Even though I planted one seed for each beet, it seems the beets make double plants. Is this normal for beets?

A beet seed is actually a little pod with several seeds in it - sometimes you'll get five little plants from one 'seed'. It's important to thin them so that there is only one plant, as beets don't like sharing their space.

I learned all this after I planted beets this year and failed miserably. ;o)

That would be correct, let them get about 5-6 inches tall, thin them out and eat the greens.

quote:

I learned all this after I planted beets this year and failed miserably. ;o)

Me too, but my second try was awesome. Persevere and you too will be eating great beets!

Thanks

Do I try and pull out the extra beets with the mini greens or just snip the greens off?

I didn't know about the multiple seeds in the pod until this year, and I could never figure out why I always had multiple plants...duh. I have tried unsuccessfully to break open the pod to separate the seeds, but too much trouble. Beet seeds are pretty cheap. This year, I also have been eating the greens...we never did that when I was growing up, but we should have, and just didn't. Another thing I didn't know was that chard is in the beet family, just doesn't have the root bulb like the regular beets. I have planted extra beets because I love the leaves so much. Cooked with a little oil and garlic..oh so good.

You can do it either way Allenwrench, but I usually gently pull them to give more immediate room to the beet I leave behind to grow on.

I decided really quickly to snip them. I found that because the seeds grow through the remains of the fruit/pod/thingy, when I pulled one, I frequenty disturbed the other, so I switched to I snipping them with a pair of scissors.

I too am a "snipper". Got myself a pair of spring-loaded scissers, small and fits in the palm of my hand with a finger-hole. Wife turned me on to them out of her sewing kit. I prefer the snippin' so I'm not disturbing other roots. Plus it's easier for these old hands.