Giant Lutz Beets

kath · November 26, 2012

Today we pulled the storage beets before the snow and low 20's temps that are predicted for the next few days. They are Lutz Green Leaf/Winterkeeper- there are lots of names for the same beet and apparently it's not easy to get seeds for the real thing which has pinkish/green stripey stalks. This variety is supposed to store well and stay tender and sweet even when it's huge. Well, we'll soon see- the largest was over 12 lbs.!

My kitchen scale only registers to 11 lbs. so I had to stand on the bathroom scale with it- not digital, so it's not as accurate, but it's definitely over 12 lbs.

The first pic shows 3 of the largest ones; the second pic is the largest- the ruler is 12". The other pics show the smaller two beets from the first pic on the scale. The really big ones are pretty ugly looking on the outside. If I grow them again next year, I'll be sure to leave enough room next to the row to hill them up as the season progresses.

I'll post again when we cook and eat some and let you know what I think.

kath

Farmette · November 26, 2012

Wow! Those are giants! Looks like 1 makes a meal. Keep us posted so we know whether or not these are worthwhile.
Thanks
Chris

Mark0820 · November 26, 2012

Hopefully they will be good. Some of my Cylindra beets usually grow to that size, and I have never had a problem with them. They have always been as tender as the smaller beets.

It is interesting the way some of the beet tops are growing out of the side of the beet. I have never seen that before.

kath · November 26, 2012

Chris, I'll definitely post after we eat some but I can't imagine we're going to put away 12 lbs. of beet in one meal!

Mark- yes, I'm hoping they'll taste good. Cylindra and Touchstone Gold my grow-every-year-twice-a-year beets but I thought you had to harvest them smaller than 2" for them to stay tender- who knew?! I'll definitely give that a try next year- bet I'll have to hill those up, too. The sprouting down the sides happened because they were exposed to light, I guess. I'm thinking that's not going to help their storage life.

spacetogrow · November 27, 2012

I don't know where you will find a container large enough for those big brutes, but I read online earlier this year that you can replant beets and turnips, top up, in a bucket of lightly moistened sand, and they will produce edible greens through the winter. I'm trying it for the first time with a couple of good sized turnips and it seems to be working.

That might be a useful way to "store" the ones that are trying to sprout so vigorously...and maybe give you more manageable portions.

kath · November 27, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by spacetogrow

I don't know where you will find a container large enough for those big brutes, but I read online earlier this year that you can replant beets and turnips, top up, in a bucket of lightly moistened sand, and they will produce edible greens through the winter. I'm trying it for the first time with a couple of good sized turnips and it seems to be working.

That might be a useful way to "store" the ones that are trying to sprout so vigorously...and maybe give you more manageable portions.

Thanks, that's an interesting idea- DH may have an empty clay pot large enough for one of them but we'd have to find/buy some sand. He uses Delaware R. sand for cactus but I wouldn't want to grow food in it.

In addition to the greens, maybe I could keep it alive long enough to get seeds from it next year.

casino · November 27, 2012

Hi Kath, You have grown some beautiful beets.
I have grown Lutz beets in the past and they are wonderful. Sweet and tender even when they reach that 12 lb giant size. My Lutz beets average 6-7 lbs and the seeds are hard to find, but the literature is correct, they stay tender even when they reach that giant size with NO woody fibers inside at all.

kath · November 27, 2012

Thanks, Joe- good to hear that these will probably be edible!

salix · November 27, 2012

What a haul, Kath! I tried the Lutz once, had some difficulty locating seed, then it didn't germinate - Grrr! Cylindra is my go to as well, but really only time for one crop. I let them grow as large as possible, still tender. Am looking forward to your taste and texture reports. I read somewhere that beets do not grow 'down', they have a root or food storage system that grows 'up' out of the ground. The Cylindras certainly grow with at least 75% of their bulk out of the ground, and it never occurred to me to cover them up as it kept them much cleaner. My friend had a problem with mice, so she did "hill up" her beets.

kath · November 28, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by salix

What a haul, Kath! I tried the Lutz once, had some difficulty locating seed, then it didn't germinate - Grrr! Cylindra is my go to as well, but really only time for one crop. I let them grow as large as possible, still tender. Am looking forward to your taste and texture reports. I read somewhere that beets do not grow 'down', they have a root or food storage system that grows 'up' out of the ground. The Cylindras certainly grow with at least 75% of their bulk out of the ground, and it never occurred to me to cover them up as it kept them much cleaner. My friend had a problem with mice, so she did "hill up" her beets.

Thanks for your input, salix- it's really encouraging to hear that big Cylindras stay tender. Do you start out with a closer spacing and then harvest every other one from your single planting? Have you ever had the secondary sprouting issue? Thought I remembered reading that you should hill up the tops of beets like you do with carrots if they pop out of the soil- maybe it just keeps the skin prettier for markets. I keep saying that I need to start gardening smarter, not harder, so skipping the hilling of the beets sounds like a better plan- we didn't have any signs of nibbling and the tops of these beets were sticking out for months before I covered them.

Mark0820 · November 28, 2012

I've never hilled my beets either, but that also doesn't mean it (not hilling) is the correct thing to do. This year I used a fairly heavy straw mulch around them, and that seemed to work nicely.

kath · November 28, 2012

I think I'd be afraid to use a thick mulch here- too many slugs & burrowing critters might get ideas.

salix · November 28, 2012

Kath, I used to plant and thin the beets (love the tops), but for the past couple of years, I have started them by sowing densely, then pricking out and potting on. Actually this year, I did that for about half, then took the second 4 inch pot with the seedlings and planted them straight into the ground. Worked just fine, and no need to thin. The only thing I have noticed, and it does not seem to be a problem, is that the potted on plants had a shorter and twisted main root - no doubt from being constrained in the pot, but they did grow faster with a better start. Actually, that was also a benefit as I was able to process (can) in stages, rather than having them all to deal with at one time. Regarding the mulch, I suspect that it would encourage mice, slugs and other pests. Have never had any 'low down' sprouting, perhaps it is a varietal trait? Must find some more good Lutz seed and try them again. They are so huge, for some reason they remind me of the Superschmelz kohlrabi.

tomakers · November 28, 2012

I've grown Lutz many times in the past, they are almost foolproof, and they are always tender, even when HUGE.
Tom
PS - I love the greens almost more than the beets.

Farmette · November 29, 2012

I would assume you have to cut the really large ones to cook them...don't they then bleed out some of the color and does this affect the flavor?

November 27, 2012	#9
salix Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: north central B.C. Posts: 2,310	What a haul, Kath! I tried the Lutz once, had some difficulty locating seed, then it didn't germinate - Grrr! Cylindra is my go to as well, but really only time for one crop. I let them grow as large as possible, still tender. Am looking forward to your taste and texture reports. I read somewhere that beets do not grow 'down', they have a root or food storage system that grows 'up' out of the ground. The Cylindras certainly grow with at least 75% of their bulk out of the ground, and it never occurred to me to cover them up as it kept them much cleaner. My friend had a problem with mice, so she did "hill up" her beets. __________________ "He who has a library and a garden wants for nothing." -Cicero

November 28, 2012	#13
salix Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: north central B.C. Posts: 2,310	Kath, I used to plant and thin the beets (love the tops), but for the past couple of years, I have started them by sowing densely, then pricking out and potting on. Actually this year, I did that for about half, then took the second 4 inch pot with the seedlings and planted them straight into the ground. Worked just fine, and no need to thin. The only thing I have noticed, and it does not seem to be a problem, is that the potted on plants had a shorter and twisted main root - no doubt from being constrained in the pot, but they did grow faster with a better start. Actually, that was also a benefit as I was able to process (can) in stages, rather than having them all to deal with at one time. Regarding the mulch, I suspect that it would encourage mice, slugs and other pests. Have never had any 'low down' sprouting, perhaps it is a varietal trait? Must find some more good Lutz seed and try them again. They are so huge, for some reason they remind me of the Superschmelz kohlrabi. __________________ "He who has a library and a garden wants for nothing." -Cicero

November 28, 2012	#14
tomakers Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Cranberry Country, SE MA - zone 6? Posts: 353	I've grown Lutz many times in the past, they are almost foolproof, and they are always tender, even when HUGE. Tom PS - I love the greens almost more than the beets. __________________ I never met a fish I didn't like.

November 26, 2012	#2
Farmette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 985	Wow! Those are giants! Looks like 1 makes a meal. Keep us posted so we know whether or not these are worthwhile. Thanks Chris

November 26, 2012	#3
Mark0820 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 907	Hopefully they will be good. Some of my Cylindra beets usually grow to that size, and I have never had a problem with them. They have always been as tender as the smaller beets. It is interesting the way some of the beet tops are growing out of the side of the beet. I have never seen that before.

November 26, 2012	#4
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Chris, I'll definitely post after we eat some but I can't imagine we're going to put away 12 lbs. of beet in one meal! Mark- yes, I'm hoping they'll taste good. Cylindra and Touchstone Gold my grow-every-year-twice-a-year beets but I thought you had to harvest them smaller than 2" for them to stay tender- who knew?! I'll definitely give that a try next year- bet I'll have to hill those up, too. The sprouting down the sides happened because they were exposed to light, I guess. I'm thinking that's not going to help their storage life.

November 27, 2012	#5
spacetogrow Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: MN zone 4 Posts: 359	I don't know where you will find a container large enough for those big brutes, but I read online earlier this year that you can replant beets and turnips, top up, in a bucket of lightly moistened sand, and they will produce edible greens through the winter. I'm trying it for the first time with a couple of good sized turnips and it seems to be working. That might be a useful way to "store" the ones that are trying to sprout so vigorously...and maybe give you more manageable portions.

November 27, 2012	#7
casino Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Southfield, Michigan Posts: 318	Hi Kath, You have grown some beautiful beets. I have grown Lutz beets in the past and they are wonderful. Sweet and tender even when they reach that 12 lb giant size. My Lutz beets average 6-7 lbs and the seeds are hard to find, but the literature is correct, they stay tender even when they reach that giant size with NO woody fibers inside at all.

November 29, 2012	#15
Farmette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 985	I would assume you have to cut the really large ones to cook them...don't they then bleed out some of the color and does this affect the flavor?