Variety – Beets, Red Ace
Company – Pacific Northwest
Tops marks for good use of space. We started picking beets when they were small, and brought home a few each week all summer long. Not only are the sweet, tender roots delicious, but the greens are tasty and nutritous too. We use beet tops in stir-fries and quiche, just like spinach. Another year I’d like to try the variety Cylindra. It is the same diameter as regular beets, but the roots are long, not oval, producing more beet in the same amount of area.
Variety – Carrots, Scarlet Nantes
Company – McKenzie
Well, the carrots were a lost cause. They showed up, but so did the predators. We will try again next year inside a fence and see how much of a difference that makes. The McKenzie seed tape was a little more expensive, but since carrots seeds are so tiny and must be thinned carefully to thrive, it seemed like a great idea.