Each month we feature a fruit or vegetable and explain how to grow it, harvest it and give you a couple of our favorite recipes to use. Be sure and come back each month to see what's new in the garden!
Beets
How To Grow
Direct seed beets about 2 weeks before your last frost date. Soil temperature should be 40F or above. Soak seeds for about 12 hours before planting. Plant seeds 2-4 inches apart. Beet seeds are actually cluters of seeds so they will require thinning, but you can use the thinnings for salads.
You may want to plant successive crops every three weeks for a continuous supply although the roots will become tough in hot summer temperatures.
Plants should have a steady supply of moisture to avoid cracking or toughness,
Varieties
Detroit Dark Red-sweet, popular, good for bunching or canning.
Red Ace-fast growing, good for table greens
Burpees Golden-golden orange color, don't blled like red beets, mild flavored greens.
Chioggia-heirloom variety, red and white ringed interior.
Location
Full sun to partial shade. Soil should be well dug down to about 10 inches and very loose for good root development. Best soil pH is 6.0-7.5
Fertilizer
Enrich the soil with plenty of compost but do not add manure around beets.
Pests and Disease
Beets don't suffer from many diseases, but can be attacked by a variety of pests such as aphids,leafhoppers, blister beetles and beet webworms. Many of these pests can be avoided by planting under row covers, handpicking pests, and use of BTK for webworms.
Harvest
Most tender when roots are size of ping pong ball. Greens may be cut individually at any time.
Wash beets. Cover with cold water and bring to boil. Simmer, covered about 40 minutes. Drain and when cool, slip off skins. Cut beets into slices.
Peel and cut carrots into slices. Steam about 5 minutes.
Combine ginger, sugar, orange juice, vinegar, orange zest, and spices in saucepan and simmer. Cook until thickened. Simmer beets and carrots in sauce for about 5 minutes.
Svekolnik (Beet Soup)
You will need a bunch of beets *with greens* for this soup. Peel the beet roots and boil until almost done. (You may add some vinegar or lemon acid to the water, to make color more deep). Add chopped beet greens and continue boiling until greens are soft. Shred beet roots (not too finely), cool down the soup and put in the refrigerator. Boil 1-2 eggs, cut them and a cucumber into small pieces, mix and store separately. Serve cold. Before serving, add eggs and cucumber to the soup (as much as you like; for me 2 eggs make 3-4 servings). Add also some plain yogurt or light sour cream to your taste.
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