GARDEN BEET

Beta vulgaris



As a food plant the Beet scarcely obtains the attention it deserves.

There is no lack of appreciation of its beauty for purposes of

garnishing, or of its flavour as the component of a salad; but other

uses to which it is amenable for the comfort and sustenance of man are

sometimes neglected. As a simple dish to accompany cold meats the Beet

is most acceptable. Dressed with vinegar and white pepper, it is at once

appetising, nutritive, and digestible. Served as fritters, it is by some

people preferred to Mushrooms, as it then resembles them in flavour, and

is more easily digested. It makes a first-rate pickle, and as an agent

in colouring it has a recognised value, because of the perfect

wholesomeness of the rich crimson hue it imparts to any article of food

requiring it.



Frame Culture.--Where the demand for Beet exists the whole year

through, early sowings in heat are indispensable. For this method of

cultivation the Globe variety should be employed, and two sowings, the

first in February and another in March, will generally provide a good

supply of roots in advance of the outdoor crops. Sow in drills on a

gentle hot-bed and thin the plants from six to nine inches apart in the

rows. As soon as the plants are large enough, give air at every suitable

opportunity. Fresh young Beets grown in this way find far more favour at

table than those which have been stored for several months. They are

also of great service for exhibition, especially in collections of early

vegetables.



Preparation of Ground.--The cultivation of Beet is of the most simple

nature, but a certain amount of care is requisite for the production of

a handsome and profitable crop. Beet will make a fair return on any soil

that is properly prepared for it; but to grow this root to perfection a

rich light loam is necessary, free from any trace of recent or strong

manure. A rank soil, or one to which manure has been added shortly

before sowing the seed, will produce ugly roots, some coarse with

overgrowth, others forked and therefore of little value, and others,

perhaps, cankered and worthless. The soil should be well prepared by

deep digging some time before making up the seed-bed, and it is sound

practice to grow Beet on plots that have been heavily manured in the

previous year for Cauliflower, Celery, or any other crop requiring good

cultivation. If the soil from an old Melon or Cucumber bed can be

spared, it may be spread over the land and dug in, and the piece should

be broken up in good time to become mellow before the seed is sown.

Seaweed is a capital manure for Beet, especially if laid at the bottom

of the trench when preparing the ground. A moderate dressing of salt may

be added with advantage, as the Beet is a seaside plant.



Early Crops.--Where frames are not available for providing early

supplies of Beetroot, forward crops may often be obtained from the open

ground by making sowings of the Globe variety from the end of March to

mid-April, in a sheltered position. Of course, the earlier the sowing

the greater the risk of destruction by frost, and birds may take the

seedlings. A double thickness of fish netting, however, stretched over

stakes about one foot above the soil, will afford protection from the

former and prevent the depredations of the latter. Set the drills about

twelve inches apart and sow the seed one and a half to two inches deep.

Thin the plants early and allow them to stand finally at nine inches in

the rows.



Main Crop.--The most important crop is that required for salading, for

which a deep-coloured Beet of rich flavour is to be preferred, and the

aim of the cultivator should be to obtain roots of moderate size and of

perfect shape and finish. The ground having been trenched two spades

deep early in the year, may be made up into four-and-a-half-feet beds

some time in March, preparatory to sowing the seed. The main sowing

should never be made until quite the end of April or beginning of May.

For a neat crop, sow in drills one and a half to two inches deep, and

spaced from twelve to fifteen inches apart. When finally thinned the

plants should stand about nine inches apart in the rows. Hand weeding

will have to follow soon after sowing, and perhaps the hoe may be

required to supplement the hand. The thinning should be commenced as

early as possible, but it is waste of time to plant the thinnings, and

it is equally waste of time to water the crop. In fact, if the ground is

well prepared, weeding and thinning comprise the whole remainder of the

cultivation.



Some of the smaller and more delicate Beets, of a very dark colour, may

be sown in drills a foot or fifteen inches apart and thinned to six

inches distance in the drills. We have, indeed, lifted pretty crops of

the smaller Beets at four inches, but it is not prudent to crowd the

plants, as the result will be thin roots with long necks.



On stony shallow soils, where it is difficult to grow handsome long

Beets, the Globe and Intermediate varieties may be tried with the

prospect of a satisfactory result. We have in hot seasons found these

most useful on a damp clay where fine specimens of long Beet were rarely

obtainable. From this same unkind clay it is possible to secure good

crops of long Beets, by making deep holes with a dibber a foot apart and

filling these with sandy stuff from the compost yard and sowing the seed

over them. It is a tedious process, but it benefits the land for the

next crop, and the Beets pay for it in the first instance.



Late Crops.--By sowing the Globe or Turnip-rooted varieties in July,

useful roots may be obtained during the autumn and winter. Space the

drills as advised for early crops. Seed may also with advantage be

thinly sown broadcast; the young plants will thus protect one another,

and the roots may be pulled as they mature.



Lifting and Storing.--A Beet crop may be left in the ground during the

winter if aided by a covering of litter during severe frost. But it is

safer out of the ground than in it, and the proper time to lift is when

a touch of autumn frost has been experienced. Dry earth or sand, in

sufficient quantity, should be ready for the storing, and a clamp in a

sheltered corner will answer if shed room is scarce. In any case, a dry

and cool spot is required, for damp will beget mildew, and warmth will

cause growth. In cutting off the tops before storing, take care not to

cut too near the crown, or injurious bleeding will follow. On the other

hand, the long fang-like roots may be shortened without harm, for the

slight bleeding that will occur at that end will not affect more than

the half-inch or so next to the cut part. A little experience will teach

anyone that Beets must be handled with care, or the goodness will run

out of them. Many cooks bake Beets because boiling so often spoils them;

but if they are in no way cut or bruised, and are plunged into boiling

water and kept boiling for a sufficient length of time--half an hour to

two hours, according to size--there will be but a trifling difference

between boiling and baking.



The Silver, or Sea Kale, Beet is grown principally for the stalk and

the midrib of the leaf, considered by some to be equal to Asparagus. In

a rank soil, with plenty of liquid manure, the growth is quick, robust,

and the plant of good quality, without the necessity of earthing up. Sow

in April and May, thinly in drills, and allow the plants eventually to

stand at about fifteen inches apart each way. The leaves should be

pulled, not cut. As the stalks often turn black in cooking, it is

advisable to add a few drops of lemon-juice to the water in which they

are boiled, and, of course, soda should never be used. They should be

served up in the same manner as Asparagus. The remainder of the leaf is

dressed as Spinach.





BORECOLE, or KALE



Brassica oleracea acephala



The Borecoles or Kales are indispensable for the supply of winter

vegetables, and their importance becomes especially manifest when severe

frost has made general havoc in the Kitchen Garden. Then it is seen that

the hardier Borecoles are proof against the lowest temperature

experienced in these islands; and, while frost leaves the plants

unharmed, it improves the tops and side sprouts that are required for

table purposes.



As regards soil, the Borecoles are the least particular of the whole

race of Brassicas. They appear to be capable of supplying the table

with winter greens even when grown on hard rocky soil, but good loam

suits them admirably, and a strong clay, well tilled, will produce a

grand sample. Granting, then, that a good soil is better than a bad one,

we urge the sowing of seed as early as possible for insuring to the

plant a long season of growth. But early sowing should be followed by

early planting, for it is bad practice to leave the plants crowded in

the seed-bed until the summer is far advanced. This, however, is often

unavoidable, and it is well to consider in time where the plants are to

go, and when, according to averages, the ground will be vacant to

receive them. The first sowing may be made early in March, and another

in the middle of April. These two sowings will suffice for almost all

the purposes that can be imagined. A good seed-bed in an open spot is

absolutely necessary. It is usual to draw direct from the seed-bed for

planting out as opportunities occur, and this method answers fairly

well. But when large enough it is better practice to prick out as a

preparation for the final planting, because a stouter and handsomer

plant is thereby secured. If it is intended to follow the rough and

ready plan, the seed drills should be nine inches apart; but for

pricking out six inches will answer, and thus a very small bed will

provide a lot of plants. When pricked out, the plants should be six

inches apart each way, and they should go to final quarters as soon as

the leaves touch one another. On the flat, a fair distance between

Borecoles is two feet apart each way, but some vigorous kinds in good

ground will pay for another foot of space, and will yield enormous crops

when their time arrives. Transplanting is usually done in June and July,

and in many gardens Kales are planted between the rows of second-early

or maincrop Potatoes. The work should be done during showery weather if

possible, but these Brassicas have an astonishing degree of vitality. If

put out during drought very little water is required to start them, and

as the cool weather returns they will grow with vigour. But good

cultivation saves a plant from extreme conditions; and it is an

excellent practice to dig in green manure when preparing ground for

Kales, because a free summer growth is needful to the formation of a

stout productive plant.



We have suggested that two sowings may be regarded as generally

sufficient, but we are bound to take notice of the fact that the late

supplies of these vegetables are sometimes disappointing. In a mild

winter the Kales reserved for use in spring will be likely to grow when

they should stand still, and at the first break of pleasant spring

weather they will bolt, very much to the vexation of those who expected

many a basket of sprouts from them. A May sowing planted out in a cold

place may stand without bolting until spring is somewhat advanced. Kale

of the 'Asparagus' type, such as Sutton's Favourite, will often prove

successful when sown as late as July.



As regards the varieties, they agree pretty nearly in constitution,

although they differ much in appearance and in the power of resisting

the excitement of spring weather. But in this section of vegetables

there are a few very interesting subjects. The Variegated and Crested

Kales are extremely ornamental and eminently useful in large places for

decorative purposes. These do not require so rich a soil as Sutton's A1

or Curled Scotch, and they must have the fullest exposure to bring out

their peculiarities. It is found that in somewhat dry calcareous soils

these plants acquire their highest colour and most elegant proportions.

When planted by the sides of carriage drives and in other places where

their colours may be suitably displayed, it is a good plan to cut off

the heads soon after the turn of the year, as this promotes the

production of side shoots of the most beautiful fresh colours. A crop of

Kale may be advantageously followed by Celery.