planting my RR Sugar Beets

[foggy]

Success for foggy!

Whooo Hoooo! :D

Glad to see yours are up too Art!!

I got some plots that are getting pretty weedy. I think I will wait a few days to spray tho....Hate to damage my S Beets.

 

[Steve Oehlenschlager]

Yep..Those are sugar beets

 

[bwoods11]

I hunt in NW MN, sugar beets draw deer like nothing else up there.

 

[foggy]

Today's RR Sugar Beet Pic. Hope they are not too sparse. I read to keep them 1 foot apart. I think I'm somewhere in that ball park? That is a 18" Crescent Wrench.

 

[sandbur]

Ed Spin and other experts used to say about one foot apart.

 

[NYPLOTTER]

Lots of N as well. They will grow a lot during mid July thru August. This picture is from early August when I thought they were big but by the time they were done they were at least 33% bigger. Deer on my farm eat very little Brassica but they killed the Sugar Beets first time planted. I put even more in this year. Good Luck!

 

[Freeborn]

Nice looking beets NYPlotter, how deep do you plant your beets?

How frost tolerant are beets, will they withstand a mild frees?

 

[NYPLOTTER]

1/2" or so in 18" rows with 8" give/take in between. They seem to grow pretty late into the year. Didn't notice any issues with early cold. They do better then Radish for me because Radish seem to rot quickly in early fall with cold wet freezing NY rain. Deer on my farm hardly touch Brassica but they hit Sugar Beets hard so I planted more for this year. Just took this picture today. These were planted 60 days ago and the will grow for the next 90/120. Going to hit them with some N just before next rain.

 

[sandbur]

I planted the last few handfuls of seed that I had. I know it is late, but the seed does not seem to keep very well for me based on other years experience. I finally could get into that ground after all of the rains.

 

[foggy]

A your beets are looking good NYP. Wish mine looked like that! It got too wet here for too long. Not sure how mine will shake out.

Wonder if / what I could seed into beets to utilize the plots better? Maybe late rye?? Or lite with PTT?

 

[NYPLOTTER]

They are RR ready so if they don't fill in I would deff spray them and then over seed with a mix of brassica types and rye. Why not your feeding them the N anyway so why not put something else it that will like the N. Easy because you can spray them and have a nice clear surface to broadcast. They might take off with the summer heat and some fertilizer as well.

 

[Steve Oehlenschlager]

They are RR ready so if they don't fill in I would deff spray them and then over seed with a mix of brassica types and rye. Why not your feeding them the N anyway so why not put something else it that will like the N. Easy because you can spray them and have a nice clear surface to broadcast. They might take off with the summer heat and some fertilizer as well.

 

[Steve Oehlenschlager]

They look pretty good. I keep telling my dad that I would prefer to have my beets on the thin side than the thick. They get huge that way. Plus since you are not growing for sugar, keep the N2 up like for corn and you will get some huge beets with green tops. The deer eat the tops first. Big the beets are thin in places come mid to late July (almost now) I would over seed with some brassicas of some sort. Not very heavy though. Hand toss some seed on the surface. You will want to spray right before it after seeding to make sure you are 100% weed free. My earliest plot was a foot tall a week ago. The plot planted 2 weeks later were barley 6 inches. They will take off with heat and sunshine. There is probably enough soil moisture for them to make it all year now even without rain.

 

[Steve Oehlenschlager]

I also tend to hand weed mine for any escaped weeds. Even if 5 or 10 big weeds escape, you don't want them going to seed. They also severely affect the beets they are growing next to.

 

[Steve Oehlenschlager]

I have also have kept sugar beet seed viable for over 2 years now. I keep it frozen until I use it. Germination rates are right up there where try should be.

 

[sandbur]

I have also have kept sugar beet seed viable for over 2 years now. I keep it frozen until I use it. Germination rates are right up there where try should be.

Thank you.

year's back, I just kept some beet seed in the basement and germination rates went down quickly.

 

[foggy]

An update pic on my sugar beet plots. I have Five plots. This pic is representative of the beets I have. Most are from 6" to 10" long leaves and the plots are pretty clean. We've had adequate rainfalls.....but could use some sun and heat to get them going. Still.....they seem "fuller" now than in my last pic.....and I think I am reasonably happy with the spacing.

I had gotten some nitrogen put down on the plots just before a light rainfall yesterday (only 1/10"). Seems to have been enough to get the little n pellets dissolved and into the soil today. With some warm weather on tap......I'm hoping the beets will canopy soon.

In a week or two....I may throw down a little PTT or rape in the light spots. Good idea?

 

[foggy]

Would be a good idea to me. Those few SB plants won't last long here.

Yep. I still don't quite feel good about the population. But I'm close to what was recommended for seed density. Maybe 20% light.....or so. They are a bit heavier in some places. I want them to "work"......but brasica is easier.

 

[Steve Oehlenschlager]

Deer really don't seem to bother beets until Sept no matter how thin. You will lose more to Pocket Gophers than you will to deer this summer. I wish I would have taken a pic of my earliest plot because they have just exploded with growth. Most are pushing 18inches tall and full canopy is only another 2 weeks away at the most. I last sprayed them 3 weeks ago and they were so clean that I passed on spraying them one last time. Will spot spray if I have to. You population is just a tad thin, but I would rather have them thin than over crowded. Commercial beets barely average 2 pounds. Yours should average 3 to up to 8 if things keep going good. They just need lots of sun from now on. I would hit them with more Nitrogen when it rains next which looks like possibly Sunday. They are right on the edge of taking off. I would not over seed them yet with brassicas. Wait 2 more weeks and maybe spray one last time and then broadcast some brassicas in the thin spots. Sometimes I just walk the plot and toss a few seeds here and there were they are thin. They also like lots of Potash.

 

[NYPLOTTER]

Some warmer dry weather and if/when it does rain hit them with some more nitrogen. It's growing time for SB!