Beet

Beets are sown directly into the ground, since transplanting can disturb root development, as soon as soil can be worked in early spring. Seeds are actually multi-seed clusters, so seedlings must be thinned after germination to 2 to 4 inches apart in rows spaced roughly 12 to 18 inches apart, covered with about half an inch of soil. Plants want full sun to partial shade, loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter, and consistent moisture of about an inch of water a week; a balanced fertilizer applied before planting supports growth.

Succession sowing every two to three weeks, as long as daytime temperatures stay below about 80°F, keeps a continuous harvest coming, and shallow cultivation controls weeds without damaging the developing roots.

Beets are generally untroubled by significant pests or diseases, though root maggots and leafminers can affect them, along with occasional black bean aphids, birds, and slugs. Environmental stress shows up as drought damage or drowning and edema from waterlogged soil, and boron deficiency is a recognized disorder in this crop.

Greens can be cut starting around three weeks after sowing, once leaves reach a few inches tall, taking only the outer leaves so the plant keeps producing. Roots are ready 50 to 90 days after sowing, pulled once they reach about 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter or the size of a golf ball, before they turn woody.

After pulling, trim the tops back to a short stub of stem, since greens spoil within days and should be used quickly, while the roots keep for weeks to several months in a cold, humid environment such as a refrigerator or a ventilated container packed with damp sand or wood shavings.

Beet roots are eaten raw, boiled, roasted, canned, or pickled, and the young leaves are cooked as a leafy green much like spinach or chard. The pigment compounds in the root, called betalains, are also extracted for use as a natural food coloring.

From the Middle Ages, beetroot was used in Europe to treat conditions relating to digestion and the blood, and the Renaissance writer Bartolomeo Platina recommended eating beetroot with garlic to counter the smell of garlic breath.

Beetroot descends from the wild sea beet and was domesticated in the ancient Middle East, following the appearance of a genetic trait that allowed a biennial habit of leaf and root harvesting across two growing seasons. It was first cultivated mainly for its greens by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, with root use for food emerging later, by the Roman era, before the crop spread through the Mediterranean and into Europe.