Beets

		NEWSLETTER			SUBSCRIBE
		DISCUSSIONS			CUSTOMER SERVICE
		VIDEO CENTER			Marketplace
		IN THIS ISSUE			Promotions

HOME	\|	GROWING A - Z	\|	OG SOLUTIONS	\|	LANDSCAPING	\|	COMPOST & SOIL	\|	ORGANIC LIVING

Vegetables Flowers Herbs Fruit Houseplants Growing Techniques Harvest Techniques

FREE Trial Issue!

IN SEASON
	Visit OrganicGardening.com to sign up for our free weekly newsletters: In Season offers timely articles and projects, and Garden to Table delivers ideas and recipes for seasonal produce. Sign up now.

Gardening Events
	A state-by-state listing of gardening events in your area!

:: Home > Growing A-Z > Vegetables

Marketplace
	This is the classified ads section of the site. Happy Shopping!

Beets

Learn the tricks to growing tender, sweet beets.

In This Article

>	Planting and Growing
>	The Best of the Beets



Related Articles

>	Beauty of the Beets
>	Parsnips

Products
>	Vegetable Gardener's Bible


Discussions
>	Over the Fence

Beets are sweet (you know), nutritious (you've heard), beautiful (you can see) and easy to grow (you're about to find out) in just about any conditions.

Selecting plants
Beet cultivars offer roots of different colors and shapes: red, purple, gold, or white; round, oval, or cylindrical. If your weather is severe, look for cultivars that tolerate extreme temperatures. To stock your root cellar, look for beets with good keeping qualities.

Select small-rooted cultivars for canning or pickling whole. Cylindrical cultivars such as 'Formanova' provide lots of uniform- size slices for cooking and processing with little waste. Where leaf spot has been a problem, grow disease-tolerant cultivars.

Site
Beets perform best in full sun but tolerate partial shade.

Soil
Light, sandy loam permits rapid, uninterrupted growth for tender roots. Moist, fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-6.8 is ideal.

Test the soil and amend as necessary. Work in 15-20 pounds of compost for every 100 square feet of soil. Loosen the soil thoroughly to a depth of at least 1 foot. Prepare traditional flat rows or wide rows. In heavy or poorly drained soils, prepare 6 to 8 inch high raised beds instead.

How much to plant
Grow 5 to 10 feet of fresh beets per person. For canning, sow a 10 to 2 foot row for each beet eater.

Spacing
Space plants 2 to 4 inches apart; allow 12 to 20 inches between rows. When plants are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin them to 4 to 6 inches apart.

Days to maturity
Harvest beet roots 56 to 70 days after sowing seeds. Baby beets are ready sooner. Beet greens are ready to harvest in just 30 to 45 days.

Page 1 of 3

Save up to 27%: subscribe to Organic Gardening...

PLUS get a free gift and a FREE book! Click here now.

CATEGORIES:	Home Growing A - Z OG Solutions Landscaping Compost & Soil Organic Living
SERVICES:	Discussions Magazine Subscriptions Gift Subscriptions Newsletter
HELP:	Customer Service Contact Us
CORPORATE:	Rodale Inc Advertising Your Privacy Rights
OTHER RODALE SITES:	Bicycling.com Runner's World Running Times Women's Health Mountain Bike Prevention Men's Health Rodale