HOME & GARDEN
Hannah Lepsch For those who have more questions please contact N.C. Cooperative Extension – Yadkin County Center at 336.849.7908 or by email at hannah_lepsch@ncsu.edu.
Bulls Blood beets for greens. Photo: Pam Dawling, Sustainable Market Farming Blog
Successful Edibles Series
Grow Bulbous Beets
Your fall vegetable stores have dwindled, and six months have elapsed since fat tomatoes and zucchini (never thought you’d miss them) proliferated the kitchen counter. Extend your harvest into the early spring “shoulder” season with a cool season crop like beets. Growing a “shoulder vegetable” is an opportunity to renew fresh harvests before summer crops are even planted. Garden beets (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris), also called a beetroot or table beet, is a cold hardy biennial (requiring two seasons to set seed) grown as an annual for its edible root. It is a member of the amaranth family that includes swiss chard, spinach, and quinoa (and pigweed). Domestication enlarged the upper storage chamber of the root, resulting in the bulbous beetroot we eat. Beyond its tasty flavor (beets have highest sugar content of any vegetable), several scientific studies have shown beets help prevent heart disease and lower blood pressure. Beet roots are high vitamin C content to boost the immune system, a pertinent need this spring. Not only do beets grow best under cool temps, but they’re actually sweeter and have a better color. Like other root vegetables, they are quite cold hardy and survive a freeze and much colder temperatures, 20°F. and below, without protection. Varieties include storage, bunching and specialty types, ranging in color from classic “beet red” to gold to red with white stripes. Ruby queen, red ace and bulls blood (for greens) are varieties that do well in our area. Lutz and Winterkeeper are excellent varieties for longer storing times that hold for months in the refrigerator. Commonly grown heirlooms are Chioggia, notable for its red and white striped interior and Cylindra, an elongated, slicing beet that is easy to chop for pickling or on salads. Planting begins 4 to 6 weeks before the last spring frost— March 1 through mid-April in USDA hardiness zone 7 which is most of the Yadkin Valley. Most varieties mature in 50 to 68
/ yadk invalleym agazine.com
60 days for harvest in May to June. Late planting is a frequent problem with beets pushing into hotter weather having underdeveloped, poor quality roots with lower sugar content. Fall beets should be sown 8 to 10 weeks before killing frost in late July through mid-August. While a fall planting may be sweeter growing into cold weather, plant establishment is more reliable with spring planting because beet seeds do not germinate/survive well in hot soil. Beets are heavy feeders, requiring adequate nitrogen and phosphorus and loose soil to form a sizeable root. Be sure to apply a nitrogen source in a complete fertilizer or a nitrogenrich organic amendment like high quality compost or bloodmeal. Routine compost application opens up heavy clay soil and over time builds “fluffy” (or friable) soil needed to form a sizeable root. Take a soil test for accurate lime and fertilizer rates for your garden soil. In the absence of a soil test, apply 1 cup of general fertilizer such as 10-10-10 fertilizer per 10’ of row. Apply 50% before seeding in a 1 to 2’ wide band, and sidedress plants with the remainder at 4 and 6 weeks after planting. Boron is an important micronutrient for beets, causing a black spot to develop at the root center where deficient. Side dress a small amount (6 to 7 Tablespoons of per 1000 sf) of household borax, or even dissolve 1 Tablespoon of borax in 3 gallons of water and apply with a watering can over a 100’ row. Prepare soil for planting by loosening with a spade, then follow with a rake to form a smooth, even seedbed of fine soil. Direct sow beet seeds ½ to 1” deep in rows spaced 15 to 20,” wide enough to keep weeds hoed between rows (beets do not compete well with weeds, so keep up with hand pulling weeds when they emerge). Gently tamp the soil or water in after planting. Beets, like other root crops, are not usually transplanted as disturbing roots can stunt their growth. Damping-off, caused by pythium spp and other soil-borne fungi, is common in cool, wet soils and shows up as rotting of seedling stems at the soil line. To prevent, grow on a raised bed or planting area to encourage good drainage.
