Anyone grow beets in zone 6 ?

I'm wanting to grow beets and the instructions say to plant as soon as soil can be worked. I have raised beds and the soil can most always be worked. We still have 2 months of cold weather with temps going to possible 0 to 10 degrees. Can beets take that if they germinate now ? Our temp was in upper 60's today. So far we've had a very mild winter for Okla.

I guess what I'm confused about is........ what does "as soon as soil can be worked" really mean ? I've noticed that several early vegetables say that.

Basicly it means just that. zone 7 and above will feature frozen ground in the winter. When the frozen earth first thaws out, it will be wet and if any clay is present muddy. As soon as it dries out to point that you cannot create a mudball it is time to plant beets , English peas etc. I suspect that your raised beds will freeze, maybe the top will thaw out but the soil under it should be frozen. Try a trowel or shovel, if you hit hard ice it is still too early. These types of seed can stand cold, it is the freezing/thawing cycle which destroys them.

Thanks Farmerdill. I know that my raised beds are not
frozen at this time. Matter of fact, yesterday was so pretty, I
got out and filled a couple of them with soil, compost & manure,
as we moved them after fall harvesting. They are sort of small
beds, 4 x 4 , 3 x 10, etc. I have 9 now, and will
make more by the time planting is appropriate. Our garden
is new as of last year, and needs lots of organic material. So
in the mean time, we are using the raised beds.

So, you think it would kill the seeds if I planted them now
because of the freeze - thaw that will occur Jan. and Feb .?

Or.......would they germinate and survive ? You can tell I've
never grown beets before. LOL

Since my raised beds are so small, I'm thinking of building
a frame over a couple of them and covering with plastic.
Would that work ? Or am I just getting way too anxious ?

Once Christmas is over..........seems like I can hardly wait for Spring.

I'm with you, there - and I'm sure so are a lot of people - once Christmas is over, I can't wait for spring!

Maybe a few beets in the raised beds, a few under the plastic, and hold off on the main crop until after the major freezy-thawy weather later on?

Beet seeds are relatively cheap so you won't lose too much by experimenting. Just for reference when I lived in zone 6 Virginia, peas and beets were normaly planted the last of march first of April. Here in zone 8a, Valentine's day is the target date. Peas will overwinter here but are not much earlier than those planted the middle of February. Beets don't seem to do well overwintering. Neither seems to like the short daylight hours of midwinter.

PeggieK, I think if you look at the seed pack planting instructions, 'In Spring' when soil can be worked.
The seed can withstand the freezes but a sprouting seedling can not.
The idea of covering a small raised bed with plastic is intriguing, that may hasten Spring by a month or so.
Have you though about a 'cold frame'?
I love the enthusiasm but there is a season for everything.
Hang in there.
Andy P

I was afraid that maybe I was getting a little too anxious.
Love to be in the garden. Guess maybe I should spend my
time constructing more raised beds instead. Just drives
me crazy seeing them there all full of good soil and just
waiting....and waiting...........and waiting. LOL. I walk past
it all each morning to take care of the chickens, which makes
it all the harder to wait when the weather is so unseasonably
warm. I can tell the days are lengthening already.

PeggieK, maybe you could look into some "season extenders" for those raised beds. Insulating one or two with straw bales and a glass or plastic top to make a cold frame would be enough to give you greens all winter. Coleman's "Four Season Harvest" outlines stuff like this...

I would be tickled to get to grow something, even if only
a few greens in winter. I really miss my garden.

I got an old display case (like for jewelry in stores) at an
auction the other day. I put it out on the patio and started
some onions and lettuce in it. DH bout had a fit. I drag
home all kinds of stuff for him to have to move around and
find a place to store when I'm done with it. LOL. He thinks
it dosen't "go with" our patio furniture...............go figure. :D

Anyway, it has the back with slide open doors for ventilation.
and seems to work great. Gets lots of sun and really heats
up in there. One problem..............gotta get out there and
open it EVERY morning or it cooks my lettuce.

I'm thinking that on nights when temp. drops really cold, a
light bulb might keep it from freezing inside. I guess I'll
see by Jan or Feb.

In our area, lots of the antique stores are going out of vogue
and are getting rid of display cases. No one else bid on this
one at the auction and I got it for a whopping $2.00 ! ! !

Well I am too far north to be of much help with the issue of planting now but do have a suggestion that can lengthen your growing season and that is plastic row covers from places like LeeValley Tools(see pic) You can set up something like this a few weeks before you would normally plant and it will help defrost and warm uip the ground much earlier and then you can also plant earlier and leave the cover on until it is warm enough to remove it. Wouldnt take much to build something like this yourself.