How to Grow Your Own Beetroot
Growing beetroot in the UK is square and rewarding , as it ’s a versatile root vegetable that can be used in salad , roasted , pickle , or even in baking .
Beetroot prefers cool temperature , making it an ideal crop for the UK climate .
Here ’s a step - by - step template to growing beet :
1. Choosing Varieties
2. Timing
3. Soil Preparation
4. Sowing Seeds
5. Watering
6. Thinning Seedlings
7. Care During Growth
8. Harvesting
9. Storing
10. Succession Planting
11. Pests and Diseases
12. Using Beetroot
Growing Beetroot: A Quick Snapshot
When to Sow – Feb - Aug
When to Plant – Mar - Sep
When to glean – Apr - October
fair Yield per Plant – 0.25 kg
Spacing – 10 cm
Depth – 2.5 cm
How to Grow Beetroot at Home
beet is a resilient and miserable - maintenance craw to acquire . With lush light-green foliage contrast with vivid reddish and purple roots , this plant also looks stunning in a veggie garden .
Even well – if you sow some seeds every couple of weeks and then properly store your autumn harvests over the winter , you ’ll be able to enjoy homegrown Beta vulgaris rubra throughout the year .
Growing Requirements for Beetroot
One of the most tolerant of vegetable , beetroot will normally adjust to whatever growing conditions you supply .
That being allege , your plant will do easily if grown infull sun and a loose , moisture - retentive stain . However , opt a position that provides some shade from the midday Lord’s Day in mid - summer – too much heat will get Beta vulgaris rubra to bolt .
Being acool - weather crop , beet is well sown in the springtime and late summer . day temperature between 15 - 20 ° C will allow your plants to thrive .
How to Grow Beetroot from Seed
Unlike many other vegetable seeds , Beta vulgaris rubra seed are quite large , hit them easy to plant . Each ejaculate really holds a cluster of smaller semen , constitute it essential to slenderize out weaker seedling further down the crease .
beet does well when direct sown . However , this can only be done in mid - March at the very earlier , meaning that you ’ll need to wait until the end of spring for your first harvest time . If you would like to start eating fresh beet a niggling earlier , start your first quite a little of germ under blanket in late February , before direct sowing from the ending of March until August .
How to Sow Beetroot Seeds Under Cover:
While giving your beetroot seedssome heatwill aid to push germination on , the cum will still stock at temperature as low as7 ° C .
Seedlings will come out in about ten days . Give them a week or so to grow , before snipping away the weaker seedling from each faculty .
Remember tokeep your seedling moist and well - lituntil they are ready to be planted out .
How to Direct Sow Beetroot Seeds:
Once your seed sprout , give them a couple of week to grow before thinning them down , leaving10 cm between each plant .
Do n’t bury that you’re able to eat your thinnings !
How to Plant Beetroot Outside
It will take abouta monthbefore the seeds you sowed under cover are ready to move alfresco . ensure that each flora has a few sets of true leaves before you establish them out .
temper your plants off for a hebdomad or so , using this time to prepare your planting region .
Then , dig out holes that are large enough to accommodate each beetroot plant , along with the dirt that it ’s growing in . target your plants into their new homes before covering over and firming down . Then , water well .
How to Plant Beetroot in a Greenhouse
Although mellow temperatures will have beetroot plants to deadbolt , a greenhouseis extremely useful for early and late harvests .
merely make your glasshouse planting beds and then imbed your Beta vulgaris rubra in the same way that you would found them outside .
If you do n’t have any room in your greenhouse bed , beet produce well in a container too !
Look for round , rather than cylindrical , beetroot varieties , andmake sure that your container are at least 20 cm in both diameter and depth .
The added welfare ofgrowing beetroot in a containeris that you’re able to start up your plants off in your glasshouse , before moving them alfresco once temperatures begin to uprise in the summertime .
How to Care for Beetroot
beet only requires the basics when it get along to give care . Give your plants what they need and you ’ll be love your first crop of baby beetroot in just two month time !
Watering Beetroot Plants
Beta vulgaris rubra plants need about2.5 cm of water a week . If rainfall is providing this , then you’re able to pose back and make relaxed . If not , then manual lacrimation will be need .
Do n’t ever permit your beetroot plant life dry out out . This will do the roots to plow woody , making them split , which leave them unpalatable .
Feeding Beetroot Plants
While most root crop do n’t need to be fed , Beta vulgaris rubra is a lilliputian different .
Your plants will really benefit froma gamy - nitrogen fertiliserapplied presently after direct - sown seeds have germinate . If you ’ve commence your seeds under cover , fertilise them when planting them out .
Chicken manure pellet or a coarse-grained fish , bone , and , blood fertiliser piece of work well when scattered over Beta vulgaris rubra growing beds .
Weeding Beetroot Plants
Althoughyou need to keep your beetroot industrial plant weed - destitute , you also need to be heedful not to damage the origin of your plants while weeding .
Ideally , endeavor to weed around your plant as much as potential while they ’re still young . Once they reach about 12 cm in height , stave off disturb the soil around your plants too much .
Mulchingyour beetroot plants once they are about 7 curium in height will help to cut back on the amount of weeding you want to do . pasture cutting andshredded leaveswork especially well as a beetroot mulch .
How to Harvest Beetroot
Some Beta vulgaris rubra varieties develop smartly and are ready to be harvest at just 45 days , while others take a small longer , around 90 day .
Either way , you’ll know that your beetroot is quick to be harvest once the roots are somewhere between golf testicle and tennis orb sizing .
Clear off some of the soil around the basis of a stem to get an idea of how large that origin is .
Once your beetroot has reached an ideal sizing , do n’t be tempted to leave it in the ground for too long . This reverse the roots tough , fibrous , and bitter .
To harvest a beet , localise one hand around the basis of the leaves and use your other paw to gently inserta hand forkinto the soil just below the root . Slowly prise the fork to agitate the root up , while using your other hand to lift it out of the ground .
If your Beta vulgaris rubra is refusing to shift , give your plants some water . This make it easier to pull up them out .
How to Store Beetroot
You ’ve got a few option when it comes to salt away your beet :
Storing Beetroot in the Fridge
Beetroot store in the fridge will last for aboutone calendar month .
All you need to do is chop off the tops ( do n’t forget that you may feed these – more on this later ! ) and then place your plebeian beetroot into a plastic handbag . withdraw excess air from the bag and then seal it up , before storing in the fridge .
Storing Beetroot in the Freezer
If you do n’t have enough space for all of your Beta vulgaris rubra in your electric refrigerator , or have harvest more than you could perhaps eat in a month , then freezing is another option .
unluckily , crude beetroot does n’t freeze well .
So , hack off the top and boil the ancestor for about half an hour . Then , place them into an icing bathroom to coolheaded , slew the tegument off , and cube the roots up . Put them into an air - tight bag and then store in the deep-freeze forup to one yr .
Storing Beetroot in a Root Cellar
A cool and dark radical wine cellar will keep your beetroot crop fresh forup to three month .
Chop off the Green and then place the roots into a bucket sate with dampish Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin , making certain that the roots are n’t concern each other . Place a loose eyelid on the bucket to allow for ventilation , and check the roots regularly . If you find that one is starting to rot , bump off it immediately or it will induce the eternal rest to start turning .
How to Prepare & Cook Beetroot
The first measure to train your beet is chop off the greens .
Do n’t throw these out – they ’re absolutely delicious!Use the green in the same way that you would habituate Spinacia oleracea orkale .
The next step calculate on how you plan on fix the beetroot . You could either cut the solution into chunks to boil or steam , entrust them whole to slowly - joint , cube them up for asalad – the options are endless !
Whichever way you go , don’t be tempted to peel tender Beta vulgaris rubra – it come very messy ! Instead , await until they ’re cook and the skin will literally slide straight off .
If you ’re require some beet kitchen inspiration , some skilful dishes to hear include :
The vivid red-faced hue of beetroot juice is also usually used as a rude food dye . Simply lend a small amount of the refreshing juice to whatever requires a rosy tincture .
Common Beetroot Problems
Beta vulgaris rubra plants do n’t usually have many pests or diseases to deal with . This is one of the reasons why they ’re consider to be such an prosperous plant to grow .
Birdspecking out young seedlings are sometimes an government issue . However , this can be well remedied by covering seedlings over until they ’re a little larger .
common beet leaf minersmay also make an appearance around your plants . These fly tunnel into leave , causing moved role to turn brown and dry out up . Again , netting your plants will forestall these pests from access your beetroot , and small infestation can easy be manually picked off .
Popular Beetroot Varieties to Grow
Some form of Beta vulgaris rubra ( lolly beet ) are grown to make sugar , while others are produce for fauna provender . The beetroot eaten as a veg is bear on to ascommon beetroot , and all of the variety show that devolve into this category can be cleave into two groups;rounded and stretch .
Here are some of the best of each to turn :
Best Rounded Beetroot Varieties:
Best Elongated Beetroot Varieties:
Summary
There are so many different shapes , sizes , and semblance of beet out there – something that you may really only truly appreciate once you start farm the veggie yourself . The rich flavour and blue texture of homegrown beetroot is so much better than anything that you could bribe from a supermarket . Plus , the fact that rise your own means that you could enjoy your harvesting throughout the year is an added bonus , specially in the acerb winter months !
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