Title:
Want to Grow a Root? Beets Are Hard to Beat
Description: This is
a VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
See text below
Text:
People might think that beets are always dark red.
But this tasty root vegetable also comes in other
colors. There are pink, yellow and white beets, and
beets with circles of red and white inside. These
are known as candy cane or candy stripe beets.
Beets are high in nutrients including folate, iron
and fiber. They can be eaten fresh or frozen, canned
or pickled. And not just the root but also the tops
can be eaten. The leaves make good salads when the
plants are young, and the greens can be cooked when
the plants are older.
Beets do not require much work to grow. They like
cool temperatures, between sixteen and eighteen
degrees Celsius. They grow best in full sun and in
loose soil that is not too wet.
Remove stones from the soil while preparing the
ground. And test the soil before adding lime and
fertilizer.
Some experts say the best fertilizers for beets are
low in nitrogen.
Beets need the acidity level in the soil to be six
to seven and a half.
Beet seeds can be planted as soon as the soil is
able to be worked at the start of the growing
season.
Planting them every two or three weeks will provide
a continuous harvest into the fall.
Cindy Haynes at Iowa State University suggests
planting the seeds one and one-quarter centimeters
deep.
They should be planted in rows
that are spaced thirty to
forty-six centimeters apart.
Overcrowding the plants will mean that the roots
cannot spread out and grow. Thin the beets by
removing
the smaller ones. These can be
used as greens.
Cindy Haynes says little or no fertilizer is needed
in fertile soils. But once the seeds are planted,
she does suggest covering the soil with a little
mulch to protect it during rains and dry periods.
She also suggests putting a fence around the plants
to keep away
rabbits and deer.
She says the only work needed once beets have been
thinned is weeding and, when the weather is dry,
a weekly watering.
Some people like beets prepared simply in butter.
Others like to cook them with cinnamon and ginger.
However you like them, for best results, beets
should be picked when they are four to five
centimeters across. Beets much larger than that can
be tough and have to be cooked for a long time. And
thats the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
For transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and captioned videos
of our reports, go to voaspecialenglish.com. You can
also share comments and questions.
Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
To post a comment:
• Click "Comment using..." in
the window below
• Click your favorite service: Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail
• Login to the service
• Click "Add a comment..."
• Post your comment in the window
Students: Please post a
comment stating what you found interesting about this video. You are
welcome to include links to your English study blogs and any
other materials you think might be useful for learning
English.
Teachers: Please post your
thoughts about this video. You are welcome to include links to
your sites, blogs, and any other materials you think might
be useful for learning English.
Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
