cityfarmer
Attractive To Bees
I am growing beets for the first time. How do I know when they are ready to harvest? I am really resisting the urge to start digging to what is going on down there? 
beet harvesting
- Thread starter cityfarmer
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Greenthumb18
Deeply Rooted
You can usually see how wide the beet's root is by removing some of the soil on the top. I let my beets grow all summer then into fall I harvest them. You can pretty much harvest them at any size, its up to how you like them.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
Ridgerunner
Garden Master
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When they are small and you thin them, you can eat the beet greens in salads or in a stir fry, something like that. When they are larger, you can remove a couple of leaves from each plant and use those the same as chard. When you pull up the bulb, you can eat the greens, again similar to chard.
The bulbs are supposed to be best when they are about 1-1/2" to 2" diameter, but mine don't always get that big. But I've let then go and eaten them when they are over 3" diameter sometimes. I thought they were great. Some people say they get fibrous when they get that big, but I've never noticed that.
I guess there is not a specific time that they are "ripe" or "ready", at least to me. When they are big enough I eat some and when they stop growing, I usually can them.
The bulbs are supposed to be best when they are about 1-1/2" to 2" diameter, but mine don't always get that big. But I've let then go and eaten them when they are over 3" diameter sometimes. I thought they were great. Some people say they get fibrous when they get that big, but I've never noticed that.
I guess there is not a specific time that they are "ripe" or "ready", at least to me. When they are big enough I eat some and when they stop growing, I usually can them.
digitS'
Garden Master
Since beet seed is contained within a pod that is planted - they usually need some serious thinning while still very small.
Even if it takes 1 or 2 dozen of them for a single serving, I am happy to have them at the table. Then, I just continue to make use of them. The beets I like the best are when the size of the roots are about that of a marble. All of their leaves are still tender and delicious at that stage
.
Ridgerunner has it right! "(T)here is not a specific time that they are 'ripe' or 'ready . . .' Baby beets are probably my favorite vegetable and I've got lots of them this year! Along here somewhere, using the entire plant becomes problematic. Certainly, the coarser outside leaves are not of interest and the beetroot requires peeling.
Steve
Even if it takes 1 or 2 dozen of them for a single serving, I am happy to have them at the table. Then, I just continue to make use of them. The beets I like the best are when the size of the roots are about that of a marble. All of their leaves are still tender and delicious at that stage
.Ridgerunner has it right! "(T)here is not a specific time that they are 'ripe' or 'ready . . .' Baby beets are probably my favorite vegetable and I've got lots of them this year! Along here somewhere, using the entire plant becomes problematic. Certainly, the coarser outside leaves are not of interest and the beetroot requires peeling.
Steve
- Thread starter
- #6
cityfarmer
Attractive To Bees
Lot's of ?'s- What kind,location,current size and when were they planted?
I will try to answer these questions
They are Ruby Queen's; in composted soil raised bed that gets sun all day; current size??? the leaves are the size of a good size dandelion; they were planted from seed outside on May 7 (we are zone 6 ish and still getting snow/freezing temps in April and early May with brutal winds). Can they be started indoors?
Let me say that I didn't know about thinning beets. Oops--but I never thin my carrots either. I like to interesting shapes they produce. I hope this doesn't hurt the beets.
I will be using my beets for pickling and wanted to give the tops to my chickens. The tops are starting to look like they are turning brown but that could be due to the "high" 90 degree temps we are having.
Thanks for all your help!
I will try to answer these questions
They are Ruby Queen's; in composted soil raised bed that gets sun all day; current size??? the leaves are the size of a good size dandelion; they were planted from seed outside on May 7 (we are zone 6 ish and still getting snow/freezing temps in April and early May with brutal winds). Can they be started indoors?
Let me say that I didn't know about thinning beets.
Oops--but I never thin my carrots either. I like to interesting shapes they produce. I hope this doesn't hurt the beets. I will be using my beets for pickling and wanted to give the tops to my chickens. The tops are starting to look like they are turning brown but that could be due to the "high" 90 degree temps we are having.
Thanks for all your help!
