Latest / The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners / Episode 29 — Beets - Nature’s Sweet Root With a Sassy Attitude

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Episode 29 — Beets - Nature’s Sweet Root With a Sassy Attitude · The Beanstalk : A Podcast for Gardeners

• 0:28
  Welcome back to the Beanstalk, fellow Beans.
• 0:32
  My name is John, your neighborhood garden buddy, and
• 0:36
  today we're digging literally into a crop that stains
• 0:41
  everything it touches, tastes like earthy candy, and somehow
• 0:47
  manages to be both a root vegetable and a leafy green.
• 0:54
  Yep, we're talking about beets. Whether you love them, fear
• 0:59
  them, or only know them because your grandma tried to feed you
• 1:03
  those weird pickled slices at Thanksgiving, beets deserve a
• 1:08
  place in your garden. They're rugged, cold Hardy,
• 1:13
  colorful, and wildly rewarding once you get the hang of them.
• 1:19
  So grab your trowel, maybe a pair of gloves, unless you want
• 1:23
  to get caught red handed, and let's dive into the world of
• 1:27
  these sweet and sassy little roots.
• 1:32
  Beets are one of those crops that make you feel like a genius
• 1:35
  gardener, even if you're just getting started.
• 1:39
  They grow fast, they don't require a ton of space, and they
• 1:45
  pull double duty roots and greens.
• 1:49
  That alone is a wind. But what really hooks people is
• 1:54
  the flavor. Fresh, homegrown beets don't
• 1:57
  taste anything like the canned stuff.
• 2:00
  They're sweeter, tender, and they come in fun varieties like
• 2:05
  golden striped chiagia and deep Ruby red.
• 2:11
  Plus, they're loaded with nutrients and practically built
• 2:14
  for spring gardens, fall gardens and gardeners who get impatient
• 2:19
  waiting for things to grow. Growing beets is surprisingly
• 2:25
  straightforward. They love cool weather.
• 2:29
  Think early spring or early fall, and they thrive in loose,
• 2:34
  sandy OR loamy soil. Heavy clay can make the roots
• 2:39
  twist or stunt. So I always tell folks, if your
• 2:43
  soil feels like a brick when it dries, mix in some compost
• 2:47
  before you plant. The seeds come in clusters,
• 2:51
  which means you're usually going to get multiple seedlings from
• 2:54
  one seed, and thinning becomes a necessary evil.
• 3:00
  Plant them about half an inch deep, keep the soil consistently
• 3:05
  moist, and don't let the bed dry out too much while the seedlings
• 3:09
  are young. Once they get going, though,
• 3:12
  they're shockingly low maintenance.
• 3:15
  Water deeply once a week, mulch around them to keep the soil
• 3:19
  cool, and enjoy watching the tops push out of the ground like
• 3:23
  little vegetable volcanoes. When it comes time to harvest,
• 3:29
  you've got options. If you want baby beets, you can
• 3:33
  start pulling them when they're about the size of a golf ball.
• 3:37
  If you prefer bigger ones, let them grow to tennis balls size.
• 3:43
  Beyond that, they often get a little bit woody.
• 3:47
  The cool thing is, you can harvest the greens at any time
• 3:50
  as long as you don't strip the plant bare.
• 3:54
  Just take a leaf or two here and there like you would kale.
• 3:59
  When you're ready to pull the roots, grab firmly at the base
• 4:03
  of the greens and give a steady upward tug.
• 4:07
  They come right out and suddenly you feel like a Viking raiding
• 4:11
  the soil for treasure. After pulling, twist off the
• 4:17
  greens instead of cutting them to keep the roots from bleeding
• 4:21
  their juice everywhere. Of course, beets aren't immune
• 4:25
  to trouble. One of the biggest issues people
• 4:29
  run into is leaf miners. These are tiny larvae, the
• 4:33
  tunnel between the layers of the leaves leaving behind white,
• 4:37
  squiggly trails that look like a toddler scribbled on your
• 4:41
  plants. They happen because adult flies
• 4:45
  lay eggs on the undersides of their leaves, and once the
• 4:50
  larvae are inside, sprays don't help.
• 4:54
  The best solution is prevention. Cover the bed with row cover
• 4:59
  right after planting. If you do get minors, remove and
• 5:05
  destroy affected leaves before the larvae mature.
• 5:11
  Another common issue is poor root development.
• 5:15
  You'll know what's happening when you get beautiful greens
• 5:18
  with sad, skinny little roots. This usually comes from too much
• 5:24
  nitrogen in the soil or heavy compacted dirt that restricts
• 5:28
  root expansion. Fix it with compost, sand, and
• 5:33
  balanced fertilizer. Then there's the fun surprise
• 5:39
  called fangy, where roots fork or twist.
• 5:45
  This happens when the soil has rocks or clumps or when you
• 5:49
  damage the taproot while thinning.
• 5:52
  The cure is simple. Loosen the soil before planting
• 5:56
  and thin carefully. Finally, watch out for drought
• 6:02
  stress. Beets that grow during
• 6:05
  inconsistent watering can turn woody or develop concentric
• 6:09
  rings inside. Keeping moisture even is the
• 6:13
  secret here. Beets make great neighbors in
• 6:17
  the garden. They grow well with lettuce,
• 6:21
  onions, garlic, cabbage, and Bush beans.
• 6:27
  They don't mind sharing space with most crops, but they do get
• 6:31
  a little grumpy near pole beans and field mustard.
• 6:36
  One fun trick is pairing beets with herbs like mint or dill,
• 6:41
  though keep mint contained unless you want to start your
• 6:44
  own mint plantation. These companion pairings help
• 6:49
  reduce beet pests and improve the overall soil environment.
• 6:56
  If you want to save beet seeds, you'll need to let the plant go
• 7:00
  through its second year cycle. Because beets are biennial, that
• 7:06
  means in colder climates you either mulch them heavily
• 7:09
  through winter or dig and store the roots before replanting them
• 7:13
  in spring. Once they flower, the seed
• 7:18
  stalks get tall and a little wild looking.
• 7:22
  Allow the seed clusters to dry on the plant, then collect and
• 7:26
  crumble them. Remember, beet seeds are
• 7:30
  actually clusters, so you'll get multiple seedlings per seed
• 7:33
  unless you seek out mono germ varieties.
• 7:38
  When it comes to pros and cons, beets bring some strong
• 7:42
  advantages. Cold tolerance, quick maturity,
• 7:48
  edible greens and roots, and vibrant color varieties.
• 7:53
  They're nutrient rich, they store well, and they can be
• 7:57
  grown almost every season except the dead heat of summer.
• 8:03
  On the downside, they require thinning, can be picky about
• 8:07
  soil texture, and leaf miners can drive you absolutely insane
• 8:12
  if you don't stay ahead of them. Their flavor is also polarizing.
• 8:19
  You either love that earthy sweetness or you think it tastes
• 8:23
  like someone juiced some garden soil.
• 8:27
  Alas, let's shift from the garden to the kitchen for a
• 8:31
  minute and talk about cooking up something delicious.
• 8:34
  One of my favorite ways to enjoy beets is a simple roasted beet
• 8:38
  and orange salad that tastes like sunshine on a plate.
• 8:44
  Start by taking about four medium beets, trimming the tops
• 8:48
  and wrapping them individually in foil.
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  Roast them at 400°F for about an hour until they're fork tender.
• 8:59
  Once cooled, slip off the skins. It's weirdly satisfying.
• 9:06
  Slice them into half moons and set them aside.
• 9:09
  In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, one
• 9:15
  tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a teaspoon of honey, and a pinch
• 9:20
  of salt and pepper. Peel and segment two oranges.
• 9:25
  Toss them with the sliced beets and drizzle the dressing over
• 9:29
  the top. Finish with a sprinkle of goat
• 9:32
  cheese or toasted walnuts if you're feeling fancy.
• 9:36
  It's bright, sweet, tangy, and incredibly refreshing.
• 9:42
  Now let's roll into some fun facts.
• 9:47
  First, did you know that beet juice was once used as a natural
• 9:50
  hair dye? People used it because the
• 9:54
  pigment is so powerful it can stain almost anything, including
• 9:59
  countertops, hands, and occasionally your soul.
• 10:04
  Another neat fact is that the ancient Romans believed beets
• 10:08
  were an aphrodisiac, which might explain their enthusiasm for
• 10:12
  growing them. Third, the sugar beet.
• 10:16
  Yes, a relative of the garden beet is responsible for about
• 10:20
  20% of the world's sugar supply. So technically, beets help make
• 10:26
  your candy possible. 4th, Beet greens were eaten long before
• 10:33
  the roots became popular. The roots only got trendy once
• 10:38
  people figured out how sweet they were. 5th, some people
• 10:44
  experience beturia where the urine turns pink or red after
• 10:49
  eating beets. Totally harmless, but hilarious
• 10:53
  if you forget you ate them. And lastly, golden beets were
• 10:59
  once considered the fancy beet because they didn't stain
• 11:03
  everything red. Clearly a selling point for
• 11:06
  anyone doing laundry by hand. Welcome to the Gardenerd Corner
• 11:16
  beets contain a fascinating pigment called Betalayan, which
• 11:20
  is responsible for their intense red and yellow colors.
• 11:25
  What's cool is that betalayan is water soluble but heat stable,
• 11:29
  which is rare for our plant pigments.
• 11:34
  Most vegetables lose color when cooked.
• 11:37
  Beets just flex harder. Beets also have an interesting
• 11:42
  evolutionary quirk. Their seeds are actually dried
• 11:47
  fruit clusters that evolve to help them survive unpredictable
• 11:51
  weather patterns. Each seed is like a tiny
• 11:56
  community of potential plants. And if you're into soil
• 11:59
  chemistry, beets are excellent bio indicators.
• 12:04
  They can show signs of pH imbalance or micronutrient
• 12:07
  deficiencies faster than many other crops, making them handy
• 12:13
  little garden alarms. They're also one of the few
• 12:17
  crops that can tolerate slightly salty soil, which is why they're
• 12:21
  sometimes grown in coastal regions.
• 12:25
  Next time on the Beanstalk, we're taking a detour from the
• 12:29
  vegetable patch into the coop, because what's a garden without
• 12:34
  a few chickens judging you from the sidelines?
• 12:37
  We'll talk breeds, eggs, compost perks, predator problems, and
• 12:44
  exactly how many chickens you think you need versus how many
• 12:47
  you will eventually want. Spoiler, the numbers are rarely
• 12:53
  the same. That's next time here on the
• 12:56
  Beanstalk. Thanks again for hanging out
• 13:00
  with me today on the Beanstalk, Fellow Beans.
• 13:04
  If you want to keep the conversation going, we've got a
• 13:07
  growing community over at the Beanstalk Garden Club on
• 13:11
  Facebook. Come join us, share your garden
• 13:14
  photos, swap ideas, and dig a little deeper into all things
• 13:19
  that grow together. If you're enjoying the podcast,
• 13:24
  don't forget to hit follow on Spotify so you never miss an
• 13:28
  episode. We'd also love to hear your
• 13:32
  feedback or questions for future shows.
• 13:36
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• 13:38
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• 13:42
  Patreon. All of our free content lives
• 13:45
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• 13:49
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• 13:53
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• 13:59
  Keep on client.