RED BEETS

[michelletomato]

I till up the soil real good then hill it up in rows. I can only get it hilled up about 8 or 9 inches high but other gardeners hill it up about a foot. Plant the seeds in the top of the hill and keep them moist. Adding a hummus and manure mixtue (sold in bags) to the soil has helped my beets develope better. I've found they don't do well in hot weather either. good luck!

[tomf]

Beats like loose soil, so a good organic rich soil works well with beats and any root crop. I start every thing in the green house, just my way of getting a jump on the season and knowing what are weeds. I have a deer fence with a rabbit fence at the bottom around my garden so I can't say how much the rabbits eat them.

[ElizabethB]

I waited too late for cool weahter planting. G picked up a nice bunch of beats yesterday with lots of nice greens. I rinsed te greens then cooked them in the water clinging to the leaves and a little salt, pepper and butter until just tender. My favorite green. I cubed and boiled the beets with salt pepper, tsp of olive oil and a tbsp of butter. Lovely. For lunch today I made a cold beet salad. Added boiled egg and parsley to the cold beets.

Really one of my fave root crops. I like greens but beet greens are #1 for me.

Raw and shredded in a salad is to die for.

[applestar]

I cubed and boiled the beets with salt pepper, tsp of olive oil and a tbsp of butter.

When you do that do you peel the beets first?

[Dillbert]

baked, roasted, boiled . . .

I prefer not to peel them.
(a) because I'm a lazy cook
(b) once cooked the natural skin layer comes off _way_ easier than via a peeler
(c) keeping the natural skin layer prevents creating a dry leathery surface of the pre-peeled roots.

[ElizabethB]

Yep - I peel first. I never liked beets as a child but Mom served canned beets. GROSS! Like so many things fresh is sooo much better. Another one is brussel sprouts. HATED them as a child. LOVE them now.

[valley]

Rabbits will eat beets down to nothing, given half a chance. At our Nevada place we have a fence to keep out the horses, the garden is in a smaller fenced area to keep out the rabbits, mice and a type of chipmonk of whatever. We had to put a hot wire around the bottom which was the best thing to keep out the critters. Last year we had a good crop of beets, we liked them raw, cooked and pickled. Have a great season.


Richard