvest
Harvest at any size. For the best flavour, pull the beets as soon as they have reached full-size. Eat the greens too! Store in the ground, or in moist peat or sand just above freezing.
TIPS
DISEASE & PESTS
If beets have black cankers in the roots, soil may need more boron. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of borax to 4L (8½ US pints) of water, and spread evenly over 9m² (100 sq ft) of soil. Do not over apply at a heavier rate. Circular lesions with a purple halo on the leaf is cercospera leaf spot. Prevent by strict crop rotation and sanitation. Leaf miner maggots cause blistered grey tunnels in leaves. Just squish them inside the leaf. Floating row cover carefully applied after planting will prevent the leaf miner fly from laying its eggs.
