How to Grow Sweet Beets

Beets are a root vegetable with a unique color and sweet flavor. To grow beets that are especially sweet, start by growing a variety that is known for sweetness. Aside from cultivar selection, proper care is the best way to ensure your beets are sweet, as opposed to fibrous and bitter. Beets are a low-maintenance plant that grow best in cool soil that is consistently moist.

Shovel
Cardboard

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the planting site 30 days before the last frost date. Remove the weeds and loosen the soil with a shovel.
- 2
  Insert the seeds into the soil 1/2 inch deep, 1 inch apart. Space rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Water until the soil settles. When the seedlings sprout, thin them so there is just one plant every 3 inches.
- 3
  Place a piece of cardboard over the soil until the seedlings sprout. This will protect the soil from crusting during rains.
- 4
  Continue watering frequently enough to keep the soil moist. Stress due to improper watering is the leading cause of bitterness in beets. Remove the weeds by hand-pulling them as they appear.
- 5
  Pull up the beets after 60 days, when they are between 1 1/2 inches and 3 inches in diameter. If you wait longer, they will not be sweet and tender.

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