Conditions

Beetroot grows best in a sunny, open position in light to medium earth. If the plot was manured for a previous crop, then no extra organic matter needs to be added – if it wasn’t, dig over the soil adding a small amount of compost.

Soil with a high clay content is less ideal: beetroot can struggle to form properly due to its denseness, and it can become over-saturated in wet spells and dry out too quickly in warm ones. But you can significantly improve your chances of getting a good crop of beets by incorporating a much more generous amount of compost into your bed than you ordinarily would. This will improve its structure, enabling it to hold moisture better in the summer and warm up quicker in the spring.

You should do this as far in advance of sowing as possible, to enable the organic matter to break down and become fully incorporated into the earth. Beetroot also prefers a neutral soil with a pH of between 6.5 and 7.5.

Sowing

Beetroot grows best in a sunny, open position in light to medium earth. If the plot was manured for a previous crop, then no extra organic matter needs to be added – if it wasn’t, dig over the soil adding a small amount of compost.

Soil with a high clay content is less ideal: beetroot can struggle to form properly due to its denseness, and it can become over-saturated in wet spells and dry out too quickly in warm ones. But you can significantly improve your chances of getting a good crop of beets by incorporating a much more generous amount of compost into your bed than you ordinarily would. This will improve its structure, enabling it to hold moisture better in the summer and warm up quicker in the spring.

You should do this as far in advance of sowing as possible, to enable the organic matter to break down and become fully incorporated into the earth. Beetroot also prefers a neutral soil with a pH of between 6.5 and 7.5.

Growing

Once the seedlings have surfaced, thin them to leave just the strongest where each seed pod was sown. When they have reached about 5cm in height they can then be thinned to their final spacings. This is one plant every 10cm for globe-type beetroot, or one every 15cm for the larger, long-rooted cylindrical types (see varieties to try box, right).

Seedlings may need protecting from birds, which will find the young leaves irresistible – pigeons are particularly prone to helping themselves to the foliage. If they are a problem in your area then place netting over the young crops. This can be removed once the plants are a bit bigger.

Sowing early on in the season will mean cold nights, conditions that can cause crops to ‘bolt’. To be on the safe side, use a bolt-resistant variety for early sowings such as the aptly-named ‘Boltardy’

Care

Beetroot are undemanding once the seeds have successfully germinated and the resulting seedlings have been thinned to their final spacings. Your main consideration should be that the plants are kept moist at all times, which means checking on the crop most days in hot, dry weather. Any that are allowed to dry out or that are watered in a haphazard way will tend to form woody roots, so be sure to give them a good soaking each time you water them. This will also hasten the time to harvest and produce bushier top growth for the tender, spinach-like bonus crop.

Weeds shouldn’t present too much of a problem thanks to the speed of beetroot growth, but larger ones are best removed to allow the plants to grow unhindered. Pests aren’t much of a worry either – only roots left in situ over winter for lifting as required (see box) are likely to suffer any real damage from slugs and snails. For that reason, from October onwards you should put cloches over any beetroot plants that are still in the ground.

Harvesting

The first swollen roots may be harvested once they reach the size of a golf ball, which can be as little as two months from sowing. They will be at their most tender at this early stage. Lift every other plant as needed so that the remainder can grow on to reach their full size – once they have, they can be lifted to use as needed but before they have reached about 7cm across, or the size of a tennis ball, otherwise they will start to become tough and woody. Don’t forget to eat the foliage too – steamed is best for a healthy shot of goodness.

To lift a beetroot, ease it out using a hand fork or trowel while firmly holding the foliage. Take care not to damage the root itself as it will be liable to ‘bleed’ some of its juices and therefore be unsuitable for storage.

Roots destined for winter storage should be at tennis ball size – anything smaller will start to shrivel too quickly once it’s out of the ground. Store them in boxes of just-damp sand in a cool, dark and dry place that is also well ventilated: a garage or frost-proof shed, for example.