Re: Beets - when to harvest
On Mon 23 Aug, Smith, Sue wrote:
> I fear I have let my beets get to large. I always thought if they were
> large they got woody. My neighbor said she thought her father left them in
> the ground till after the frost so they were sweeter. But our first frost
> is still a month or more away. Can anyone shed some light on this topic?
>
> Sue
>
Beet have to have sun on the leaves to build up sugars and flavour in
the roots. If they are tough or bitter it is because they have grown too
slowly such as because of lack of nutrients or water or the temperature
too low. If you pull them too early they will lack flavour, best time is
about the first frost time or just before if you know when that is, but
if the days are short they will stop growing anyway. The tastiest beet
that I ever grew were Boltardy that got overlooked, they were huge but
delicious, not a bit tough. They say don't cut the leaves, just twist
them off so that they don't bleed, in practice leave them on the surface
until the leaves flop and then remove them.
Allan
--
Allan Day Hereford allan@crwys.demon.co.uk
