Thursday, March 28, 2024
Beets, broccoli and cauliflower are a cool season crops and great for spring gardens. Beets are typically sown in place in the garden or pot, but can be started from seeds indoors and moved outdoors.
It is time to sow beet, broccoli and cauliflower seeds indoors or outdoors now in our Zone 7 garden. All can be grown in the garden bed or in a pot. If sowing seeds outdoors, they should be sown about 2 weeks before your last frost date. Seed packets will provide instructions for the specific variety you are planting.
Cold season crops are in big box stores now that you can transplant into a pot or garden bed, too. Since they are already outdoors, they will be hardened and ready to plant.
Beets prefer a fertile, evenly moist soil, with a pH between 6-7. Beet and chard seeds are multiform seeds which means that you can have two to five seedlings from each seed. You will need to thin seedlings to the strongest plant. Seeds should be sown 1/2" deep. Seeds emerge in 5-17 days. When placed outdoors, space 4" apart and add fertilizer. If starting indoors, be careful to not damage the tap root when transplanting. Beets are ready for harvest in 45-65 days, depending on variety. Greens are great adds to salads as well.
Be sure to harvest beets as soon as they are the right size. Summer temperatures can cause the root to become woody if left too long. I have little pest problems with beets. Pests that are attracted to beets are leaf miners, flea beetles and leaf hoppers. Insecticidal soap is an effective spray for flea beetles if they become a problem. For more on beets, All about beautiful beets
Broccoli and cauliflower have the same planting and care requirements. Both prefer fertile, well drained soil with a pH between 6-7. Plant seeds 1/4" deep. Seedlings emerge in 5-17 days. When planting in garden bed or pot, space 12" apart. Set transplants out at the very end of March or beginning of April in our Zone 7 garden, 2 weeks before last frost date. Keep evenly moist for best heads.
Days to harvest are 45-80 days, depending on variety. Be sure to harvest as soon as heads are mature. Will quickly begin to flower if left in the summer garden. I consistently have cabbage worm or cabbage looper pests on my broccoli and cauliflower plants, beginning in late June. Harvesting as soon as the heads are ready keeps the pests to a minimum. The best organic spray I have found is Bt (bacillus thuringiensis). Spray every 1-2 weeks as temperatures rise into the 80's. Also, rotate crops to keep pest pressure down.
For more on growing broccoli and cauliflower, How to grow broccoli and cauliflower
For all transplants, be sure to harden off to transition your seedlings from indoor conditions to the outdoors. "Hardening off" seedlings
If you want to start seeds or plants outdoors sooner than the recommendation on your seed packet, you can use covers. Extend the season with protection for plants
For more on the spring edible gardening, Spring edible garden
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