Roast them, pickle them, put them in a salad, and even use them in cakes, the truth is that beets are very versatile vegetables to grow. There is also the opportunity to regrow beets from scraps to provide a second harvest and get another use out of parts of the vegetable often thrown in the trash.
Not many people may think about regrowing beets, but it is a quick and simple way to reuse vegetable scraps and get a crop of delicious and nutritious beet greens that can be cooked in dishes or added raw to salads.
If you want to learn more about how to regrow beets, we are here to help. We look closely at growing beets from scraps and reveal how you can get a great harvest of beet greens in a few simple steps.
How to regrow beets from scraps
Knowing how to grow beets from scraps means you can do a fun gardening experiment with young children. It gets them interested in sustainable gardening and the reward is a tasty harvest. We hear from an experienced horticulturist why you should try to regrow beets and see how easy it can be to do at home.
Can you regrow beets?
Regrowing beets from scraps is an easy and enjoyable sustainable gardening project. It will not, however, grow another beet to harvest. Beets are grown for their tap roots and the root will not regrow once cut off. Instead of another beet, you get a harvest of beet greens to enjoy - more commonly known as the tops off the plant.
‘The tops are edible and taste just as good as the beet root,’ says Amy Enfield, senior horticulturist at ScottsMiracle-Gro. ‘This easy kitchen scrap project not only helps reduce waste but also lets you enjoy nutrient-rich beet greens with minimal effort.’
Beet greens match the color of the root - red for common red beets or yellow for yellow varieties - and have a mild and earthy flavor. They can be eaten raw or cooked and are high in vitamins, including vitamins A and C.
It is the same when regrowing all root vegetables, such as when growing carrots from carrot tops or growing turnips from scraps. You do not get another root, but a harvest of greens to enjoy.
How to grow beets from scraps in 5 easy steps
You can regrow beets harvested from the kitchen garden or organic beets bought from the farmers market, the only prerequisite is that they have the tops still attached. Growing beets from beets bought at the grocery store is best avoided as you cannot guarantee they have not been treated with chemicals or pesticides.
To regrow beets from scraps all you need are a few common household items and a bright windowsill:
- Cut the top off your beet and leave a half-inch to an inch of root from where the new roots will develop. Also cut the existing beet tops, as Amy Enfield explains: ‘Until your beet top forms new roots, it won’t be able to support a lot of leaf growth, so use a pair of scissors or pruners to trim the leaves back to about an inch tall.’ Always use a clean and sharp pair of pruning shears or scissors, such as these micro-tip pruning snips available at Walmart.
- Place the cut beet top in a shallow dish of water. Amy recommends ‘add just enough water so that the base is covered’ but the leaves should not be submerged, as this can cause rot. The cut side of the beet wants to be facing downward
- Put the container in a warm and sunny spot, but out of direct sunlight and change the water in the container every 2-3 days to keep it fresh and clean
- ‘After about a week, you should start to see new green leaves sprouting from the top,’ advises Amy. ‘Around the same time or shortly after, hair-like roots will start to emerge from the remaining bit of root.’ When the beet has developed shoots and roots, it can either be left in water until it is time to harvest or plant it in soil. The beet top can be put in a container filled with a good potting mix, such as this moisture control potting mix at Walmart, or directly into the vegetable garden.
- ‘You can start to harvest your beet greens as soon as they reach a desirable size (about 2-3 inches tall),’ says Amy. ‘Beet greens are most tender when they are harvested young. Be sure to leave a few leaves behind to continue growing.’
Beet greens can be eaten raw and added to salads or braised, sautéed, and added to stir-fries and casseroles. Beet greens are best used fresh and can only be kept in a refrigerator for a few days after cutting them.
While regrowing root vegetables from scratch provides a crop of greens rather than growing new roots, other vegetables can be sprouted for more similar results to the original. For example, when you grow lettuce from scraps you get smaller versions of the leaves, while growing celery from a stalk gets you new crunchy stems to pick. The methods for regrowing lettuce and celery are very similar to regrowing beets from scraps.
