Growing root vegetables, subterranean treats of the Midwest

When I first moved to Minnesota, I mourned the loss of the long, hot growing seasons I'd come to love in the South. Up here, it seems like by the time the tomatoes finally turn red, it's only a matter of weeks before leaves turn the same color.

Even though I've been here for years, I still don't like the cool, slow lead-up to summer, but I've learned that root vegetables do.

Radishes, beets, carrots and turnips are far more useful and versatile than lots of my other garden crops. Roasted, raw, steamed or puréed, I've come to consider them subterranean treats. They offer a prolonged harvest with fewer problems than many glamorous above-ground veggies. Better yet, you can start growing them as early as mid-April.

Here's what you need to know:

If you want to have success with root vegetables, start from the ground up. They grow best in deep, loose soil that allows for their expanding edible roots. Well-amended and well-drained soil provides the right nutrients and moisture. Compacted or rocky soil will cause stunted or misshapen veggies. Bifurcated carrots (the ones that resemble a pair of human legs) make for funny Facebook posts, but not good eating.

If you have poor soil, raised beds may be the solution. As long as they're at least 10 inches deep, raised beds are perfect for growing root vegetables because you can create the soil conditions you want. And although it's not my first choice, you can even grow some root veggies in large containers, if you're consistent with water.

Root veggies are inexpensive to grow, partly because you sow them directly from seed rather than pricier transplants. Sow according to packet instructions. Once they germinate, you'll have to thin them to provide room for root development. I used to hate this painful though necessary process, but I learned there's truth in the old saying "No man should hoe his own turnips." Now I look forward to thinning the tiny seedlings, because I use them as attractive, nutritious microgreens for topping salads and other dishes.

Because they don't compete well with weeds, it's important not to let your garden get away from you. Pull small weeds and hoe larger ones to protect the roots of the root vegetables.

If you fertilize, watch the nitrogen content. Use a balanced mixture to avoid lush tops with scrawny bottoms.

If you're impatient or want adorable and delicious baby vegetables, you can harvest immature beets, carrots, radishes and turnips when they reach an inch in diameter. Test their maturity by loosening some soil below the tops to determine the size of the vegetable's shoulders. Harvest them carefully, so you don't damage their neighbors. Early harvesting also can serve as a second thinning, if you pick every other one.

One of the benefits of growing root veggies is that you don't have to harvest them all at the same time. They can be left in the ground, and harvested as needed. It's a good idea to pick quick-growing root veggies like radishes before the weather gets hot, though.

You can maximize your growing space with a technique called intercropping. For example, you can sow early maturing radishes, ready to pick in as little as 26 days, close to parsnips, which require a much longer growing time.

Many root veggies are available in a rainbow of colors — gold beets, pink radishes, carrots in yellow or deep purple. So instead of settling for the same old varieties, dig for hidden gems.

When planting, consider root veggies you've never tried, such as rutabagas (just because it's fun to say), parsnips or celeriac. Black salsify is an ugly root with a delicate taste. There's also a white salsify, the taste of which has been compared to oysters.