Norann Oleson, Editorial Director of Food Gardening Network

Welcome to the satisfying, sweet world of beets!

You can’t beat beets for flavor, nutrition, and beauty. And they are so easy to grow. Beets are a cold weather crop that look beautiful in your garden. The green and red veined leaves catch the sunlight and give a glorious glow. The leaves are edible, too, tasting similar to bok choy or chard. If you’ve only ever had pickled beets, you’re in for a treat as beets can be roasted, boiled, baked, or grated and eaten raw. They even come in different colors, including red, yellow, white, and candy cane! Whether you eat beets in salads, as a side, in soups, or combined with savory flavors such as goat cheese, once you have them fresh from the garden, you will want to plant them every year!

You can start growing beets in your garden or on your deck, with very little fuss. We’ll walk you through the whole process.

First is the collection’s Introduction, where you’ll learn some of the basics about beets and how to choose the right variety to grow. You’ll also get the history of this sweet and colorful root vegetable.

Next, in the Feature Articles, you’ll get specifics about beet growing—from the types of beets to the best way to start growing to watering, fertilizing, and harvesting your plants so they stay healthy and productive throughout the season.

There’s a lot to know about growing beets, so even if you’re a veteran, you might learn something new. We aim to gather everything there is to know about growing beets into this single collection!

We have several fun Plant Profiles with the more popular varieties listed, including options for gardeners around the country and those who want to grow beets in containers.

There are dozens of varieties of beets throughout the world, but not all of them are available in the United States. We’ve chosen these beet plant profiles because they are some of the most commonly grown. If you’d like us to include another beet variety that appeals to you, please let me know by commenting below.

After all, this is Food Gardening Network, and we want to include the knowledge of all our gardening readers in everything we do. Your input is just as important to us as anything we come up with on our own!

We do think you’ll love the beet Recipes we’ve compiled for enjoying the fruits of your labor. They cover some traditional uses of beets, plus some new approaches to using beets you might want to try.

Go beyond basic side dishes and let the flavor of your homegrown beets shine through! Our Beautiful Beets recipes are a great way to showcase the harvest from your beets. We have other recipes that you can make for everyday meals, with tips for dressing them up for fancy dinners.

After that, you’ll be interested to learn how beets can benefit your health in Nutrition Facts about Beets. Beets have great antioxidant properties, and they’re loaded with vitamin C!

Then there are the Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Beets where you’ll learn how beets are thought to help heart health, prevent cancer, and contribute to better digestive health.

Because we want you to have everything there is to know about beets at your fingertips, we’ve included a Resources section that’s complementary to this collection. Learn more about tools specific to growing beets, and kitchen tools that will come in handy after you’ve harvested your beets.

As always, we’ve included a brief Glossary in case you need a deeper explanation of any key terms. Be sure to let us know if there’s something else you need explained.

I’m off to make some Simple Roasted Beets for dinner right now, but I hope you’re ready to dive in and become a master beet grower!