Beet

This old-fashioned favorite is becoming trendy once again. Use beetroots fresh, steamed, or roasted. At room temperature, beetroot is great in salads. It's also a favorite for pickling and canning. Although beetroots are usually red, they may also be yellow, pink, or stripped, creating a beautiful effect.

The leaves of beets are also prized. Usually, leaves are green with veins that match the root color, though some produce reddish-purple leaves. Tender young beet greens can be added to salads. When they're larger, they're usually steamed, sauted, stir-fried, or cooked. They're especially appreciated in the South, where they're "cooked down" with ham or bacon either solo or combined with other greens, such as mustard greens or collard greens.

Light:

Sun,Part Sun

Plant Type:

Vegetable

Plant Height:

4-12 inches tall

Plant Width:

2-8 inches wide

Top Varieties

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'Bull's Blood' beet

features deep burgundy foliage that's especially attractive in salads. Its roots develop a candy-stripe interior. 55 days
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'Chioggia' beet

is an Italian heirloom variety with green leaves and pink stems. It produces candy-stripe roots 60 days after planting.
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'Cylindrica' beet

features dark red cylindrical roots ideal for uniform slices of pickled or canned beets.
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'Golden' beet

has green leaves with yellow stems and sweet golden roots. 55 days
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'Red Ace' beet

offers round, smooth, deep red roots and is ready to harvest 50 days after seeding. 55 days
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'Red Sangria' beet

offers consistently deep purple-red roots that stay smooth and are ready to harvest in 55 days.
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Harvest Tips

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Collect beet greens when they're 4-6 inches tall. Beet roots may be harvested at any time during their development, but roots larger than 1-2 inches in diameter may become woody. When harvesting beet roots, leave an inch of foliage on the beet top to prevent the root from "bleeding" during cooking.

Propagation

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Seed