Roots & tubers
Beets
Spring and August sowings; roots plus greens.
- Outside
- Direct mid Apr, again early Aug
- Where
- Raised bed or in ground
- Sun
- Full sun; tolerates light shade
- Water
- Steady; swings show up as woody rings
- Harvest
- Jun to Jul, then Sep to Oct
Two crops in one sowing: beets grown for roots that roast and tops that cook like the chard they are related to. April and August rows cover early summer and fall.
Growing
Direct sow mid April and once more in early August; each wrinkled seed is a cluster of several, so thinning to two inches is not optional, and the thinnings are the first greens. Steady water keeps roots tender and ring-free. Pull from golf ball to tennis ball size; the August round matures into fall cool and tastes better for it.
Varieties
Detroit Dark Red is the dependable classic; Touchstone Gold keeps its color in the pan and off the cutting board; Cylindra slices into even rounds for pickling.
Pests
The same fly that mines spinach works beet tops, leaving pale winding tunnels; pull tunneled leaves for the compost and the root keeps growing, or net the row when the greens are the point. Flea beetle pinholes up top cost the roots nothing.
In the kitchen
Roots roast wrapped and slip their skins under a thumb. The tops go in the pan with garlic, because botanically they are chard in all but name.