veggie > BEETROOT

IN THIS GUIDE

BEETROOT GUIDES

fresh red beetroot unearthed from garden soil

Container GrowingGrowing From SeedHarvesting

Beta vulgaris rubra is a common garden craw , and a great choice both for beginners and expert abode raiser .

It is actually one of my favourite garden crops – I grow it every year , and recommend it to you wholeheartedly if you are trying to mold out what to grow in an edible garden this spring .

a basket full of harvested beetroots with purple bulbs and purple and green stems on the edge of a raised garden bed containing other leafy green vegetables

Polyculture with beans, beetroot, chard and more

“ I get it on growing Beta vulgaris rubra which rarely fails and taste delicious in salads and casseroles , ” shares Garden Writer Janice Shipp .

Beetroots , or common beet as they are get it on elsewhere , are the eatable taproot ofBeta vulgaris .

Overview

PreferredFull Sun or Light Dappled Shade

ExposureSheltered

Height0.1 – 0.5 molar concentration

close-up of the purple stems of a beetroot plant with green leaves growing in a vegetable patch outside

Spread0.1 – 0.5 M

PreferredMost Soil Types

MoistureMoist but well drained

someone holding three different sed packets of varieties of beetroot up in front of a vegetable patch where beetroot is growing

pHAny

There are a issue of cultivated varieties of this species which are produce for their comestible taproots .

While the bulgy taproot is the main part of the plant used for culinary purposes , the leaves and stems ( beetroot greens or beet greens ) of the plants are also eatable .

pink and white rings of Chioggia sliced in half

Originally plants were pick out for their edible leave before motley with swollen root were breed in the in-between Ages.1Fascinating fact and name : beetroot . ( n.d . ) . Royal Horticultural Society . Retrieved April 18 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/features/FFF-Beetroot

Why Grow Beetroot?

Beta vulgaris rubra is a various crop that makes a great plus to a homegrown vegetable garden .

This stem vegetable can be eat on in the altogether , boil , roasted and in many other ways .

It can also be preserved through pickling , and used to make a image of condiment .

cylindra beets on a chopping board with the leaves sliced off

The young leaves are gravid in salad , and big , older leafage can be used as a cooked green akin to chard or spinach .

Some people think that they do not like beetroot – until they try it fresh from their garden .

If your only origination has been to the boil or pickled beetroots , then try them baked , or grated raw into a slaw or salad , and you may change your mind .

white rooted beet plant

One of the great thing about beetroot is that you could grow it relatively easily in traditional veg plots , raised beds or containers .

So it is a great choice even for beginners , and it works well even in smaller gardens , since this is a craw that will not take up too much infinite .

Choosing Beetroot Seeds

Before you start growing beet at nursing home , you will take to decide which variety ( or varieties ) to grow .

There are stack of neat inheritance source and commercial-grade variety show to choose from .

Good typical reddish beetroots to choose from include :

raised garden bed with beetroot and beans growing in the soil

Polyculture with beans, beetroot, chard and more

B.vulgaris‘Barbietola di Chioggia’is interesting because it has pink and whitened concentric rings inside .

B.vulgaris‘Cylindra’have elongated etymon .

There is alsoB.vulgaris‘Blankoma ’ , with unusual green and blank roots .

a raised garden bed full of leafy vegetables like beetroot growing outside

When lay down your choices , be sure to think about gustatory modality , appearance , and whether you need rootage to hive away or just to eat when young and overbold .

take , too , whether you desire to choose a heritage eccentric and hold open your own seeds .

If you do plan to store your own seeded player , call up that chard can cross well with beet , so you ’ll have to keep them apart if you do not want them to .

a basket containing lots of harvested vegetables including kale and beetroot resting on the side of a raised garden bed outside

Companion Plants

Beetroot works very well in mixed polycultures and will farm mirthfully alongside a wide range of other common garden craw .

One option that can work well is include beetroot in rotation with carrots and onion .

Carrots and beetroots are both root crops , of course , and yet Daucus carota sativa are typically deeper stock-still and so they are not overly competitive with one another for water and nutrients .

watering can resting on the edge of a raised garden bed outside in front of a garden path

onion work well with both carrot and beetroot , and their strong odor can serve in repelling pests .

Planting beet alongside other alliums , such as garlic , shallots or leeks can shape well too .

Beetroot is also splendid for growing alongside Brassicas .

someone holding up a bottle of organic fertiliser in front of a garden full of hedges and trees on a cloudy day

It can forge well in rotation with these cabbage family crop .

industrial plant beetroots alongside these crops and they apply different food , reducing contest between them

Quick - growing lettuce and radish can also be include in polycultures with beet and brassicas , to fill in gaps while great crops establish , make water the most of the space .

harvested beetroots with purple bulbs and red and green stems that have been placed in a basket on a table in front of a vegetable garden

Planting beetroot among catmint , summer savoury , and certain other redolent herbs can also aid in controlling blighter that may nibble on your beetroot leaves .

debar establish beetroot next to runner beans , Peter Lickorish , a Lecturer in Horticulture , explain :

“ They add loads of nitrogen to the grease , which make for a leafy beet , at the expense of the root . ”

Beetroot Plant Care

Beetroot is generally a relatively fuss - free crop .

It rarely ask extra fertilisation as long as the potting mixture or soil is nutrient - rich .

However , where the plant are not growing strongly , you may consider add a balanced fertiliser , a atomic number 7 - rich organic fertiliser or fluent plant feed .

During dry while , it is typical to water beetroot every 10 - 14 Clarence Day .

Though beetroot grown under cover or in container will often need to be water more frequently .

verify that you keep the medium consistently damp or bolt ( previous unfolding and place setting of ejaculate )   is more potential to become an issue .

root that do not welcome enough pee are also more likely to rive and become woody .

“ In terms of pests , the main pest I find is the flea mallet , which masticate holes in the leaves , ” adds Peter .

“ Often , the damage can be tolerated , but if extreme , they can be netted .

“ Ponds are great additions to gardens , which attract predatory frog . ”

Remember to melt off beetroot to a spacing of around 10 cm ; you could lave and eat the cutting .

Then , once the beetroot are around the size of it of a golf game clod , pull every 2d one , impart the rest , if you like , to attain matureness .

“ My favourite way to exhaust beetroot is as beet Warren Earl Burger and several of the other ingredients , including onions , spring up happily side - by - side , ” says Peter .

References