Beets, Thyme, and Apple Salad Recipe provided by Gardenuity
In the cooling months of autumn, it's the perfect time to start a garden. This article focuses on growing beets and other cool-season vegetables, offering a guide for a successful harvest.
Beets are a great vegetable to include in a cool-season garden, as they are hardy and love cooler temperatures. They grow quickly and without fuss, and offer an abundance of health benefits, including high levels of iron, fiber, and vitamins A & C.
For a fall garden, especially if you want to grow beets, some of the best vegetables to plant are beets themselves, along with carrots, spinach, kale, lettuce, radishes, and broccoli. These vegetables thrive in the cooler temperatures of fall and can be harvested before or after the first frost.
Beets are well-suited for fall planting because they tolerate cooler weather and can be direct-sown in mid to late summer for a fall harvest. Soaking beet seeds for about 12 hours before planting can improve germination, especially if the soil is dry. Plant beets alongside other cool-weather root crops like carrots and radishes, which also mature quickly and grow well in fall conditions. Leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and lettuce complement beets well in a fall garden because they also thrive in cool temperatures, often becoming sweeter or hardier after frost.
Additional good fall garden choices include onions and broccoli, which mature in cool weather and can extend your fall harvest window.
In summary, to grow beets successfully in a fall garden, plant them alongside other cool-season vegetables like carrots, spinach, kale, radishes, lettuce, and broccoli. Use direct sowing techniques, prepare well-drained soil, and consider seed soaking to boost germination for beets.
For those who are still considering planting their autumn garden, vegetable garden kits and herb garden kits are also mentioned as options.
This article features a recipe for a Beets, Thyme & Apple Salad by Food & Wine. The recipe requires 4 large beets, 5 thyme sprigs, 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish, 1/3 cup salted pistachios, and 1 green apple. The Beets, Thyme & Apple Salad recipe pairs well with a fresh loaf of sourdough bread or Herby Garlic Flatbread.
References:
- Gardening Know How
- The Spruce
- Mother Earth News
- Garden Myths
- By choosing to grow beets and other cool-season vegetables in a fall garden, you're not only contributing to your lifestyle but also enhancing your food-and-drink options with fresh, nutritious produce.
- For home-and-garden enthusiasts, the Autumn season provides an excellent opportunity to expand your gardening repertoire by planting vegetables like beets, carrots, spinach, kale, lettuce, radishes, broccoli, onions, and even herbs to extend your food harvest.
- If you're looking for an instant garden solution, consider vegetable or herb garden kits, which can help you quickly get started on your fall gardening journey.
- To complement your fall gardening efforts, don't forget to explore and experiment with recipes that showcase your freshly grown produce, like the Beets, Thyme & Apple Salad recipe from Food & Wine, which pairs wonderfully with a fresh loaf of sourdough bread or Herby Garlic Flatbread.
