1. Best Sowing Time:

Winter.

2. Soil Temprature:

Optimal soil temperature: 8-25°C (40-75°F). Seeds should germinate in 7-14 days.

3. Steps for Seed Sowing Method:

• Take a container of your choice with uniform drainage holes at the bottom.
• Fill the container with selected (i.e Coco Peat, Pot-O-Mix, Soil Mix etc.) growing medium.
• Spacing: Make shallow holes (1 cm) with a distance of 1 x 1 feet throughout the surface of soil medium.
• Sow 2-3 seeds per hole. .
• Push the little seeds 0.5cm deep in soil medium with your fingers & completely cover them with surrounding soil.
• Water the sown seed bed immediately by a light shower with a watering can.

4. Growth Steps of Beetroot (Chakundar) Plants

Germination:
• Seeds will germinate within first six days or even much earlier & tiny seedlings will be visible with first leaves. .
• Baby seedlings will be visible in 10-15 days. .
Thinning:
• If more than one seed has germinated per hole, cut off the smaller seedlings & only keep one seedling per hole.
• Harvestable Beetroots will gradually develop.

5. How to Take Care For Beetroot (Chakundar) Plants

• Sunlight: Beetroot plants require full sunlight (6-8 hours) in winter, so place your containers accordingly.
• Watering technique: Water your Beetroot container / raised bed every day in the form of a light shower with watering can. Use sprinklers for watering the Beetroot plants outdoors.
• Manuring: Add optimum quality organic manure with 2:1 ratio before sowing the seeds. Use organic manure like the well rotten cow dung manure, farmyard manure, Compost or a Vermicompost.
• Tip: Avoid adding nitrogen fertilizers in the later stages of plant growth for better root formation.
• Plant care: Look for the early signs fungal / insect infestation. Spray appropriate medicines as soon as any symptoms are visible. .
• Harvesting: About 80-90 days after sowing, Beetroots can be harvested by uprooting. You need to uproot them from the soil along with the whole plant.
• Microgreens: Grow microgreens Beetroot indoors in flat containers. Sow-scatter the seeds in a crowded manner. You can harvest it in 10-15 days by uprooting the baby plants.