Usually when people complain of big tops and no roots, it's because there's too much nitrogen in the soil or in the fertilizer they're given. Or maybe you're just not giving them enough time? They just might be slow to develop.

Lappe: You didn't say where you live, what zone. Beets don't like intense heat and wont do well in hot areas. They don't grow well in dry soil either. At least that's been my experience. Here in zone 6 I grow them spring and fall. You didn't mention what fertilizer you used either. Try 5-10-5 and keep them well watered.

Agree with the above answers and for an add on, as a general rule, when you're getting better than expected foliage at the expense of fruit, etc, it's due to too much nitrogen. While I believe it's important to be plant specific with you fertilizing, another general guideline is more nitrogen when you eat the leaves (ie-cabbage, kale), less nitrogen when you eat the fruit, flower, root (ie tomato, broccoli, beet). I have a little chart for the veggies I grow that tells me what to fertilize with and depending on whether or not they are heavy feeders (ie corn)I'll know how often and how much. I also get my soil tested so I know where I'm starting from

Beet greens, sautéed lightly in butter or olive oil, are the principal reason we grow beets. Blanched and frozen, we use them instead of spinach and chard over the winter.

We intentionally don't thin them, and we're lucky if we get a 2" dia beet, most are about an inch. These we soak over-night in water, scrub the root hairs off, cut in half, microwave a bit to soften them up, and fry 'em until they start to brown. Serve with salt, or honey/chipotle, and so on. The ex-microwave beets also freeze well.

Beets also take a good frost, so we can have greens into Thanksgiving. Golden beets are now the favorite. In other words, things could be worse......

Beet greens fried in bacon grease with onions. I like to use Italian dressing also. Just don't let anything go to waste.

One likely cause of all tops and no bulbing up is crowding. Thin them ruthlessly when they are small.

Jim

Can you eat the leaves at anytime of the season or just when the are young?

You can eat the leaves anytime - they are my favorite green - just take a few from each plant.

Favorite trick here, re beet greens (works for chard as well) is to weekly, cut off all the bigger leaves, but leave the smallest 3-4 leaves. That leaves enough leaf surface to give the plant the necessary photosynthesis to crank out more. This will double your season production of greens.

Beet tops and chard are our favorite greens. They taste similar and don't get bitter when the heat starts. Wish I had freezer space to freeze them for winter.

This is from www.farminfo.com

Beets prefer loose, well-drained soils but will tolerate a wide range. Remove stones and debris since this will hinder growth. In high clay soils, add organic matter to improve soil structure and to help avoid crusting after rainfall. Beets also make an excellent raised bed crop since soils are generally less compacted and there is less foot traffic. Beets are also sensitive to soil acidity. A low soil pH results in stunted growth. They prefer a pH of 6.2 to 6.8 and will tolerate 6.0 to 7.5.

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

For pickled beets try the variety Cylindra. I just dig in compost and add no fertilizer. They do get more water than most of the rest of my garden.

Morning,

Thanks for all the ideas, I am in zone 4, it was a real wet June/July, the temps. here have been great high in the 30c. I think it is because I use chicken manure, will try using some of the tops and see if that will help. My tropicals banana, calla lilies, angel trumpet all love the manure.
Live and Learn
Thanks again
Janet

Yep, chicken manure is too rich for beets. Bet the roots you do get are kinda a hairy looking too. Next time, try planting your beets where you haven't spread manure for a year. Bet you'll do much better.

George

My beets were a complete failure for several years. This year I put lots of bone meal in the rows as I planted the seed. I had a great crop. My soil needed the phosphorus. My beets are all pickled and canned now. The other veggies I planted must not need extra phosphorus as they are doing well. I use 16-16-16 fertilizer on all of the vegetables.

Janet - outside of radishes I found beets are one of the easiest things to grow . This year mine are taking a little longer than normal but they can stay for the rest of the season and continue to grow , I could pull them now as babies (better tasting)but I didn't plant alot so I'll let them grow ...I think the most practical answer I can give you is you could be overcrowding your beets because beets grow in almost any soil .

I'm not entirely sure what Zone I am in, but I am in the Pacific Northwest, still somewhat of a novice gardener. Half my beets are growing like crazy, the other half don't seem to be getting any bigger or leafy-er. On the smallish ones, some of the leaves are turning yellow. I've made sure to water them thoroughly, so I don't think they are thirsty. Any hints?

~Rowan

Ah, okay, I am in Zone 6