Beets That Are Fit to Eat — By Adolph Kmhm, 



Ohio 



THE HOME GARDENERS' OPPORTUNITY TO PRODUCE SOMETHING THAT IS NOT OBTAINABLE IN THE 

 MARKET— TEN VARIETIES OF TABLE BEET THAT WILL PROVIDE A SUCCESSION FROM JUNE UNTIL FROST 



NOTWITHSTAND- 

 ING the fact that 

 beets are among the 

 most easily grown 

 vegetables, roots of good qual- 

 ity can rarely be bought. One 

 of the principal reasons for 

 this is that the grower's views 

 with reference to quality in 

 this vegetable differ radically 

 from those of the consumer. 



The man who eats the beets 

 wants the quality within, while the man 

 who sells them tries to produce quality in 

 shape and skin — the two factors that sell 

 beets. The results are usually fair looking 

 beets, entirely devoid of the sweet, juicy 

 flesh one has a right to expect. And let it 

 be stated right here that the varieties, too, 



Typical shapes of beets, marking the five classes into which they are divided 



2. Flat globe (Eclipse). 3. Globular or ovoid (Columbia, Black Red Ball) 

 5. Globe (Detroit. Early Model. Crimson Globe. Fireball). 



Flat turnip (Crosby's, Electric). 

 4. Top (Edmands'). 



Eclipse. A well fixed type 



Early Model. Really a midseason 



show great differences in quality. Some 

 become tough and woody before they are 

 really of a fair size, while others quickly 

 attain the eatable stage and pass it almost 

 before the planter realizes. 



Several years of half-hearted experiment- 

 ing had firmly established these facts in 

 my mind and created a desire for beets 

 that really would be "fit to be eaten." 

 The only solution of the problem seemed 

 to lie in a practical test. A score or more 

 of the best new as well as standard sorts 

 were consequently planted on April 29th, 

 and the results revealed many interesting 

 and valuable facts. Since repeated sow- 

 ings were out of the question because of 

 lack of space and time, a collection of 

 different varieties was made, covering the 

 season from early to late — according to the 

 catalogue descriptions. 



May it be placed on record here, that a 

 large percentage of the catalogue descrip- 

 tions proved correct — but frequently late 



sorts were recommended as "first early" 

 and sorts supposed to be very sweet proved 

 of only fair quality. Of the whole collec- 

 tion, ten stoqd the test, incidentally furnish- 

 ing delicious beets for six weeks or more. 

 The soil in which these beets grew was 

 far from ideal for the development of this 

 vegetable. It was stiff, heavy 

 clay, not at all rich and friable. 

 But it retained moisture well, 

 and constant cultivation made 

 up for a deficiency in the 

 natural water supply. While the 

 roots were not as smooth as they 

 would have been if grown on 

 lighter, sandier soil, they were, 

 in most cases, of typical shape. 

 One thing is sure — clay soil 

 produces a quality in the roots 

 that cannot be duplicated on a 

 lighter soil where the roots grow 

 to be better looking. So the 

 law of compensation works — 

 what you lose in appearance, 

 you gain in quality; and what 

 you gain in earliness, you lose 

 in size. 



What is the "right size" of a 

 beet for culinary purposes? We 

 hear so much about the de- 

 licious beet greens — beets that 

 are pulled when quite 

 small and boiled, roots, 

 tops and all. But com- 

 parative cooking tests 

 with all the varieties, 

 from youth to old age, 

 showed that all the 

 varieties described here- 

 with were at their best 

 when the "root" mea- 

 sured two inches in 

 diameter. Some passed 

 that size very quickly 

 and still retained their 

 tenderness and sweet 

 quality. Others lingered 

 a week or ten days at 

 that stage of develop- 

 ment and then quickly 

 became tough and 

 woody. The late sorts 

 retained their cooking 

 qualities longest. 



The various beets described 

 below as forming an ideal 

 assortment for the home gar- 

 den differ essentially in shape 

 and season of maturity. All 

 are good while at their best, 

 and most are good for a long 

 time after. 



As to the shape, it will be 

 noticed that no long sort is 

 included in the collection. I 

 do not consider long beets 

 practical for the home garden, since they 

 cannot be pulled very easily. Besides, they 

 are very late, and few soils are adapted to 

 grow long beet roots in fair fashion. All 

 the sorts recommended here grow nearly 

 half above the ground on which account 

 they are easily pulled. 



In season of maturity the selected ten 

 sorts cover a period of six weeks in an ideal 

 manner. If some of the young seedling 

 plants, thinned out of rows at the proper 

 time, are transplanted into another row, 

 this period can easily be extended by two 

 weeks more. A sowing very early in the 

 spring and a subsequent sowing about the 

 time the first rows are transplanted should 

 really furnish beets that are "just right" 

 from June until frost, if the recommended 

 collection is utilized. 



It is really no great trick to grow good 

 beets, but here are a few hints that will 

 make it easier to be sure of success. Spade 

 deeply any kind of soil you have. Place 

 rows two feet apart ana make drills about 

 one half inch deep. Cover carefully and 

 then walk over the row, placing one foot 

 before the other so that, when you get 

 through, the row shows nothing but a con- 

 tinuous string of foot prints. Beet "seeds" 

 are really composite kernels, each containing 

 several individual seeds. These are em- 



Electric. A long season root 



Detroit Dark Red. Nearly an ideal 



170 



