| Introduction to Potatoes and Beets |
| The basics of two cool-weather root crops: potatoes and beets. |
From "Fresh from the Garden"
episode DFFG-302 |
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Joe Lamp'l introduces two tasty and easy-to-grow cool-weather root crops: potatoes (figure A) and beets (figure B). He explains the importance of using certified seed potatoes for your crop and shows how to prepare them for planting. After preparing the seed potatoes, he amends and fertilizes his garden bed and plants the potatoes.
Originally grown in Peru more than 7,000 years ago, potatoes are now a staple crop in many parts of the world. They're also a staple in home gardens, since they're easy to plant and harvest. In a home garden, you can grow a number of interesting varieties that aren't available at your local grocery, including blue potatoes (figure C).Beets are a favorite with home gardeners because they taste earthy and sweet when they come right from your own backyard. They're also easy to grow, and there's a wide variety for gardeners to choose from. In addition to regular red beets (figure D), you can grow white beets and beets with targetlike circles of red and white flesh (figure E).
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