Friday 30 December 2011
Beets are one of those crops grown for the benefit of my lovely wife, who really likes them. We've grown them every year, with some mixed success, mostly having to do with the lack of thinning during the middle of the summer. Wierdly enough, I have no photos of my own from my garden. I'm going to be a little more focused this upcoming season.
I'm also looking more seriously at sugar beets. They're big and ugly and easy to grow in North Dakota, so they fit all the characteristics of what I'm looking for.
Summer 2011
I grew a wide variety of beets, using the raised beds by the road with the slick new row dividers. Sadly, the beets grew really well, until one night when a moose came through and literally ate all the tops and pulled up many of the roots. All were doing well until then. The varieties grown this year were Red Ace, Chioggia, Boltardy, Burpee's Golden, and Bull's Blood. Maybe next year.
Summer 2010
We grew a host of beets this year - and unfortunately, this was before keeping good records, so this is off the
top of my head. Varieties grown were:
• Early Wonder Tall Top
• Touchstone Gold
• Chioggia Guardsmark
• Bull's Blood Beet
These were grown in the raised beds. We had some larger beets, but not many, due to that lack of thinning. The Early Wonder variety bolted by the end of the summer.
Previous seasons
Most of these were grown in the background of the garden - somewhere back there. In most years, we get a little bunch, sauteed on the stovetop in some butter and garlic.