Red Beets!

Does anyone know if you can grow beets in the summer? Do they do well in the heat? I had good luck with my beets and would like to plant more but our summers get to be in the high 90's and low 100's at times.

THanks,

Little Thumb

I've been thinking about trying beets now, too, and I've been reading up on them.

Beets are thought of as a cool weather crop because they can tolerate cool weather, but they can also be planted up until the temps get warm - continuous days in the 90's or above are probably too hot for the small seedlings to grow well. Established plants will be okay in the heat as long as they are picked before they get too large and fibrous - 2-3" are best. They can be planted again about a month before the first frost for a late crop.

When the temperatures get warmer the roots may turn a lighter color or show more rings. Red Ace is a variety that is supposed to keep its color in heat. They must be watered well in warm weather to keep the roots from becoming fibrous.
They will also do well in partial shade, so I'm thinking giving them a little shade in warmer weather would be good for them.

I've always planted Detroit Dark Red in spring, and even though I've tried other varieties I always come back to that one.

This has good information:
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-16-89-2-1X2-3,00.html

Where I live in California, it gets hot in the summer - 90 to 100+. I planted beets last summer in the "ground". They did better then my summer carrots (which got bitter). Mine were started in June before it got too hot and we planted them pretty close together. As they grew bigger, we thinned and ate the babies.

Because our dirt conditions aren't very good, the beets never got any bigger then 2" so were not woody.

Now that I have a SFG, I am growing them again. I am planting them near tall stuff so they are in the shade. I think they will do just fine!

Here in Australia I grow beets all year round. We get up to 90-100F in summer and they do fine. With sfg they get a bit of shade from the next square and seem to do well. They certainly do well in my sfg. I have about 6 squares growing at any one time, all different stages. It is winter here and I have seeds just coming up.
Cheers Ray

Alrighty then, I'm growing beets this summer! Thanks for the help.

Little Thumb