There's no best...but let there beets!It's the late beet planting challenge!

Cathy's seeds arrived!

Now most of us are underway in the late planting challenge of beets.


But let me make one thing perfectly clear.


I'm not big on "best". Or "first", or "most perfect" or any of those fine descriptors when it comes to growing things in the garden.  


A garden is the place to get away from all the competitiveness of the world and watch nature unfold her magic. Plant a seed and watch it grow. Miraculous.  Always miraculous. I think the following message applies to beet growers too! (Substitute the word "beets" in the appropriate spots..ie  "if you compare your BEETS with others...)


"If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans." (from Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann)




So if you have never grown a beet successfully, or never grown a beet at all and the one you grow is the size of your baby finger...I offer my congratulations. You have grown a beet and you have succeeded.  (Probably the best damn beet you ever ate too!)


We'll compare results, but there are no winners or losers.  Well, maybe that's wrong.  If we get to eat the beets that's a prize in itself.


Sadly, yes.  Canada Post may be back at work, but had some challenges getting the beet seed out.  Maybe they rejected the delivering of beet seeds in their new collective agreement. I just don't know.


So if you are late getting your seed, just keep track of what date it went in, and pull 65 days later.


Most of us will do the big pull on September 18th, when Detroit Dark Red should be ready, 65 days from the !5th of July.


I got mine in yesterday afternoon after smoothing out the remains of the compost pile, and tilling it until I had a gorgeous fine soil.


With this heat it has been water, water and more water in an attempt to keep the seed bed evenly moist.


As I suggested i'm doing a trial within a trial.  Some seeds I soaked overnight in water, some in my kelp fertilizer, and the others I planted dry.


It will be interesting to see if planting in pots is as successful as ground planting, how our methods effect our beets and if we can figure how location plays into it at all. And most importantly that perhaps it NEVER is too late to plant. Well, nearly never.


And here are a few stories from other folks...Callie K  from Toronto, and K from Fort Erie. Glad you are having fun with it.


Sheri from St Catharines planted in a good heap of alpaca poo.


Cathy from TO wrote that this was her method:


-Used two large clay pots to plant 8 seeds in each
-Used Miracle Grow potting soil with about an inch of a mix of loam/peat/compost mixed into the top
-Placed in the sunniest spot next to the house.


Keep your results coming!  Germination is next..