Some interesting beet data - seeds vs seedlings

[nctomatoman]

Ah, you are being specific. Valid point - so let's say that I planted 15 entities that were in the beet variety packets and ended up with nearly twice the seedlings as entities.

[rws-NH-45]

Hello all beet lovers,

Encouraged by folks who have sowed beets inside to transplant outside later, I went ahead and tried it. I now have approx. 18 cells each of Crosby's Egyptian (red) and Touchstone Gold.

Some cells have more than one plant. So it sounds like it's not too difficult to separate the little plants further, as I transplant them, rather than thin them.

I'm in N.H. where I can't count on frost free nights until probably 2nd or 3rd week in May. My beetlings have 2 true leaves (plus seed leaves); would it be better to transplant them into larger pots inside? or would it be safe to transplant them into a raised bed cold frame?

We've been without rain for probably 3 weeks, but in May we usually get a lot of rain, so cold wet soils can be a problem for little plants. Beets planted right in the soil have usually required re-seeding 2 or 3 times.

thanks in advance, Richard

[Iva]

Would this type of method (sowing indoors and then transplanting outside) also work on sugar beets? I have seeds but don't know how to handle them. never grown beets before either...
I'd be very grateful for any further info (I've red the thread)...

[VC Scott]

Craig:

Do you have to harden Beets off before planing in the ground?

Thanks.

[PaulF]

Oh no! Please don't get me started on beets. Tomato, pepper and melon obsession is enough. I love beets but only the beetroot. I am not one who eats the leaves of any of those kind of plants. Detroit Red is about the only beet we like, so please stop with the beet thread or I will really go crazy thinking of all those varieties I need to try.

[janezee]

Aw, c'mon, Paul!

You have enough crazy obsessive thoughts to keep you awake at night,
or give you dreams of fitting just a few more into the limited space you have,
or make you wonder what is the perfect combination of amendments, soil, moisture, sun, and temperature
to get the perfect crop from the most varieties you can find to buy and trade?

Really?


j

[RobinB]

Has anybody tried this with carrots? I'm about to try it anyway, I think. I've got four different kinds of beets and three different kinds of carrots to try and I always get such poor germination for both when I direct seed.

[halleone]

Originally Posted by PaulF

Oh no! Please don't get me started on beets. Tomato, pepper and melon obsession is enough. I love beets but only the beetroot. I am not one who eats the leaves of any of those kind of plants. Detroit Red is about the only beet we like, so please stop with the beet thread or I will really go crazy thinking of all those varieties I need to try.

Whaaat, you don't like beet greens?? I love 'em, but so do the leaf miners, and it is always a battle. I think I will have to cover them this year in hopes of getting a few leaves before they get them all. I am also leaving last years Swiss chard to tempt them.

Maybe I will try starting a few pots inside, too - but I am running out of places to put seedling pots. The peas I started today got to go into the garden shed to sprout.....

[livinonfaith]

Oh double darn it! I haven't even thought about the beets. And the carrots!?! Aaaargh!!! I need to go back through the seed packs again. Ten to one, there are at least three or four other things I've forgotten.

Man, where did I put that last bag of potting soil? (grumble,grumble)

You people are going to be the death of me! (Or keep me alive forever, I haven't decided yet. )

[RobinB]

Aww. We all know that as long as the tomatoes are in, it's all good. Whatever else you missed for the Spring, you can move to the Fall. Though usually, I'm really tired of seeds and watching baby plants so that when July comes along, and I should be starting a Fall crop, I procrastinate until it's too late.

[Petronius_II]

I love beets but only the beetroot. I am not one who eats the leaves of any of those kind of plants.

If you eat Swiss chard, you're already eating beet greens. "A beet without the beet," as the saying goes. Me, I'd rather eat beet greens or Swiss chard than spinach.

One thing to keep in mind about the species Beta vulgaris, whether it's beetroot, Swiss chard, sugar beets, mangels, whatever: this is one of the closest things we have to a true year-round crop. Tolerates warm and even scorchingly hot weather about as well as it does cold weather. You can almost plant it any ol' time you feel like it. It does tend to grow best in the moderate weather of spring and fall, however.

If you have Lamb's quarters growing wild, it's not all that much of a trick to domesticate it via seed-saving, and that's another great spinach substitute. I'll bet it would transplant easily when very young, say about four to six inches tall, but I've never actually tried it, so I don't know for sure.

All spinach family members, including spinach itself, are high in oxalic acid, and should be eaten in moderation. I presume that doesn't preclude "several times a week, if desired," as long as it's not way too much at one time.

[PaulF]

My mother-in-law was the queen of greens. One of the first visits to my future wife's home she went out into the yard to collect the ingredients for a "special" side dish for the evening meal. The collection included dandelion, nettles, lambs quarter, beet leaves and a couple more I can't remember. Because I was in love with both my wife to be, but also thought the world of her mother, I choked down a "mess 'o greens". Vowing not to throw up at the dinner table I ate as much as I could. As a young kid I hated all cooked green stuff (including asparagus and peas) and that has continued for the last sixty years. Somes likes greens, I hates 'em.

[nctomatoman]

The like or dislike of greens could be one of those genetic taste things - I think Cilantro tastes like soapy water, my wife and daughter craves it. My wife and I think the cabbage family is very sweet tasting - many find them as bitter. All due to each of our genetic make up....there is a gene for the cabbage family tasting horribly bitter - if one finds that, they have the gene from both parents - if slightly bitter only one.

Fascinating!

I like the flavor of beet greens far better than chard - more tender, a sweeter taste to my palate - but I love them all. We've started eating loads of collards and kale - all depends upon how you prepare them, in my view. We do Collards with sesame oil, ginger, garlic, hot pepper flakes and pineapple and use them as a bed for grilled fish. yum!

[livinonfaith]

Had the Bull's Blood beets a few years ago in a lettuce mix. I didn't even know they were beets until the roots started to poke up through the soil. What a great surprise! Both the greens and the beets were really tasty.

This year I also have the Detroit Red so, hopefully it isn't too late to get them going.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

The like or dislike of greens could be one of those genetic taste things - I think Cilantro tastes like soapy water, my wife and daughter craves it. My wife and I think the cabbage family is very sweet tasting - many find them as bitter. All due to each of our genetic make up....there is a gene for the cabbage family tasting horribly bitter - if one finds that, they have the gene from both parents - if slightly bitter only one.

Fascinating!

I like the flavor of beet greens far better than chard - more tender, a sweeter taste to my palate - but I love them all. We've started eating loads of collards and kale - all depends upon how you prepare them, in my view. We do Collards with sesame oil, ginger, garlic, hot pepper flakes and pineapple and use them as a bed for grilled fish. yum!

Very fascinating! I haven't tried beet greens. I find chard taste a bit like " dirt" but continue to grow it because it's the only green other than malabar, new Zealand and amaranth that I can get to survive through summer in AZ. I do like it in smaller quantities, usually in a soup or omelette. Mainly, it's so darn pretty in the garden that I plant a lot as a foliage backdrop and feed extras to the chickens.
I'll have to try beets instead, since I really love pickled and roasted beets as well. I've actually not tried growing them yet. I just noticed one of my chards was growing a "beet"!
My husband and I really prefer spinach, kale or cabbage but it just won't grow in the heat. I need to give collards another try. I think it may handle a better part of the year here, at least in the shade. Sometimes kale will hang on but it gets bitter when the weather heats up.