Colorful Beets, from Top to Bottom
Spring Gardening Tips
Pansies and violas will fill your spring flower beds with their bright faces in many shades of blue, yellow, red, pink, and purple. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, and other cool-season crops should be planted this month for delicious spring harvests. Plant potatoes—St. Patrick’s Day is a traditional day to do so. Prune hydrangeas now by removing old flower heads down to the first new leaves, but leave stems without old flowers to bloom first this summer. Bare-root apple trees are still available, but only for a short while longer—start your orchard now!
Growing Colorful Beets
Beets are among the most healthful vegetables you can grow; both the roots and greens are rich in vitamins. They come in a bright array of colors, from garnet red to red-and-white striped to deep gold to creamy white. The entire beet—from its robust root to its buttery greens—is sweet and delicious.
- ‘Albina Vereduna’ – An all-white variety, a close relative of the sugar beet, containing 11% sugar (twice that of red beets).
- ‘Detroit Dark Red’ – An old variety with rich, dark-red, 3-inch roots.
- ‘Bull’s Blood’ – Very sweet with deep reddish-purple leaves, great for salads, and pretty pink rings inside.
- ‘Shiraz Tall Top’ – Smooth, uniform red roots with strong, fast-growing green tops.
- ‘Golden’ – Bright yellow flesh with a sweet potato-like flavor.
- ‘Chioggia’ – Heirloom with red-and-white-striped flesh, rosy pink skin, and a sweet flavor.
- ‘Cylindra’ – Cylindrical, purple-red roots, tender and sweet, perfect for uniform slices.
- ‘Mangel’ – Large, oblong, golden-yellow beets; sweet when young or used for stock feed when mature (can grow to 10–20 pounds).
- ‘Tall Top Early Wonder’ – Maroon-tinged leaves and purplish-red, round roots; greens can be eaten like spinach or Swiss chard.
Planting and Care
To grow sweet, tender beets, plant them in cool, moist weather in fall or early spring. Work aged manure or compost into the top 8 inches of soil. Sow seeds ½ inch deep and 1 inch apart. Thin seedlings to 1½–2 inches apart 10–14 days after emergence, then to 4 inches apart a month later. For greens only, sow seeds ½ inch apart in all directions—no thinning needed.
Harvesting
- Roots are ready in 40–55 days when golf-ball-sized.
- Greens can be harvested when leaves are 4–6 inches long.
- Pull up the entire plant to harvest.
Keep soil moist for best quality; mulch in hot or dry weather. Use floating row cover (Remay) to protect from flea beetles.
Cooking Tips
Young roots taste great lightly steamed, shredded and sautéed in butter, or pickled. Bake larger roots, or roast beets of any size to enhance their delicate, earthy flavor. Enjoy these nutritious vegetables fresh from your garden!