DogAndCat36
Chillin' In The Garden
Is this beet good? A relative of mine told me that they become bad if you don't pick them early
Is this beet good?
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R2elk
Deeply Rooted
I just pulled mine. Picking them early will yield smaller, more uniform beets. Letting them go longer makes bigger beets that take longer to cook.
Got two 5 gallon buckets plus one from a 12' row.
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DogAndCat36
Chillin' In The Garden
Thank you! It's great to know that my beet is edible.I just pulled mine. Picking them early will yield smaller, more uniform beets. Letting them go longer makes bigger beets that take longer to cook.
Got two 5 gallon buckets plus one from a 12' row.
flowerbug
Garden Master
you'll get the hang of picking them at the stage you like after you grow them for a while. the larger they get they can be harder to handle, some varieties will have a different texture and peak compared to others. beet greens and chards are very similar too.
have fun! 
ducks4you
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It Looks a little old and could be tough. Beets and okra are always tender when small and Can be tough if you leave them in the ground/on the stem too long, but you won't know until you slice it.
If it's a wet year a big beet can be tender.
If it's a wet year a big beet can be tender.
Dirtmechanic
Garden Addicted
I have beet envy! It is a beet mystery as to whether I can even grow them this far south.
Ridgerunner
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You could eat the greens. On a beet that old I'd separate the greens from the stems and bring them to a boil. Beet greens are so tender that should be all the cooking they need, just bring them to a boil. You still may be able to eat them raw in a salad, not sure. Haven't tried that.
You could boil that beet until it was soft, until you can easily stick a knife through it. The skin should rub off with your fingers but you may want a knife to cut out some rough stuff under the skin or where the skin doesn't slide off. It's also possible the roots have developed inside so you get some fibrous stuff that you can't or won't want to chew. You might be able to get some beet out of it but yeah, it looks past its prime.
That might be an interesting discussion to have with your county extension office. I could grow beets in northwest Arkansas if I got the seeds in the ground toward the end of February. I'd protect tender seedlings form frost. Some years were better than others, I can't say they were ever great as far as productivity went but the quality was good. You are further south than that.
I just sowed the seeds down here, they are sprouting. I may cover them if we have a heavy frost but they usually do better down here in the fall/winter than spring beets did in northwest Arkansas. We were eating beet greens a long time this past spring, much longer than normal.
I don't know what your timing would be in Birmingham but I could see success by starting them indoors and transplanting them pretty early so they finish before the heat sets in. You may be able to direct seed in January or February and protect them from frost.
Dirtmechanic
Garden Addicted
Yes our hard freeze zone is usually mid Jan to mid Feb so a running start is the only way I could see it. Sown, I have never seen large development before the heat takes them. Maybe a shade cloth would be appropriate, to lower soil temp midday.
