Root Crops

Planting dates
The root crop varieties you select should have early maturity dates. They should have been developed for--and be appropriate to--local weather conditions.

Beets are fairly frost-hardy and can be planted in the garden 30 days before the frost-free date for your area. Although beets grow well during warm weather, the seedlings are established more easily under cool, moist conditions.

Start successive plantings at 3- to 4-week intervals into July for a continuous supply of fresh, tender, young beets. Plant parsnips at the same time as beets.

Carrots usually are planted with frost-tolerant vegetables 2 to 4 weeks before the last killing frost in the spring when the soil temperatures are 50°F or above.

Onions. Plant with other frost-tolerant vegetables as soon as the soil can be worked to a good seedbed. The earlier planted, the larger the onion.

Radishes can be planted from 6 to 8 weeks before the last killing frost. Make successive plantings of short rows every 10 to 14 days. Plant in spaces between slow-maturing vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

Turnips are planted at the same time as beets. Rutabagas are planted in early summer.



Planting suggestions


Beets need a cool soil to grow and good spacing for sunlight. Their frost tolerance is moderate. They are not harmed by spring and fall frosts, but their roots may become tough during hot weather.

Beet seed actually is a dried fruit or seed ball containing several tiny, true seeds. Heat, drought, or soil crusting may interfere with seed germination and emergence.

Successive plantings 3 weeks apart are needed to ensure a continuous supply of young beets. Beets should have their first planting 2 to 4 weeks before the last killing frost.

Carrots need a cool soil to grow and good spacing for sunlight. Their frost tolerance is moderate. You can use a salt or pepper shaker to scatter seeds in the row. In limited garden areas, banding of carrot seed at 4 to 6 inches width will increase yields.

Because carrot seedlings are extremely tiny, some gardeners mix a few radish seeds with the carrot seeds so they can see the row.

To prevent the soil from forming a crust that would inhibit the seedlings from breaking through, cover the seeds with a light layer of compost (sifted), grass clippings, sawdust, or vermiculite.

A film of clear plastic over the seedbed will speed up germination by warming the soil, prevent crusting, and keep the soil moist. Remove the plastic as soon as the seedlings show.

Onions should be planted to produce four to six plants per foot of row, depending on the size potential of the variety you use. When you use transplants or sets, don't plant too deep; bulb shape may be affected. Transplants produce the largest bulbs compared to seed planted at the same time.

Parsnip seed is slow to germinate. Some gardeners drop a radish seed every inch to mark the row and to help break the soil crust.

Radish and turnips need cool soil. They have excellent frost tolerance. Successive plantings may be made every 10 to 14 days beginning in the spring, as soon as the soil can be worked and before the daytime temperatures are expected to average 80°F or above.

Radish and turnips also can be mixed with carrot, beet, and parsnips to mark the rows of these slower growing vegetables.

Rutabagas should be planted in July and August. This will allow fall harvesting.

Fertilizer
One pound of a preplant fertilizer (20-20-20, for example) for each 100 square feet is adequate for good growth of all these crops.

You can base the amount of fertilizer you apply on a soil test report from a testing laboratory, if you wish.


Plant spacing

Beets should be spaced 2 to 3 inches apart; the row width should be 12 to 18 inches. Start thinning when the beet leaves are about 6 inches tall, and use these beets for greens.

Carrots should be spaced 1 to 2 inches apart; the row width should be 14 to 24 inches. Start thinning carrots when they are about l/2 inch in diameter, and use these carrots for cooking.

Onion plants should have rows 12 to 14 inches with plants 2 to 3 inches apart in the row. When you grow them from seed, overseed and thin plants by pulling them out when they have one or two leaves. Since the growing point of an onion is below the soil surface, cutting the plants at the surface will result in regrowth.

Parsnips should be planted two to three seeds per inch of row to ensure a good stand. Thin seedlings to 2 to 4 inches apart. When the plants are too far apart, the roots become large, and the edible portion has a woody, fibrous texture.

Radishes should be thinned to l/2 to 1 inch between plants. Rutabagas should be thinned to 6 inches apart when they are 2 inches high. Turnips should be thinned to 2 to 4 inches when they are 4 inches high.


Cultivation

Cultivation should be shallow when necessary to remove other plant competition. Deep cultivation close to the plants will destroy much of the root system and reduce yield and quality.


Watering

Root crop root depth averages up to 6 inches. Their crop stress point is 60 percent of the total water-holding capacity. You have watered enough if you can press a handful of soil into a firm ball and your finger marks make an imprint on the ball.

When you use sprinklers, put out some cans so that you can see when you've applied about 1l/2 inches of water.

ONIONS

I never realy spent much time trying to grow onions accept for green onions .My results were always disappointing as far as big slicing onions .Today I did a little research .

Depth of planting onion seeds or transplanting onion sets has a dramatic impact on the shape of the mature bulb. The onion bulb forms immediately above the onion stem plate, which is formed at the point where the seed germinates. Onion bulbs may form above or below the soil surface depending on the placement of the seed and the subsequent movement of the soil (due to cultivation) after seed germination. Deeper planting results in longer, narrow bulbs while shallow planting tends to produce flatter bulbs. I've always planted my sets at 3 to 4 inches deep{my mistake},it's suggested to plant them 1/2 in. to 1 inch deep. For large sweet or Spanish onions, the in-row spacing would be 4 to 6 inches between plants.

Onions must have an adequate supply of moisture in the top 12 inches of the soil profile because onions are shallow rooted crops. Onions are generally irrigated immediately after planting and as necessary thereafter to maintain moisture levels until seeds germinate. After germination, most onion varieties will require about 17 to 24 inches of water to attain maximum yields, depending on soil type and weather conditions. As onions begin bulbing, irrigation may be necessary every seven to 10 days.

Of all vegetable crops, onions are the least able to compete with weeds. Weed pressure can be especially damaging to young onion plants because they are slow growing, have shallow roots and do not have enough foliage to adequately shade the ground. Depending on weed pressure several cultivation trips may be necessary. All cultivation must be very shallow or it may damage onion roots and cause plant damage.

Most dry onions are usually harvested when one-quarter to one-third of the tops have fallen over. Bulbs are generally pulled from the soil after being loosened . They are then topped, approximately 1 inch above the bulb, and left in windrows for curing . To prevent rot organisms from entering the bulb, onions should be adequately cured (drying of the cut top or neck area) in the field, in open shade, or by artificial means before being placed in storage. Curing may require two to four weeks, depending on weather conditions.