Beaut beets

BEETROOT CAN BE GROWN ALL YEAR ROUND IN MOST CLIMATES BUT IS BEST PLANTED IN WINTER OR SPRING.

Beetroot label

Common name: Beetroot, table beet

Botanical name: Beta vulgaris

Family: Chenopodiaceae (spinach family)

Requires: Sun, well-drained soil free of lumps

Best climate: All

Habit: Annual

Propagation: Seed, seedling

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

In November 2008, when the president-elect confessed to Associated Press that he was in the habit of avoiding what Americans call table beets, it touched off a controversy among US foodies and launched