Cultivating beets is an excellent garden activity if you live somewhere where the environment is chilly. Although they prefer cooler weather, beets can be used year-round because the roots and most of the leaves can be eaten raw or cooked in salads. You can choose from a wide range of beet cultivars to see which ones you want to cultivate.
Let’s look at some of the different types of Beets.
Heirloom Detroit Dark Red
Heirloom Detroit Dark Red is a beet type that dates from the late 1800s and is one of the most popular. It is highly regarded for its roasted properties, is suitable for canning, and the leaves are also delectable. Sweet and delectable are two words that characterize the flavor. After 55 days of growth, the crop is ready for harvest.
Cylindra
Are you planning a dinner party and want to wow your guests? Use beets that look like carrots, such as the ‘Cylindra’ variety. This 1880s Danish heirloom cultivar is also known as ‘Formanova’ and ‘Butter Slicer.’
It comes from Denmark. The latter moniker is derived from the fact that it has a supple and aesthetically pleasing feel. The name comes from the burgundy color and lengthy, cylindrical shape of the ring. Most measure 6 to 9 inches long when fully grown after 60 days.
Crapaudine
The Beet variety ‘Crapaudine’ may be the oldest heirloom seed accessible, dating back more than a millennium. The Vegetable Garden, a French book published in 1885, mentions it as one of the earliest known kinds. This is an extremely rare variety; if you come across some, act quickly and purchase it.
It has the same shape as a carrot, and chefs all over the world adore it for its flavor.
Crosby Egyptian
Another variation that isn’t your typical beet form is ‘Crosby Egyptian,’ which is more flat than round. Although the root is delicious, many gardeners prefer greens. They’re full of taste, whether young or old, and a must-have for anyone who enjoys beets.
Beet types known as “Egyptian” were produced in Germany and were popular in the United States around 1880. The American Garden gave this cultivar a scathing review, and it’s been a go-to for kitchen gardeners ever since.
Blood of a Bull
The Blood of a Bull is a heritage beet cultivar with burgundy-purple leaves instead of the usual beet greens. Because of its color and size, gardeners use Bull’s Blood beets for salads. Smaller roots (about 3-4 inches in length) are produced when using this variety compared to others. It takes 58 days for the plant to reach maturity.
Sangria
A popular Beet variety, the Sangria takes 55 days from the time you plant this open-pollinated cultivar to reap the rewards. There are few vegetables more bolt-tolerant than Sangria beets, which is why gardeners adore them. This implies it works effectively in hot climes or in regions with wide temperature variations.
It’s possible to collect baby beets or mature roots of sangria beets, both of which have a bright red hue when harvested. If you keep them in the ground for an extended period of time, they won’t toughen up.
Sweetheart
The Sweetheart beet variety has beautiful emerald-green foliage. It’s a true eye-catcher in the backyard.
Sweetheart Beets take 58 days to mature and produce wonderful, extra-sweet roots. In addition to the roots being edible, the tops can be used to make delectable greens.
See more: Do Strawberry and Beets Go Together | Oven Roasted Beets with Orange Segments | Pickled Beets | Red Beet Crostini | Garden Beet Gnocchi | Roasted Beet Hazelnut with Goat Cheese
Forono
The Forono, a sweet, cylindrical beet, is known as “Cook’s Delight” because of its sweet flavor and appearance.
Heritable to Italy, it has roots that grow to a length of 5-8 inches and are 2-3 inches in diameter. Instead of keeping your beets in your garden for an extended period of time, aim to pick them when they are young.
Beets in Their Infancy
Any form of beet can be used as a baby beet, as long as it is pulled in time. They’re frequently sold at local farmers’ markets and as a specialty item. They have tasty fruit and leafy greens that go well in a variety of dishes. There are hundreds of recipes for baby beets on the Internet, and they are especially tasty when served with different kinds of greens.
Golden Colored Beets
These beets are golden or yellow in color and have a moderate flavor. Experts say they’ve been present since the 1820s at the earliest. They’re vibrant and delicious, and roasting them brings out even more of the flavor. It’s worth noting that there are numerous types of golden beet, such as the Detroit Golden and Burpee’s Golden Beet.
Golden beets that have a pleasant, earthy flavor. It is possible to find them year-round, although the harvest season is when they are most popular. After cooking, they are much easier to peel and pair well with a variety of meals such as apples, cheese, potatoes, walnuts, and bacon. The flesh is a golden-orange shade of variegation on these beets.
Beets with Mangalo-Wurzel Skin
It’s also known as the Mangold beet and used to be reserved for feeding animals before becoming increasingly popular in recent decades. Due to its plump and top-heavy nature, it resembles a hybrid between a beet and a carrot. In addition, there is a 20-pound Mammoth Red Mangel variation, making it a very massive beet.
These beets are white or golden-yellow in color and have a sweet flavor. The cultivar is thought to be an heirloom from Europe. In addition to being smashed like potatoes, they can be consumed in a number of other forms such as juices, pickled, and in various salads.
They contain powerful antioxidants and vitamins, and growing them in a cooler climate brings out their best qualities.
Sugar Beets
In shape and color, these beets look more like turnips than bees. Sugar beets are off-white. Sugar beets account for roughly 20% of global sugar production, in part because of the high concentration of sucralose in their juice.
Beets such as these are normally grown only in commercial settings rather than in backyards. They’re not as popular as the others because people don’t consume them.
Beets with White Albinism
The White Albino beet, as its name implies, is completely white and is typically grown annually. This delicious and spherical beet is from Holland, and it’s so sweet you could use it to create sugar. It takes a little longer to mature during the fall and winter, but even so, it’s appropriate for tiny gardens or pots.
When Should Beets be Planted?
In early April, when the soil is workable, plant your first round of beets. Plant new seeds every two to three weeks till summer is through.
You can keep planting as long as the daytime temperature does not rise above 24°C (75°F) in the summer.
It takes 5 to 8 days for seeds to germinate in soil that is at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). Germination can take up to three weeks in soil that is two to three times cooler.
A good tip is to soak the seeds in water for 24 hours before planting to speed up germination or when planting in locations with little moisture and rainfall.
From mid-summer to early October, plant beet seeds 4 to 6 weeks before your first fall frost for a late harvest.
In order to have a winter harvest of beets, plant them in the early or late fall.
Preparation For Planting and Site Selection
Beets need the strong sun to thrive. Sunlight exposure of at least six hours each day is recommended for these plants, but more is better.
To prevent the spread of illnesses and insects that can affect beets, do not plant them in areas where Swiss chard or spinach have recently been cultivated.
Tolerant of both medium and low soil fertility, beets are best grown in well-prepared, fertile soil.
Rocks and other impediments must be removed from the soil for the healthy development of the round beetroots.
Slightly alkaline (7.0+) soils can be tolerated, although those with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 are ideal. Beets can’t grow on soils that are too acidic (pH below 6.0).
To improve fertility, a balanced (10-10-10) fertilizer can be added to deficient soil prior to planting. Find out more about soil amendments and how to get ready for planting by learning about these topics.
The Right Way to Plant Beets
Although beets – unlike many other root crops – tolerate being transferred while still young, we prefer to sow them directly in the garden to avoid disturbing their roots. Beets, on the other hand, may usually be started outside without issue because they are cold-tolerant.
Sow seeds 12 inches deep in rows that are approximately a foot apart, spaced 1 to 2 inches apart. Do make sure to cover your seeds with a coating of dirt as soon as they have been sown.
There are actually between two to four wrinkled beet, so you’ll want to make sure that the young plants are three to four inches apart the greens are approximately four inches in height. Because of this, their roots can develop properly.
Don’t pick up the plants when thinning since you can disrupt the roots of the beets you want to keep. Instead, take a sniper and remove the greens.