[VOA农业报道] Agriculture Report - Want to Grow a Root? Beets Are Hard to Beat,
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By Jerilyn Watson
2009-2-16
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
Beets are a tasty root vegetable that do not require much work to grow. People might think beets are always dark red. But they can also be pink, yellow or white. Beets with circles of red and white inside are known as candy cane or candy stripe beets.
Beets are high in nutrients including folate,
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Beets like cool temperatures, between sixteen and eighteen degrees Celsius. They grow best in full sun and in loose soil that is not too wet.
Remove stones from the soil while preparing the ground. And test the soil before adding lime and fertilizer. Some experts say the best fertilizers for beets are low in nitrogen. Beets need the acidity level in the soil to be six to seven and a half.
Beet seeds can be planted as soon as the soil is able to be worked at the start of the growing season. Planting them every two or three weeks would provide a continuous harvest into the fall.
Iowa State University horticulture specialist Cindy Haynes suggests planting the seeds one and one-quarter centimeters deep. They should be planted in rows that are spaced thirty to forty-six centimeters apart.
A beet seed is a fruit containing several seeds. Overcrowding the plants will mean that the roots cannot spread out and grow. Thin the beets by removing the smaller ones. These can be used as greens.
Cindy Haynes says little or no fertilizer is needed in fertile soils. But once the seeds are planted,
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She says the only work needed once beets have been thinned is weeding and, when the weather is dry, a weekly watering.
For best results,
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Some people like beets prepared simply in butter. Others like to cook them with cinnamon and ginger.
And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
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