Hot Soup / Cold Weather - This One Can't Be BeetQ Can you recommend an easy and versatile vegetable for home gardens on the Central Coast?
A For home gardeners there are few vegetables as versatile and easy to grow as beets. Yet since President-elect Obama proclaimed his disdain for this vegetable, the beet may be in store for four (eight?) years of the same disrespect that befell broccoli during the administration of George H. W. Bush. However, despite its unfortunate Latin name, Beta vulgaris, the beet has an important place in the garden.
Beets provide two crops in one. The root, which is most commonly served, is high in nutrients, easy to store long-term, and can be served in a multitude of ways - both cooked and raw. The greens can be cooked or served raw in salads, and are even higher in nutritional value.
Beets can be grown almost year round in the mild climate of the Central Coast, although if the weather is consistently below 50 degrees Fahrenheit they may go to seed before the roots are fully formed. They do best in loose, well-drained soil with full sun or partial shade. They should be watered regularly and thinned to three to four inches apart when they are about four inches high. Add the thinned out leaves to salads, soups or stews. Depending on the variety, they reach maturity in 55 to 70 days. Harvest beets when they are young and tender for the best flavor. This is around two inches in diameter for most varieties.
Beets have few natural enemies. Curly top virus, beetles and webworms as well as some rodents can be a problem, so inspect your crop and pick or wash off pests if they present themselves.
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