6 Radish

Radish is a cool-season, fast-maturing, easy-to-grow vegetable. Radishes can be grown wherever there is sun and moist, fertile soil. They usually mature within three to six weeks. They are one of the quickest vegetables you can grow.

Soil Preparation. Radishes love rich, fertile soil which is well draining. However most people tend to consider radishes a vegetable that are just grown in the spare spaces between other plants, therefore don’t consider soil preparation.

Radishes will grow in bad conditions. However, if planted in a sunny spot with the correct soil conditions radishes will grow quickly, be less woody and grow larger.

Sowing and Planting. Radishes are only small so seeds can be sown very close, try and sow a seed every inch in rows that are around 6 inches apart. Simply cover with soil and water lightly.

Looking After the Plants. Keep the area weed free at all times, this is best done by hoeing between the rows of seedlings, you can also hand weed the area if you have planted the seedlings a little to close.

Keep the radish plants well watered while they are still small, drying out can cause the crop to become woody. Thinning may also be required if seedlings are too close.

Harvesting. You can begin pulling the first radishes while they are still small, harvesting when the radishes are the size of your thumb is the best time to pick them.

If you leave the radish plants to grow for too long they will become woody and inedible. This can be a problem if you plant too many seeds at once and get a glut at the end of the growing season.

Nutritional Value and Health Benefits. The popular red globe radish is low in calories. Radishes provide a good amount of potassium, vitamin C and fiber.

(1400)

Words to the text:

glut -избыток

thinning - прореживание

seedlings – рассада, саженцы

potassium – калий

6.1 Say if the sentences are true or false:

1) Radish is one of the quickest vegetables you can grow.

2) Radishes love poor, moist soil.

3) Radishes will grow in bad conditions.

4) Radishes provide a good amount of potassium, vitamin C and fiber.

7 Beet

Red beet is a popular garden vegetable. Beet tops are an excellent source of vitamin C. The tops are cooked or served fresh as greens and the roots may be pickled for salads or cooked whole. If you sow, harvest and store beet correctly it is possible to eat your own beet all year round.

Soil Preparation. Beet prefer to be grown on a soil which is deep, sandy and fertile. The land should be dug in winter adding some well rotted compost. Beet grows well in areas which have sun throughout the day but need soil that will hold enough water to keep. Roots that haven’t been watered will become woody.

Sowing and Planting. You can begin sowing beet in April with the last sowing in late June, this will ensure you have a continuous crop throughout the summer season.

Two seeds should be planted together, 4 inches apart in rows that are 10 inches apart, this will allow enough room for the plants to grow.

Looking After the Plants. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle you can begin thinning them. This is done by removing the weakest seedling from each station. This will leave one seedling every four inches.

The plants must be kept well watered, if watered at irregular intervals the beet can soon become woody and even inedible. The ground around the plants should be kept weed free too.

Harvesting. Once the first roots reach the size of a small golf ball you should harvest every second plant in the row. These can be used for cooking immediately.

The rest of the plants will now be left to mature. These should not be allowed to grow any larger than a tennis ball, if they grow too large they will become woody and tasteless.

Nutritional Value and Health Benefits. Beets are rich in folic acid that aids in the fight against heart disease and anemia. Beets also high in fiber which helps to keep your blood sugar and blood cholesterol level on track. (1500)

Words to the text:

well rotted compost – перегнивший компост

thinning - прореживание

seedling – рассада, саженцы

to mature - созревать

folic acid – фолиевая кислота

fiber – клетчатка

7.1 Answer the questions:

1) Are red beet tops edible?

2) What kind of soils does beet grow?

3) Must the plants be kept well watered?

4) What is the nutritional value of beet?