Merlin F1 Certified Organic Bunching Beets Vegetables Seeds - West Coast Seeds

PRODUCT DETAILS

Merlin Organic Beet seeds are CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Merlin beets are very dark red and flavourful beet that keeps its shape well when planted densely. Merlin's leafy green tops have hybrid disease resistance, so they stay vibrant throughout the season while many other varieties become mottled or tired-looking. This one is a regular winner in our beet trials, with impeccable uniformity, consistent good flavour, and generally attractive overall structure. They look sensational on the market table. Be sure to thin beets carefully to 7-15cm (3-6") apart in the row so that each has room to grow to full size.

Matures in 55 days. (Hybrid seeds)

• Robust growth
• Highly uniform
• Hybrid disease resistance
• Certified Organic
• Matures in 55 days

All About Merlin Organic

• Latin

  Beta vulgaris. Family: Amaranthaceae

• Difficulty

  Easy

• We Recommend

  Chioggia (BT169). It’s hard to pick a favourite beet because they all have winning qualities. But slice into a Chioggia beet, and discover a party going on inside! It’s certainly one of the most festive looking of all garden vegetables, and it tastes wonderful, too. For Urban Growers: Try Bull’s Blood (BT174) as a micro-green, and harvest just as the first set of true leaves is emerging. Eye-catching and delicious – and very nutritious.

• Season & Zone

  Season: Cool Season Biennial. Exposure: Full-sun or partial-shade. Zone: Hardy to Zone 5

• Timing

  Direct sow 4 weeks after last frost to mid-summer. Beets will not produce roots if planted when the soil is too cold. Seeds will germinate in 5-12 days, depending on soil temperature. Optimal soil temperature: 10-26°C (50-80°F).

• Starting

  Sow 1cm (½”) deep, 5-10cm (2-4″) apart in rows 30-45cm (12-18″) apart.

• Days to Maturity

  From direct sowing.

• Growing

  Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. For uniformly sized beets, thin carefully to 7-15cm (3-6″) apart when seedlings are 5cm (2″) tall. Eat any thinned plants, roots and all. root size is controlled by spacing and variety.

• Harvest

  Harvest at any size, but for the best flavour, pull the beets as soon as they have reached full-size. Eat the greens too. Store in the ground, or in moist peat or sand just above freezing.

• Seed Info

  In optimum conditions at least 75% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 600-1M seeds, per acre: 436M seeds.

• Diseases & Pests

  • If beets have black cankers in the roots, soil may need more boron. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of borax to 4L (8½ US pints) of water, and spread evenly over 9m² (100 sq ft) of soil. Do not over apply at a heavier rate. Circular lesions with a purple halo on the leaf is cercospera leaf spot. Prevent by strict crop rotation and sanitation. Leaf miner maggots cause blistered grey tunnels in leaves. Just squish them inside the leaf. Floating row cover carefully applied after planting will prevent the leaf miner fly from laying its eggs.

• Companion Planting

  Beets add minerals to the soil. The greens are very good for the compost. Plant with bush beans, Brassicas, corn, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, and mint. Add cut mint leaves as a mulch for beets. Avoid planting beets near pole beans, as the nitrogen fixed by the beans may encourage leafy beet growth and diminished root development.