Beets are possible to grow indoors as well as outdoors. Beet seeds are easy to work with and when planted in a nutrient rich, moisturized soil, they will grow quickly and easily, resisting diseases and pests.
To grow beets indoors, the first step is to select and prepare the container. You will want to choose a container that is at least 18 inches deep with drainage holes. If your container doesn’t have drainage holes, manually drill your own, or select a different container that has sufficient drainage. Place a container tray, an old towel, or some plastic sheeting underneath the pot to catch the excess water that seeps through the holes of your container.
Next, add your soil to the container to a depth of 16 inches. The ideal soil for beats is fertile and sandy with a neutral pH. When planting your beets, take care to ensure that the plants are not crowded in their containers. When beets are crowded, they have a tendency to grow deformed and misshapen, so be sure to give each plant plenty of room to develop normally. Each beet seed is actually a piece of fruit. Each one contains 3 or 4 beet seeds. Place each seed ¼ of an inch deep into the soil and approximately one foot apart from each other.
Position the container near a window or in a location where it will get plenty of sunlight during the day. Seeds will germinate in around 17 days if the soil is 50 degrees F or lower. Beets develop best in soil that is evenly moist. You don’t need to water your beets unless the soil they are in has become very dry. Check the soil every few days by sticking your finger ¼ of an inch deep. If the soil is dry at that depth, it is time to water. Maintain a regular watering schedule, making sure that you provide at least one inch of water per week.
If your indoor sunlight source is small, you will want to rotate the containers to ensure that each plant gets an equal share of the sunlight and each one is growing as close to vertically as is possible. To achieve this uniformity and keep your beet plants growing vertically, rotate the containers about one fourth of an inch every few days. Even better, consider using grow lights.
Beets can grow as large as baseballs, but for their best flavor, you want to harvest them when they are closer to golf ball size. When they are ready, twist off the foliage but leave the taproot where it is. Check the package to see what the recommended maturity time is.
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