How to Grow Beets

Beets have it all: You can eat both roots and tops; and the foliage, sometimes ruffled and often tinged with red, turns heads in any garden. Beets like cool weather; in USDA zone 8 and warmer, grow them as a winter or spring crop.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Fertilizer Analyzer
• Compost Makers
• Garden Hoses
• Planting Containers
• Seeds
• Shovels

1. Choose a site that gets full sun and has light soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0. (See "How to Have Your Soil Tested.") Dig deeply - to at least 10 inches - to promote good root development, and amend the soil with plenty of organic matter.

2. Sow seeds outdoors beginning two or three weeks before the last expected frost. (Like most root crops, beets rarely show up as started plants in nurseries.) Seeds should be 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep and 2 inches apart, with at least 1 foot between rows.

3. Cover the planting area with floating row covers immediately after planting to deter leaf miners and other marauders.

4. Thin plants when they're 2 inches tall, and be ruthless: Crowded roots will not develop properly. (Besides, the culled leaves will be yummy in salads.) See the seed packet for exact spacing, but as a general rule, put 3 or 4 inches between plants of smaller varieties, and 6 inches between those with larger roots.

5. Give plants at least 1 inch of water a week, and maintain a regular schedule; uneven watering can result in dry, cracked roots. Once plants are established, mulch with compost to conserve moisture and deter weeds.

6. Encourage rapid growth (a key, along with even moisture, to sweet-flavored beets) by feeding every three weeks with a diluted organic fertilizer that's low in nitrogen. On the other hand, if you're after lush greens rather than tasty roots, use an organic fertilizer with an even balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

7. Harvest both roots and greens when they're small and tender for the best flavor.

Tips & Warnings

• All beet greens are edible and nutritious, but some are tastier than others. If the leafy tops are your favorite parts, plant a crop of Early Wonder or Green Top Bunching beets.

• Don't bother to thin the plants if you've planted for greens rather than roots.

• Not all beets are red. For a jolt of color at the dinner table, look for white or yellow varieties such as Snow-White or Burpee's Golden.

• Nearly all beets thrive in containers. Choose a pot at least 12 inches deep and 8 inches wide with good drainage. Fill it with compost-enriched potting soil; water frequently and apply compost tea every three weeks.

• When you add soil amendments, avoid those high in nitrogen, such as manure; nitrogen encourages lush top growth at the expense of healthy root development.