Beets are hard to beat!

By Melanie Mathieson
Gardening Guru

The table beet (also known as garden beet, blood turnip or red beet) is a popular garden vegetable. Beet tops are an excellent source of vitamin A and the roots are a good source of vitamin C. The tops can be cooked or served fresh as greens and the roots may be pickled for salads or cooked whole, then sliced or diced. The garden beet is closely related to Swiss chard, the sugar beet and the mangel. Mangels (also known as stock beets) are considered too coarse for human consumption but are grown for livestock feed. Beets are a very nutritious vegetable and are particularly rich in folate. Folate and folic acid have been found to prevent neural-tube birth defects and aid in the fight against heart disease and anemia. Beets are also high in both soluble and insoluble fibre. Insoluble fibre helps to keep your intestinal track running smoothly and soluble fibre helps to keep your blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels on track.
Beets are fairly frost hardy and can be planted in the garden 30 days before the frost-free date for your area. Although beets grow well during warm weather, the seedlings are established more easily under cool, moist conditions. If you would like successive planting, starts at 3 to 4 week intervals until midsummer for a continuous supply of fresh, tender, young beets. Make sure adequate moisture is attained once the hot weather arrives, to assure germination and establishment of the later plantings.
The beet “seed” is actually a cluster of seeds in a dried fruit. Several seedlings may grow from each fruit. The nice thing about this cluster is that beet seeds are one of the larger vegetable seeds and are quite easy to see once sprinkled on the soil. Plant seeds about 1/2 inch deep and one inch apart. Allow 12 to 18 inches between rows. If you are planting in a raised bed, sprinkle evenly about one inch apart over entire area. Evidence of poor germination is often the result of planting too deeply or the soil crusting after a heavy rain. The seedlings may emerge over a relatively long period of time, making a stand of different sizes and ages of seedlings. This is great if you like to harvest greens and small beets and leave some to fully mature.
Hand thinning is almost always necessary. The seedlings should be thinned to 1 to 3 inches apart. If thinning is delayed until the plants are 3 inches tall, those removed may be used for cooked greens, similar to spinach. Some people leave the small root (usually about the size of a marble) attached to the greens when cooking as a special treat. Frequent shallow cultivation is important because beets compete poorly with weeds, especially when small. Because beets have extremely shallow roots, hand weeding and early, frequent and shallow cultivation are the most effective methods of controlling weeds in the rows. Deep cultivation after the weeds are large damages the roots of the beet. Like most root crops, beets need fertile soil (especially high in potassium) for vigorous growth. Keep your beet plants uniformly supplied with moisture for best performance.
Beets can be harvested whenever they grow to the desired size. About 60 days are required for beets to reach 1 1/2 inches in diameter, the size often used for cooking, pickling or canning as whole beets. Beets enlarge rapidly to 3 inches with adequate moisture and space. With most varieties, beets larger than 3 inches may become tough and fibrous so make sure not to leave them in the garden to long.

Garden Beets
(open pollinated)
Detroit Dark Red (58 days; tender, round, dark red roots). The Gardening Guru plants these every year.
Early Wonder (52 days; flattened globe shape; dark red, sweet and tender)
Lutz Green Leaf (70 days; an heirloom winter-keeper type; purplish red exterior, deep red interior; large, glossy green tops, excellent for greens; roots stay tender even when large; stores extremely well)
Ruby Queen (60 days; excellent quality; early; round, tender, sweet, fine-grained, attractive, uniform roots)
Sangria (56 days; ideal globe shape, even in crowded rows; deep red; good greens when young)
Crosby’s Egyptian (56 days to harvest; uniform, sweet, dark red roots; semi-globe to heart shaped; glossy, bright green tops, excellent for greens)

Garden Beets (hybrid)
Avenger (57 days; uniform, vigorous; smooth, medium, globe- shaped red roots; glossy tops, good for greens)
Big Red (55 days, best late-season producer, excellent flavour and yield)
Gladiator (48 days; juicy, fine-grained flesh, deep red throughout; holds color without fading when cooked; uniform shape, size and flavour; excellent for canning)
Warrior (57 days; highly uniform, globe shape develops quickly, holds quality as roots grow large; dark red color inside and out; leaf tops fringed with red)

Specialty Beet Hybrids
Cylindra (60 days; long, cylindrical; all slices of equal diameter)
Golden (55 days; buttery color, sweet mild flavour) these are awesome in flavour and are a great golden colour that does not stain like the red varieties. The Gardening Guru plants these every year.
Green Top Bunching (65 days; round, raw interior banded red and white; sweet, mellow flavour; tops superior for greens). These are highly recommended if you like beet greens. The greens are exceptional and the roots are just a bonus later in the season. The Gardening Guru plants these every year.
Little Ball (50 days; very uniform, small size; good shape; very tender; grows quickly to form smooth roots) These are a great variety if you prefer greens with little beets attached.
Little Mini Ball (54 days; roots the size of a silver dollar at maturity; round; canned whole; short tops good for greens) These are a great variety if you prefer greens with little beets attached.

I hope after reading this column that you are encouraged to try growing beets in your vegetable garden. You don’t have to grow beets for the intention of making beet pickles. I started growing beets for eating just the greens but realized that I really like the beets as well. Give beets a try because I think you will be pleasantly pleased by the versatility a crop of beets will provide you.