Beet Varieties
There are many types of beet varieties that can be grwon with new varieties popping up all the time. Beets are best grown in climates that are cool – the UK is a great place to grow beets and you can have great success from growing them here.
There are many ways that you can cook beets. These can be pickled, steamed and roasted. You can even bake them in cakes!.
With so many beet varieties about the decision on what to grow can be the hardest part. Here we will explain the different beets varieties available to grow.
Beets have different names they can be called beetroot, blood turnip, red beet or garden beet.
Beet are extremely good for you. The root is full of vitamin C and the top is full of vitamin A which can also be eaten in salads. You can not beat freshly cooked beetroot.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
Varieties of Beet
As we mentioned above there are many types of beet that you can try growing at home in the garden or at the allotment. Here are some of the main varieties of Beet you can try growing. You can click the names and it will take you through to Amazon where you can purchase the seeds safely and securely.
Heirloom varieties of beet:-
Hybrid Varieties of beet:-
Unusual Varieties of Beet:-
When to Sow, Plant and Harvest Beet
Knowing the right time to sow, plant and harvest beet seeds is crucial to getting the best crops from your beet seeds. The times listed below are for the UK climate.
| Sow | April to July |
| Plant | May to August |
| Harvest | July to November |
Types of Soil
Beetroot is good to grow in soil that has not recently had any improvement to it. Planting in soil that has been improved with manure can cause the roots to go misshaped. The best soil to grow in is just normal soil.
How to sow beet
When sowing beet you can either grow it in seed trays or straight into the ground. If you sow the beet in the ground you will need to thin them out so the ideal way to start them is in seed trays.
To sow in seed trays get one that has holes in for drainage. Put a layer of compost in the bottom then sprinkle the seeds thinly. You will usually get a packet with hundreds of seeds in. You will not need to use all the packet of seeds – you can start some more off later.
Once you have thinly spread the seeds out you can put another layer of compost on over the seeds. Sprinkle the compost with water from a watering can with a sprinkler on the end so you do not drown the seeds.
Cover the seed tray with a propagator or even a piece of cling film to keep the seeds warm and help them germinate. Keep the seed tray in a greenhouse or somewhere warm and plenty of light.
How to transplant your seeds
When your seeds have germinated and the plants are big enough to handle you now need to plant them in a weed free clear bed. Beetroot are good for filling gaps etween other plants.
Plant the beet plants around 25 cm apart. The reason for the big spacing is not because how big the beet grow to but you need to be able to get in between them to help keep them weed free. Beet do not like competing with weeds.
How to care for your beet plants
The best way to look after your beet plants is to keep them weed free as much as possible. By planting them with enough space apart you will be able to use a hoe to keep them weed free, this can be done on a weekly basis and will not require much effort.
Beets will require a good watering especially if the conditions are dry in the garden or allotment. This will help the roots swell on the plants.
How to harvest Beet
When harvesting beet you do not want them to grow to big – the largest you should grow them is to a tennis ball size. They are more sweeter when they are smaller. As they become bigger they get woody so will not taste as good.
To remove the leafs from the beet you need to twist them off rather than cut them off as the stems will bleed and be careful not to stain yourself from them.
How to store beet
The best way to store beet once it has been picked is in a tray of sand in a dry cool place like a garage or a frost free shed. This way they will last longer if you don’t need to use them straight away.
Beet Pests
There are not many pests that affect beets thankfully but the ones that do you can easily control:-
Slugs/ Snails:– These only tend the effect the plants when they are smaller. Use methods like coffee granules, beer traps to stop them.
Birds:- The pigeons can be a pest at eating the plants when they are small. Keep them netted over until they are big enough to handle.
Leaf Miner:- These tend to attack the plants when they are small – they burrow into the leaves creating blisters. You will notice the leaves turn brown. Take off any effected leaves.
Beet Diseases and issues
You will not get many issues the take effect on beets. The dieases can be prevented though:-
Leaf Spot:- You will notice spots on the leafs on the beet. They usually appear as brown spots. Any that are badly effected remove the leaves. Make sure when you are planting beet to use a different area each year. This can prevent it.
Bolting:- this means when the plant has started to go to seed before the root on the beet has formed. This can happen when there is dry spells, waiting too long before thinning the plants out.
We hope you have found these tips useful to growing beet and the beet varieties. You can find out more tips and advice here.