Beets at a Glance
Learn how to grow beets for healthy salads and colorful meals.
February/March 2012
By Barbara Pleasant
The chart below offers tips for growing each type of beet, plus a list of the varieties we recommend. Learn more about organic beet cultivation in All About Growing Beets.
| Type | Description | Varieties |
| Red table beets Beta vulgaris var. vulgaris | Firm, red beets ideal for roasting, boiling or canning. Young leaves are good in salads; use older ones as cooking greens. (50 to 65 days) | ‘Boro’ (F1) ‘Cylindra’ ‘Detroit Dark Red’ ‘Guardsmark Chioggia’ ‘Red Ace’ (F1) ‘Shiraz Tall Top Beet’ |
| White, orange and golden beets B. vulgaris var. vulgaris | Often slightly slower-growing compared with red beets. Roasted roots have a buttery texture and mild, nutty flavor. (55 to 65 days) | ‘3 Root Grex’ ‘Burpee’s Golden’ ‘Chioggia’ ‘Touchstone Gold’ ‘White Albino’ |
| Storage beets B. vulgaris var. vulgaris | Can be left to grow larger than other beets. Harvest after first fall frost but before hard freezes damage (60 to 70 days) | ‘Crosby’s Egyptian’ ‘Flat of Egypt’ ‘Lutz Green Leaf’ |
| Mangel beets B. vulgaris var. crassa | Greens and huge roots both make excellent forage for poultry and Mangel beets are most palatable to livestock when cut into small pieces. (70 to 100 days) | ‘Giant Yellow Eckendorf’ ‘Mammoth Red’ ‘Yellow Cylindrical’ |
| Locate sources for these beet varieties with our custom Seed and Plant Finder. | ||
Contributing editor Barbara Pleasant gardens in southwest Virginia, where she grows vegetables, herbs, fruits, flowers and a few lucky chickens. Contact Barbara by visiting her website or finding her on Google+.
