Perhaps only second to breadfruit, beets are a true love of mine.
I can surely say that I particularly love them and their magenta flesh when they are prepared by someone else. High in folates and rich in antioxidants, beets are not only delicious but also good for you.
For many reasons, beets never make an appearance in the kitchen garden. For one thing, the sow-to-harvest time on a beet is significant and, in addition, as they mature, beets require significant irrigation to achieve acceptable size.
Many kitchen gardeners have likely tried direct sowing of beets, which has probably yielded limited success. Despite the lengthy maturation process, it is worthwhile to include beets in your kitchen garden.
Here are some tips from my past experiences growing beets:
Beets can easily be started in seedling trays. Plastic egg cartons with small drainage slots or holes are perfect for starting beet seedlings.
Due to their size, beet seeds typically appear as a small reddish clump of many seeds. Germination may also be accelerated by soaking the seeds overnight prior to planting.
Beet seedlings are delicate; be certain to moisten each seedling cell before transplanting them to your garden.
The square foot gardening method is an excellent way to maximize your beet crop. Plan to plant nine beets per square foot in three by three grid configuration.
Dedicating just two four-square-foot areas of your garden to beets, and staggering your sowing by roughly six weeks can yield a continuous harvest.
A single harvest properly stored can provide beets for quite some time. As the beet seedlings begin to mature, and to avoid overcrowding, ensure that you have thinned each cluster down to a single plant.
Instead of pulling the clumped seedlings, carefully clip those that you are removing at the level of the soil.
As an added bonus keep in mind that baby beet greens can be harvested as the beets mature. Use them as you would spinach or chard.