How to plant and Grow Beets to Eat

Hybrid beets are a bright red vegetable, these are the most popular. In addition to popular red beets, there is a golden yellow variety, and a white variety. Beets are easy to grow, the seeds are easy to handle and with rich moist soil, they will grow resisting most pest and diseases.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Seeds
• Fertilizer
• Water

1. 
    
   flickr.com

   Sow seeds in early spring, two or four weeks before the last spring frost, into fertile sandy soil. Seeds can be sown outside several weeks before the last expected frosts. Young seedlings will tolerate mild frost. Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep in rows spaced 1 foot apart. Seeds will germinate in 17 days if soil is at 50F (10C).

2. 
    
   burpee.com

   For maximum flavor and tenderness beets prefer regular, uniform moisture. Beets shouldn't need watering unless the soil is dry, if there is a dry spell, beets tend to stop growing. Many plants may fail to form beets if moisture is deficient in the early stages. Do not crowd plants, maturing roots need space. Crowding can produce an unusual number of mis-shapen plants. Each beet seed is a dried fruit of three or four seeds held together.
   
   If weeds spring up with your beets, carefully pull them by hand rather than using tools, because you may nick the plants under ground and leave them open to disease organisms.

3. 
    
   garden.org

   Beets will grow to the size of a baseball, but they are best harvested when they are the size of a golf ball. Twist off the foliage and leave the thin taproot intact. By doing this it will keep the color from bleeding excessively while cooking.
   
   Beets can be stored up to 6 months, if the tops are cut off, and the beets are covered with moist sand in a cool humid unheated basement or garage at 32F (0C).
   
   Beets can also be stored up to 10 days in the refrigerator in plastic bags.

Resources

• BEET SEEDS
• BEET SEED
• WANNA KNOW HOW TO GROW
• BEETS FACTS 101

[esatchel]

on 8/11/2009 A helpful article. Thank you for the tips.

[emilywhitby1]

on 6/15/2009 Thanks for the information on growing and storing beets. I never seem to get beets to do well in my garden, so this is very helpful! 5*

[konakai]

on 6/14/2009 Thanks for the tips and ideas for growing Beets. Very informative. 5*

[omghow]

on 6/13/2009 Love beets. Thanks for the advice.

[woot]

on 6/11/2009 I love beets, especially the greens. But apparently rabbits love them too. The first time I planted beets the rabbits ate them down to nubs overnight. I can't grow them without a fence.