[00:00.00]This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. [00:04.88]Beets are a tasty root vegetable [00:08.43]that do not require much work in the garden. [00:11.81]People might think beets are always dark red. [00:15.85]But they can also be pink, yellow or white. [00:20.61]Beets with circles of red and white inside [00:24.85]are known as candy cane or candy stripe beets. [00:29.78]Beets are high in nutrients [00:32.76]including folate, iron and fiber. [00:36.96]They can be eaten fresh or frozen, canned or pickled. [00:42.85]And not just the root but also the tops can be eaten. [00:47.37]The leaves make good salads when the plants are young, [00:52.01]and the greens can be cooked when the plants are older. [00:57.20]Beets like cool temperatures, [01:00.56]between sixteen and eighteen degrees Celsius. [01:04.77]They grow best in full sun [01:07.39]and in loose soil that is not too wet. [01:11.45]Remove stones from the soil while preparing the ground. [01:16.57]And test the soil before adding lime and fertilizer. [01:22.20]Some experts say the best fertilizers for beets [01:27.06]are low in nitrogen. [01:29.72]Beets need the acidity level in the soil [01:33.31]to be six to seven and a half. [01:36.85]Beet seeds can be planted as soon as the soil [01:42.21]is able to be worked at the start of the growing season. [01:46.98]Planting them every two to three weeks [01:50.89]will provide a continuous harvest into the fall. [01:55.52]Iowa State University horticulture specialist [02:00.82]Cindy Haynes suggests planting the seeds [02:04.45]a little more than one centimeter deep. [02:07.79]They should be planted in rows that are spaced [02:12.18]thirty to forty-six centimeters apart. [02:15.94]A beet seed is a fruit containing several seeds. [02:21.45]Overcrowding the plants will mean [02:25.10]that the roots cannot spread out and grow. [02:28.14]Thin the beets by removing the smaller ones. [02:32.74]These can be used as greens. [02:35.62]Cindy Haynes says little or no fertilizer [02:40.25]is needed in fertile soils. [02:42.94]But once the seeds are planted, she does suggest [02:48.11]covering the soil with a little mulch [02:51.10]to protect it during rains and dry periods. [02:55.64]She also suggests putting a fence around the plants [03:01.83]to keep away rabbits and deer. [03:04.67]She says the only work needed [03:08.46]once beets have been thinned is weeding and, [03:12.91]when the weather is dry, a weekly watering. [03:15.89]For best results, beets should be picked [03:20.12]when they are four to five centimeters across. [03:23.81]Beets much larger than that can be tough [03:28.11]and have to be cooked for a long time. [03:31.91]And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, [03:37.11]written by Jerilyn Watson. [03:39.25]For more gardening advice, go to 51voa.com. [03:46.79]You can also find captioned videos of our reports [03:51.32]on the VOA Learning English Channel on YouTube. [03:55.91]I'm Bob Doughty.

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