I've recently started growing beets in a small pot, about 6-8 inches deep, mainly for their delicious greens rather than the roots. I'm really enjoying the beet greens and have harvested them a couple of times already. Since the plants seem a bit crowded now, I have so many questions about caring for them! 1. I didn't plant seeds—just buried whole beets. Will the greens keep growing indefinitely without harvesting the beets? What happens if I don't harvest them? 2. Am I harvesting the greens correctly? They don't seem to grow back after cutting. Should I prune the old stems that aren't coming back? 3. My pot seems to have lost a lot of soil, and these plants absorb water unlike any others I've grown. Is that normal? Do I need to fertilize or add more soil regularly? 4. I heard beets need deeper pots (6 or 12 inches). What's the ideal depth? If I've messed things up, that's okay—I just want to grow this awesome plant successfully!
1 Answer
If you want greens that can keep coming back, you might want to check out chard. It's like beets, but bred for the leaves. They'll keep growing larger greens for you!
Totally seconding the chard suggestion! I'm looking forward to trying new varieties myself.