You can start growing beetroot in any type of soil, though it prefers a lighter soil. Beetroot does like to grow in a sunny area of the garden. It’s well worth growing beetroot whether you have a large garden or you just want to grow some beetroot in some containers or pots. You can use any type of pot or container, thought the pot should be minimum of around 10″ wide and deep.

You can fill the pots with some general good quality compost and fill the pot up to just over 3/4 full, pat it down and water it with a watering can. Then sprinkle several seeds in there. then cover the seeds with a thin layer of compost so you can’t see the seeds anymore.

I personally sow the seeds in rows as thinly as possible. Then when they have germinated and are about 1″ tall I thin them out. You can try and transplant the beetroot seedlings in the empty spaces in your garden. Alternatively, sow the beetroot seed thinly and just let them grow as the beetroot becomes larger you can pick these, and naturally the others will grow.

You can sow the beetroot in small batches on a regular basis until mid-summer.  The later sowings of beetroot allow you to keep the roots for winter use.

Beetroot helpers:

1. * Some people soak the seeds before sowing.
2. * Only soak as many as you need to sow and soak them for 3 to 4 hours.
3. * Soil temperature – Beetroot grows best in spring and summer.
4. * Beetroot seeds germinate at soil temperatures ranging from 4.5 ° to 30 °C, with the most favourable being around 18°C to 24°C.

 

Beetroot Care

Beetroot is a very easy crop to grow and all you need to do is pull up the weeds as they come up. Also water the beetroot on a regular basis, but don’t over-water as this can lead to rotting of the leaves.

Harvesting

To harvest pull the beetroot gently when you want to eat them. People like beetroot at different sizes some people pick them at 2” others let them grow as big as 6”. This really is totally up to you and how you like to eat them.

Last year we keep the beetroot in the raised beds until November time – then we pulled them up and kept them indoors. If you want to store them like this you need to twist the beetroot leaves off rather than cutting them – as cutting can make the beetroot bleed.

To store all winter place sand between the beetroot layers and don’t let them touch each other as this can cause bruising. Then store them in a cool dry place.

Beetroot can be eating in a variety of ways – such as salads grated or boiled, chutneys and soups.