Beets in the shade

[sphinxeyes]

Hi everyone,

I have three types of beets I'd like to grow this year, but have had poor results with them growing in my rocky soil. I was thinking of growing them in containers this year, but my back deck is very hot and sunny. I know that beets like it cool so wondered if growing them on my front porch would be a good idea. It's a deep front porch and there are two large cedar trees in front of the house, so it should be cool enough, I just worry that they won't get enough sun. So my question is really how much sun do they need? I've heard of people growing them indoors as well. Can they grow well enough under fluorescent lights or do they need some direct sunlight?

[steev]

I'd think you'd need to be mostly content with greens, as the beets would struggle to produce much root.

[spacecase0]

I had beets do nothing in my not so good soil,
and they seem to need total full sun,
even low in the sky winter sun seems not enough for them

[richardw]

Why not your back deck but use some shade cloth instead