Sugar Beets

[KSW]

I have an old clover/chicory (about 4 years old) that I am going to till up next year and thought about broadcasting sugar beets (this spring), PPT & radishes (late summer) in this year. I heard somewhere that you can broadcast them right on top of your clover without disking the ground. Has anyone done this before? I like the idea because I would think the clover would act like a cover crop while everything else starts to grow.

Ken

 

[bueller]

I've never planted sugar beets but from what I understand you need a CLEAN plot for them to grow to any size. And because they are long season that usually means spraying throughout the growing season. Hence the popularity of round up ready sugar beets.

 

[Steve Oehlenschlager]

Sugar Beets can not take ANY and I mean ANY weed pressure. There is no broadcasting them in anything. If you want beets, you either hand weed them or use RR Sugar Beets. Anything else WILL fail. Oh yes there will be those you say they grew them but the beets were probably the size of baby carrots compared to beets up to 10 pounds. Yes I have grown beets over 10 pounds. They can and will get huge. Beets are an all season crop. You plant them when you plant corn in the spring.

 

[KSW]

Thanks guys. Think I could put PPT & radishes with the clover or are they the same as the beets and need a clean plot?

 

[Northwoods Whitetails]

How about planting them in flattened or rolled rye?

 

[bueller]

Clover and brassicas will grow together, however both would grow better in a plot by themselves. If it was me I would plant brassicas into that plot around the 4th of July (central WI) and then oversees the plot with your preferred clover mix around Labor Day or a bit earlier. This will give you brassicas for the fall and clover beginning next spring and on.