[veggiewhisperer]

Hello everyone!

My neighbor had been growing beets in a container and she mentioned to me that when she went to harvest them the other day, there were no beets. She just had really good looking tops. She planted the Detroit Dark Red and Golden varieties. I told her that it may have been too hot when she decided to plant them. Any other theories?

 

[stephanie]

remind her the tops grow first and get big and lush before the beets start to form, also remind her the tops are very tasty too and can be cooked and eaten like spinach or collard greens. that is a bonus with beets is the whole plant can be used. I know when I grow beets in zone 8 western Washington state I plant beet seeds in late April and don't see beets to harvest till around august. but the tops are about a foot high by mid June but the root part isn't formed till early/mid august. they do like a bit of a colder start but should be ok.

 

[Tammy]

I'm zone 8 also and like Stephanie said, I don't harvest my beets until maybe late august? a bit earlier if I want some smaller beets. Even now, I have nice looking tops on my beets and there are a couple that I could pull right now for a small beet, but for the most part, the root is just barely starting to bulb out under the soil. they are almost more like the shape of a cylindrical radish at this point.

 

[angel1237b]

is there a way to harvest the tops and have the beet stay in the ground to grow?

 

[stephanie]

yes just trim off the larger leaves threw out the growing season and wash them then they can be steamed and eaten or frozen. always leave the smaller leaves to grow and help the root to grow bigger.

 

[discgolfergirl]

That is good to know! I was wonder why me beets in the container were not developing either!

 

[Angel20]

Having no luck at all with my beets, planted a full row and none have come through..

 

[angel1237b]

That is weird..i have been eating beet greens and beets now for a couple of weeks...i just plant
ed them in a row,and away they went...i also planted them at the end of my other rows...they all did well.

 

[veggiewhisperer]

Thanks for the information. I wasn't too sure what was going on with my neighbor's beets. I am growing Detroit Dark Red and Golden. The beets are very easy to grow.

 

[angel1237b]

i love beet greens soooo much....i so wish i could grow them in the house over winter...can i?

 

[stephanie]

The last of my beets are sitting in the ground getting bigger by the day. the deer have decided the beet tops are tasty and have eaten all the green parts off and left me red stems. hmm may have to get a hunting license and bag me a deer fattened up on my garden and hay in the barn. yum alfalfa and grain fed deer?

 

[veggiewhisperer]

^^I love deer. My mom makes a mean chili made with deer meat.

 

[stephanie]

^^I love deer. My mom makes a mean chili made with deer meat.

yes and even better when they get good foods year round!