Growing Beets in Your Garden, How to Plant Beets, Pickling Beets

Easy tips for growing beets when home vegetable gardening.

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Tips for planting beets, best beet varieties for a backyard garden, and how to pickle beets from your garden.

In 2003, a man in Britain named Richard Hope achieved the world record for growing the longest beet, which measured over 20 feet long!

The beet plant originally came from the Mediterranean, where it grew as a leafy form, without enlarged roots.

Today, improved types of these early growing beets are grown as Swiss chard.

In 1806, in the United States, only one beet variety was listed.

Now there are numerous varieties available for growing beets at home.

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How to Plant Beets at Home

Beets in Your Garden

Vegetable Gardening Tips for Planting Beets

Best Beet Varieties for Home Gardening

Choose plants that are resistant to downy-mildew when selecting varieties of growing beets.

All types can serve both for roots and greens.

If you would rather grow greens, plant chard or a variety for that use, such as sugar beets.

‘Detroit Dark Red' can be harvested in 63 days.

It has a dark color with a neat globe shape.

‘Early Wonder' is ready for harvesting in 55 days and has a semi-globe shape.

Harvest 'Ruby Queen' in 60 days. The beet is globe-shaped and colored deep red.

'Mono-King Explorer' can be harvested in 50 days. This deep red type has a single seed to each seedball.

'Burpee Golden' is ready in 55 days. This good quality root has an unusual golden-yellow color.

It may average higher in sugar content.

The pigment does not bleed in cooking, as occurs when growing beets that are red.

How to Make Pickled Beets

By definition, a pickle is a vegetable that has been kept in a sugar and vinegar solution, different from chutney, which has been cooked in it.

To pickle beets, boil the vegetable for an hour and a half and then rub off the skins. (Boiling makes it easier to remove the skin.)

Slice the beets and soak overnight in salted water to draw out some of the moisture.

Use roughly one part salt to ten parts water.

Drain. Add the vegetables to sterilized canning jars.

Fill jars with a syrup that is made from equal parts sugar and either wine, cider, or malt vinegar.

To boost flavor, add spices and herbs of your choice.

The most popular choices are adding mustard seeds, black peppercorns, garlic cloves, and celery seeds.

You can begin eating the pickled beets after a week or so but many experts suggest waiting at least 10 weeks.

Serving Ideas for Home Grown Beets

After growing beets, serving ideas include to serve hot, cooked, sliced beets in an orange sauce or with dollops of sour cream.

Shred raw beets and cook quickly in butter.

In some countries, beets are eaten on hamburgers. (Don't knock it until you try it!)

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Growing Beets to Vegetable Gardening

Growing Beets to Planting a Vegetable Garden

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