we always has a big veggie garden until about 10 years ago when we bumped down in house and yard size. we grew tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, beans, radishes and green and yellow summer squashes as staples and experimented with brussel sprouts, corn, winter squash and melons and whatever else looked like fun. one year potatoes. on the greens side, we always did several lettuces, basil, dill, chives, parsley, marjoram, tarragon and i always have a rosemary bush. now we just have some tomatoes being eaten by the squirrels, peppers that don't get large, dill that yellows out. the rosemary bush is terrific. the sage i pulled because i don't really like it. dh grows not anise, but the one that tastes like it. like licorice. so now we have very little in the way of veggies and no beets.
i have to admit i don't miss the work involved in the summer heat. each year it gets hotter and my tolerance gets lower.
we did, however, landscape the entire yard around the perimeter as soon as we moved in and that was worth it now, 10 years later when it's all matured.
on a side note, i love beets.