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Beets – Planting, Harvesting, Pests and Diseases

Planting in Garden: Plant beet seeds directly in the garden a couple of weeks before the last frost. They are cold weather plants and will tolerate frost. They do not like acid soil. Make seed holes about three quarters of an inch deep and a foot apart and sprinkle a few seeds into each. Cover with soil. Keep watered and weeded. When the seedlings come up, thin them out to about 6 inches apart (less for small beets and more for bigger beets). Deep beds need less thinning. To keep plants moist, mulch the beds. Harvest: Pull up beets and twist off the tops (which you can eat). Do not store any beets with damage (eat them). Store beets in a vented container (punch holes if necessary) filled with hay, sawdust, sand or peat in a cool, dry root cellar. They should not touch each other. An alternative is to sink a new metal trash can into the ground and covered it with generous amounts of hay. It should stay at 50° all winter. In very cold places, a ring of styrofoam inside the lid will protect from freezing. Pests and Disease: Leaf miners are the larva of the beet fly and they make holes in the beat leaves. Break off the damaged leaves and dispose of them away from the garden and compost.

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