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Beetroot

Beta vulgaris

INTRODUCTION

Not everybody's favourite, but one of the healthiest vegetables you could grow, a true superfood - very high in antioxidants and folic acid.

Beetroot is traditionally crimson red in colour but there are alternatives in gold, white and even bi-colour and all share the same sweet flavour. This crop is quick to mature from summer through to late autumn and stores well, enabling a virtually year-round supply. An excellent subject for the beginner, one of the easiest and trouble-free to grow.

Soil Preparation

Beetroot requires an open sunny site with light but fertile, moisture-retentive soil that should have been previously manured.

As with all root crops, never grow in freshly manured ground.

This crop will not grow well in acid soils, so if necessary test your soil and if required, add lime to bring your soil pH to between 6.5 and 7.

Soil should be free of stones.

Sowing & Planting

Prepare the seedbed by removing any weed from the soil and rake level to a fine tilth.

Sowing can begin from mid-March, weather permitting, using the earliest bolt resistant varieties such as 'Boltardy'. Cover early sowings with cloches or fleece as Beetroot seed will not readily germinate in cold soil.

Beetroot seed germinates into a cluster of two or three individual seedlings which will need thinning unless you sow a 'monogerm' variety such as'Solist' which only produces a single seedling.

Carefully take out a drill (shallow groove) and sow seed thinly. Cover seed to a depth of 1cm, Beetroot seed will not germinate if sown too deeply. Leave 30cm (12inches) between rows.

Water in well with a watering can with rose, try not to disturb the newly sown seed. Keep moist until seed has germinated which will take about 14 days.

Sowings can continue until late June/early July for harvests during the autumn.

Growing & General Cultivation

When the Beetroot seedlings are large enough to handle, thin out to about 15cm (6 inches) to enable roots to reach their full potential. Closer thinning will result in smaller roots. Thinning can be carried out in two stages several weeks apart.

Keep growing area weed-free but take care not to damage roots when hoeing.

Regular watering is required to maintain growth but do not overwater. Roots may crack if allowed to dry out completely. Feeding should not be necessary.

Pests & Diseases

In general, you will find producing quality Beetroot, trouble-free.

Slugs and Snails can be a problem for young plants - for remedies - see product directory.

Manganese deficiency can appear as yellow blotches on leaves and can be an issue on extremely alkaline soils.

Black bean aphid can infest young leaves. For chemical control - see product directory.

Harvesting

Beetroot can be lifted as required, from June until October.

Cropping can begin in as little as 7 weeks from sowing when roots reach golf ball size.

Lift by easing out with a fork being careful not to damage roots. Smaller roots will simply pull from the ground. Twist off foliage, never cut, or the roots will bleed.

Roots should never be left to over mature as they will become woody and inedible.

Beetroot is always at its best when consumed fresh but can be pickled or stored in dry sand or peat in a frost-free shed or garage.

In milder areas, Beetroot can be left in the ground and harvested as needed throughout the winter. The soil must never become waterlogged and a covering of straw may be beneficial to protect against frost.