Beet Greens question

[lizbleu]

I am confused about how beet greens grow in AG. At first I thought it was a special seed that only grew leaves since I believed you can’t grow roots in hydro. My greens are the most beautiful purple, nothing green about them. I did some research to try to identify what kind- as all recipes had pictures of green leaves. I don’t have enough leaves for sautee but I did pick some of the large leaves for salad to help the plant grow. Anyhow, my research revealed beet greens and beets are one and the same. I also found a “how to grow beets hydroponically” tutorial. So I am confused. Am I growing beets or beet greens and do you grow roots in an AG? How do you know when the beets are ready? I can’t imagine you can pull them up through that small hole. The leaves are lovely. I think its the Bulls Blood variety since those are the only red variety I found.

[Sher]

lizbleu, ERR0R1755 grew some nice beets in an Aerogarden. Possibly others have, too.

Just do a search for beets. You will get info and photos.

[ERR0R1755]

Hello lizbleu!

To clear up beets versus beet greens - they are the same plant, the "beet" is the stem/bulb of the plant, and the "greens" are the leaves of the plant. You can harvest the greens at any time - even the very first set of leaves are edible as a microgreen. If you want to harvest both, I would recommend always keeping at least two sets of leaves at any time, but keep in mind that removing leaves will slow down the growth and possibly change the look of the stem/bulb.

You can definitely grow beets and other small root vegetables, such as radishes and turnips. The trick to growing those is to keep an eye on the plant's stem for the bulb formation, and to ensure that the bulb forms above the top of the pod. Sometimes the plant will form above the pod and you need to take no action, other times you may need to gently lift up the sponge + plant from the pod to ensure the bulb is above the pod.

Here is a diagram I put together for how you may need to lift the sponge. The official labels may "pop" upwards in the center to accommodate the sponge, so if that happens then don't worry.

[lizbleu]

ERR0R1755 Thanks very much!