How to Grow Beets That Can't Be Beat

Growing Beets

Beets are cool-season crops that tolerate warmth once established. In full sun, sow directly into loose, well-drained soil in spring as soon as ground is workable. If soil is wet or clay-heavy, wait for it to dry and amend with compost. Root crops need uncompacted soil.

Sow seeds ½–1 inch deep, 1 inch apart, rows 1 foot apart. Or broadcast seeds, leaving space for root expansion. Cover lightly with compost, keep moist until seedlings emerge. Each "seed" is actually a fruit containing multiple seeds—thin to the strongest seedlings. Use scissors to avoid disturbing neighbors. Eat thinnings in salads or cooked like spinach.

After thinning, just weed and water weekly until harvest.

When to Harvest Beets

Beets are sweetest and most tender when young—harvest at 1–2 inches diameter, best before 3 inches. Cook quickly: steam, boil, or bake in skins like potatoes. Baby beets cook very fast. All parts are edible; young greens are delicious steamed.

Ready in 50–70 days. For a fall crop, sow again 10 weeks before first frost. Frost damages greens, so harvest before then.

Beet Varieties to Grow

Dozens exist beyond standard red. Red varieties: cylinder-shaped 'Cylindra', tiny 'Babybeet', round 'Baby Ball', 'Bull's Blood' with burgundy leaves. Chioggia (key-OH-gee-uh) from Italy has red skin and concentric white/red rings—considered mildest and sweetest. Golden types: 'Gourmet Golden', 'Burpee's Golden', 'Touchstone Gold'. For something unique, try Dutch heirloom 'Albino'—white inside and out.

Recipes:

• Pickled Beets
• Beet Salad with Orange-Balsamic Dressing
• Lemony Beet Tarts
• Beet Hummus