Beet - Chioggia

Germination: 5 - 14 days  Maturity 50 - 70 days. Planting:  Plant 2 - 3 inches apart at a seed depth of 1/2". Ideally beets should be planted approximately 2 - 3 inches apart. Row spacing should be 12" between rows.   Care: Beets need rich, well-drained soil; incorporate a few inches of compost or aged manure into the soil to promote good root growth. Beets also benefit from a fertilizer of liquid seaweed every other week or so. They are a cool weather crop so plant in fall or early spring. History: Picture it: 1840, a small fishing village in northern Italy, and the history of the Chioggia beet began! It's believed that long before that time beet leaves were used in the Mediterranean medicinally. I guess that Italian decided he needed something to go with all those fish, and voila! Chioggia beets turned up on the plate. We call them the Christmas beet because they remind us of candy canes with their stripes of red and white. Zones 2 - 11