These are Early Wonder beets, planted 14 September. The tops are tall and lush, and I can see the shoulders of the roots developing well, beginning to push out of the earth. The roots are not yet full size, and I would like to leave them in place to develop longer, while still making a meal of these greens. Today is 30 October. NE Texas. Growing in 20-gallon grow bags.
I cut about two thirds of the leaves, taking most of the big ones and leaving most of the small ones. Do any of you do that? Am I shooting myself in the foot?
by NPKzone8a
2 Comments
I think it’s fine. I’m no beet farmer, but it should not stunt the roots.
If you remove healthy leaves the plant has to make more or make do with less energy collected. Either way, the plant has less energy to put into root formation so it makes logical sense it could reduce the size of the root. Plants can behave in unexpected ways, so the only way to be sure would be to do an experiment. I wonder if anyone has studied it, might be worth googling.