My old standby is Detroit Dark Red. I'm also planting Burpee's Golden, Chiogga and new for me this year Early Wonder Tall Tops.

No one in the family eats beets or beet greens except for me. My favorite are beet greens with tiny beets attached. I sometimes get carried away and end the season with very few large beets!

Jim, there are plenty of differing tastes out there. My favorite is Lutz Green Leaf, which is a later, larger beet. It does stay tender even when large and rough looking. My family likes it, just as they like any other beet. But it stays tender longer and makes for wonderful greens as well. That's it from my limited experience with beets!

George
Tahlequah, OK

I use Early Wonder Tall Top for summer and Lutz for overwintering in the ground. Tom

I grew and really liked Cylindra last season.

Sue

There's a bunch more beat info at the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beet varities rated

Another vote for Lutz but we do grow some Detroit for quick small beets and greens. Young Lutz, just a bit larger than a ping pong ball are wonderful grated fresh in a green salad and mature ones, sometimes larger than a softball, are great wrapped in foil and baked.

I never met a beet I didn't like.

Lutz (large and late) and Red Ace (early hybrid) have been good for me. I'm sure many I haven't tried are also good. I love beet greens. Plant thickly and eat the thinnings.

Jim

I'm with the Jimster, Jim. "I never met a beet I didn't like . . . love beet greens." They can get coarse, however, both roots and leaves. Baby beets, greens and all may be my favorite vegetable but it has been difficult for me to start seed and have Âem late in the season.

I've tried Detroit, Golden, Bull's Blood, and Lutz and grew Early Wonder for a long time. For some reason, I went on to Red Ace and think that one is about the best for me. However this year, I'll also be growing Lutz again. I'm hoping I can get a couple more weeks of tender greens from Lutz but I might just have forgotten how it grows.

Perpetual Spinach may be something you should give some thought to. It is not a spinach and altho' classified by some as a chard, I think of it more as a beet without a red bulbous root. I've been able to enjoy the leaves later in the season than I can with beets. And, it is around longer than true spinach, that's for sure.

My wife doesn't care much for Perpetual Spinach, tho'. She claims that it's also too tough but then what does she know? She won't eat beets because they're too red!?!

Steve

Hi, the best beet depends on what you're going to be using it for....fresh eating, beet tops for salad or greens, pickling, or winter storage(in a cellar, in my zone....too cold for overwintering.) For pickled beets, the old variety, Detroit Dark Red, is (in my opinion) about the best(it's pretty firm...so the pickled beets don't turn out mushy........& the color's REALLY a nice non-fading purple.....I really think it makes the best pickles)but the flavour for fresh eating is a bit too "earthy" for my family's taste. For fresh eating my family totally loves Red Ace Hybrid. It matures very quickly & it's the sweetest, mildest & one of the tenderest ones I've tried. Chiogga & Golden Beet are also tender & mild, but not as sweet as Red Ace. For winter storage, Lutz is my favorite......doesn't shrivel or lose quality like the early varieties....the only thing is that it takes a long time to mature. But it'll grow really huge if you let it grow all season(And it won't lose it's great quality.) It also has wonderful, tender, beet greens &these are ready to eat before the roots get large....it almost seems like this variety puts it's early growth into the tops, before developing the root. Honestly, if I could only grow one variety it would probably be Lutz, because it's a good all-rounder. If you're able to grow a larger amount of beets, I really recommend Red Ace for fresh eating, Detroit Dark Red for pickling, & Lutz Green Leaf (it's also called WinterKeeper in some catalogs) for tender beet tops & for storage. But it's a personal judgement......I hope this helps a little.Nancy

I like all the beets and grow Detroit Reds, Chiogga, and golden, but I noticed that the germination isn't as good with the golden as it is with the others.

I'm growing lutz this year. I've noticed the larger tops, but not much bottom (i looked)! I love pickled beets.

I usually grow Detroit Dark Red and/or Early Wonder for pickles.

Yellow Intermediate Mangel (Seeds of Change)

...Possible alternative to Burpee's Golden. I only have less than 1 year experience; these were sown late summer or fall last year a little too late to mature well. My initial impression is that they are not very vigorous, easily susceptible to some sort of crown rot.

Yellow Cylindrical Mangel (Baker's Creek)

...Possible alternative to Burpee's Golden. I only have less than 1 year experience; these were sown late summer or fall last year a little too late to mature well. They seem more vigorous than Yellow Intermediate Mangel. Skin color is more yellow and less orange than Yellow Intermediate Mangel. Cooked root and leaf have a trace of bitterness or some other similar off flavor such as "metallic" or "oxalic".

3-way Grex (Peace Seeds, Fedco)

...Possible alternative to Burpee's Golden. A mixed population from a cross pollination of Yellow Intermediate Mangle, Lutz, and (Crosby's?) Egyptian. I only have a few weeks experience, so I can only comment on raw thinnings used in salads (baby leaves, not roots). I've mostly thinned out the red/purple veined individuals and kept the yellow/white veined for further growing. The thinnings were salty, and mostly good, except that one individual had an "off flavor". They seem more vigorous than Yellow Intermediate Mangel.

Jaune de Vauriac (Harvest Moon)

...Possible alternative to Burpee's Golden. I haven't tried this one yet.

Yellow Eckendorf Mangel

...Possible alternative to Burpee's Golden. I haven't tried this one yet.

Badger Gold (I.L. Goldman, Univ of Wisconsin)

...Possible alternative to Burpee's Golden. I haven't tried this one yet.

Golden Detroit (Seeds by Design - wholesaler or breeder)
Yellow Detroit (Seeds by Design - wholesaler or breeder)

...Possible alternative to Burpee's Golden. I haven't tried either one yet.