Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - My miserable attempt at growing sugar beets

GreenThumbGal_07 · October 3, 2021

Thanks. I specifically wanted to try the sugar beets, not for eating as a regular vegetable, but for processing sugar from the roots (there are informative videos on YouTube on how to do this).

You're right, they are very very late, and I should have started them in the spring, probably March, instead of the first day of summer. Then they would have developed a good strong set of leaves (enough to fend off insects and diseases later in the summer) and consequently a much bigger root. The leaves make the root. No leaves, no root. I'd never had that sort of foliage disease with regular red beets either.

October 3, 2021	#3
GreenThumbGal_07 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern California Posts: 300	Thanks. I specifically wanted to try the sugar beets, not for eating as a regular vegetable, but for processing sugar from the roots (there are informative videos on YouTube on how to do this). You're right, they are very very late, and I should have started them in the spring, probably March, instead of the first day of summer. Then they would have developed a good strong set of leaves (enough to fend off insects and diseases later in the summer) and consequently a much bigger root. The leaves make the root. No leaves, no root. I'd never had that sort of foliage disease with regular red beets either.