BEETS 153 



texture of the soil. Early in the season, and on retentive soils, 

 shallow planting should be practiced. On light soils the seed may 

 be planted deeper. 



For quick marketing purposes, the seed of the beet is sown as 

 early as possible. As the beet is a comparatively hardy plant, the 

 seed can be planted in the open about the same time as the 

 radish and lettuce seed, that is, as early as the ground can be 

 successfully worked. Beet seed is rather slow to germinate, and 

 for this reason radish or cabbage seeds are sometimes mixed with 

 it to serve as a marker of the course of the rows before the beet 

 seeds germinate, so that cultivation may be begun before the 

 plants show aboveground. As soon as the beets are well up and 

 the true leaves have developed to 2 or 3 inches in height, they 

 should be thinned to stand from 3 to 6 inches apart in the row, 

 according to the use to be made of the crop. Some gardeners, in- 

 stead of handling the beets in this way, allow the largest and most 

 vigorous ones to grow to marketable size, say from 1 1 to 2 inches 

 in diameter. These are then removed, leaving the others to come 

 on and form a succession for the market. Where land is expen- 

 sive and it is desired to have a succession of plantings of differ- 

 ent vegetables, this scheme is not a practicable one. It is most 

 convenient and economical to have the crop mature at one time 

 so that it can be harvested within a few days after it reaches mar- 

 ketable size. For this reason, then, careful thinning or trans- 

 planting at an early stage in the development of the beet is more 

 satisfactory than thinning as the roots reach marketable size. For 

 the local market gardener, however, who has an extensive land 

 area the first-named practice may be most desirable and most 

 profitable. 



Cultivation of garden beets. The beet responds to careful culti- 

 vation and a rich soil as readily as any other garden crop. In 

 order to make the crop profitable, special attention should be 

 given to prevent competition with weeds, particularly early in the 

 life of the plants. If the plants receive a check soon after appear- 

 ing aboveground, the maturity of the crop will be greatly delayed. 

 It should therefore be the aim of the gardener to keep the ground 

 clean and to give every possible assistance to the young plants. 

 Hand hoes and hand weeders should be used constantly to prevent 



