Everything you ever wanted to know about beets

"The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent, not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious."

----Tom Robbins, American author

Beets are an incredibly useful crop.... they produce edible leaves as well as roots...and both are delicious. Here are a few growing tips to get you started....

What beets like:

• Well-drained sandy soil.

• Full sun but may do quite well in light shade in hot climates. They do best with warm days and cool nights, maturing in 50 to 80 days.

• Spacing about 4 inches apart. Beet thinnings can be used in salads. In one square foot you could plant 4 seeds/plants. Plant successive crops every 3 to 4 weeks; they can be sown directly from seed.

• Regular water is important, particularly when the roots are sizing up at the end. Too much water in the beginning may result in luxurious tops and small roots.
Harvesting, etc.
• If the shoulders of the beet peek out of the soil simply cover with mulch to protect them from the elements.
• You can start harvesting the roots when they are 1 ½ to 2 inches, about 60 days. They will be sweeter when larger (4”) but if they get much bigger have a tendency to get woody.
• Keep in mind: beets grown in your garden will not be as large as the veggies sold in the grocery store...those vegetables are often bloated with water.

By growing your own vegetables, like our friend the beet, you'll be using a lot less fossil fuel (no transportation costs), reducing what goes into the landfill (in packaging), and definitely eating healthier!