The past month or so has been all about staying on top of weeds, keeping pests away, watering your garden during dry periods, and harvesting some of your well-earned veggie bounty.

But as any seasoned vegetable gardener knows, summer crops that move out of the soil and into the kitchen call for some new additions in your growing space.

Before you know it, you’re weeding, prepping, and amending fresh beds to make room for yet another round of crops suitable for the autumn.

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There’s no shortage of choices for what to plant at this time of year. Spinach, lettuce, carrots, garlic, and more are all fair game.

There’s one vibrant veggie that always gets me stoked to plant in the cool seasons of spring or early fall: the beet!

Cultivation and History

Beets are so versatile. A root veggie notorious for that earthy taste you either love or hate, they also provide leafy spinach-like greens.

They are full of healthy nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B9 (folate), iron, fiber, potassium, and manganese.

Did you know that beets are actually close cousins to spinach, quinoa, and amaranth (as well as the more obscure orach – have you tried it before)?

All of these are traditionally called goosefoot vegetables, part of the Chenopodiaceae family (or “goosefoot family” in Latin) in the older Cronquist taxonomic system.

In the modern APG III taxonomical system they are all classed within the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae) .

Here’s a surprise fun fact for you: chard – another goosefoot and

fall Root Crops