Re: Beets; Don't be intimidated!

CapeCoddess Sun 20 Aug 2017 - 7:03

My beets from the April planting are still in the ground! The bulbs are so small, if there's any at all, that I'm hoping by leaving them in the ground they might get bigger. Anyone have any luck doing that? Or do they just get woody? The largest is about an inch across. and there are only about five of those. The rest are just roots. I'm not even getting good greens from them this year.
Sad

I planted more for fall and am ever hopeful...

BeetlesPerSqFt Sun 20 Aug 2017 - 8:05

My tall top early wonder beets just don't seem to get very big. My larger beets were Guardsmark Chiogga. So at least for my garden conditions, I've decided it's partly a variety issue. The no-beets fall beet plants I overwintered eventually made a small quantity of greens, but never made real beets. I'd be happy for someone else to say they've been successful in turning old beet plants into producers, but I think once they are past a certain age they stop trying.

dixie Tue 22 Aug 2017 - 7:44

In my experience, they only get woody the longer they grow.

I now grow Cylindra, which is a also known as Forono and Formanova, a long smooth regular cylindrical beet that is sweet & much easier to peel. They get about 5-6 inches long when I plant them in spring. I've got them planted for a fall crop now, my first time as a fall planting, so I hope they do well.

Here is the link & description from Fedco Seeds: https://fedcoseeds.com/seeds/search?item=2156&search=cylindra

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE Fedco Seeds? Generous packs & all non-GMO, huge selection of heirlooms & lots of organics.

CapeCoddess Tue 22 Aug 2017 - 8:21

Thanks, Dixie. I just planted cylindra for the first time in hopes of a fall crop. A few sprouted already but the rest are just sitting there. I got them from Burpee online, and I didn't soak them first as I usually do, so it's a wait and see.

http://www.burpee.com/Vegetables/Beets/Beet-Cylindra-prod000610.html?cid=PPC&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_J32xJHr1QIVFzuBCh1ZoAeQEAYYASABEgKzzvD_BwE

I think I read somewhere, maybe here, that none of the seeds we home gardeners buy are GMO, that it's only the bulk seeds that farmers buy that are GMO. Or maybe I dreamed it?
sawing logs

dixie Tue 22 Aug 2017 - 8:55

I don't know about the gmo part, but I love heirlooms & that's the main thing I like about Fedco.

Also, I've never soaked my beet seeds, I just water them daily til they come up.

BeetlesPerSqFt Tue 22 Aug 2017 - 8:58

CapeCoddess wrote:I think I read somewhere, maybe here, that none of the seeds we home gardeners buy are GMO, that it's only the bulk seeds that farmers buy that are GMO. Or maybe I dreamed it?

Not a dream, it was me posting over in the mutant squash thread :-)
> GMO seeds still aren't available to home gardeners. If you're buying GMO seeds, the company makes you sign agreements and "It's a violation of the EPA's requirements to provide any genetically engineered seed to non-commercial growers.": http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2014/09/what_every_home_vegetable_gard.html
and
https://gmoanswers.com/ask/how-do-i-tell-if-zucchini-and-yellow-squash-seeds-are-gmo-or-not

**Scorpio Rising** Tue 22 Aug 2017 - 17:25

I did not know that about the non-GMO stuff for us non-comms! My beets are still out there too, started them late April, they were direct seeded....didn't have time to pull them when I pulled the carrots...will report. Again, Chiogga and Detroit Red.

Would like a sweeter variety to try. Maybe Cylindra?

dixie Wed 23 Aug 2017 - 5:39

Cylindra is very sweet & easier to peel because of the shape, but I don't know if it is sweeter than the others you mentioned

BeetlesPerSqFt Wed 23 Aug 2017 - 7:25

I'd say try one of the gold beets - in my experience they either are actually sweeter, or they are less beety (earthy), so they seem sweeter.

**Scorpio Rising** Thu 24 Aug 2017 - 17:23

Yeah, I am branching out in the beet department. Thanks!

I really like pickled beets a lot. Tried roasting a bunch last year in foil on the grill with some EVOO and rosemary....just OK....weren't sweet enough. Maybe a touch of maple syrup would have been good...of course it would!!!!! Wink

**Scorpio Rising** Tue 23 Oct 2018 - 16:57

OK, people, what varieties do you grow/have you grown/why you no longer grow or continue to grow them?

This year was an abysmal year for beets in my area. I planted 1.5 SF and got literally 2 beets. Not good. And they were not good.

I have grown Ruby Queen, Chiogga, and Detroit Red. RQ was lovely, but I could not get it to germinate the 2nd year. Chiogga iffy production, and Detroit Red REALLY beety. Earthy, not my cup of tea, although OK for pickling if that is your thing!

Thoughts?

OhioGardener Thu 25 Oct 2018 - 18:57

Scorpio Rising wrote:OK, people, what varieties do you grow/have you grown/why you no longer grow or continue to grow them?

I always grow Detroit Dark Red and have good results with them. But, this year I experimented with some different varieties - Chioggia Bull's Eye, Crosby Egyptian, and Early Wonder Tall Top. All of them did very well, with heavy production. The Crosby Egyptian was my favorite for canning & pickling - it had the largest roots, and the sweetest taste. The Chioggia was more a novelty, but it was great sliced in salads with the red & white rings. The Tall Top was good for early greens as the plants were growing, but the roots didn't form uniform globe shapes - possibly because I took too many leaves off for salads.

I still have seeds for all of them, so probably will grow them again next year, in addition to planting the Detroit Dark Red again.

**Scorpio Rising** Fri 26 Oct 2018 - 16:26

Interesting. I am intrigued by the golden ones, but they probably aren’t as good for you as the red ones...the Crosby is red, OG?

OhioGardener Fri 26 Oct 2018 - 17:06

Scorpio Rising wrote:Interesting. I am intrigued by the golden ones, but they probably aren’t as good for you as the red ones...the Crosby is red, OG?

Yes, they are bright red. Here is the description of them on Baker Creek - Crosby's Egypian Beet

I grew the golden ones a couple years ago, but didn't care for them. They didn't have the earthy taste of beets to me. Kind of bland.

**Scorpio Rising** Fri 26 Oct 2018 - 20:50

Thanks, OG, I might give these a try! I really like sweet, and don’t like the dirt after-taste. “Earthy”, lol, me no likey.

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