Seed spacing guidelines are something I basically completely ignore. Not that it is something I’m proud of, it’s just what happens. Thinning guidelines are the same. Earlier this year, probably in May, I planted roughly a quarter of one of my stock tank raised beds in Detroit Golden Beets. I never thinned them and after one small harvest of all the big enough ones, I left the rest in the ground assuming at least some of them would mature. Well, I kind of forgot about them and checked up on them today!

Not only had some of them matured, but basically all of them did! There were a few that were too small to use, but I figured there was no time like the present and pulled them all! There were a couple the size of baseballs, and what amazing color!

I collected seeds from one that had bolted, and spent the evening pickling them. Fourteen pints, piping hot from the canner, and fourteen pings.

It was a good day.