Guv's Gardens
Photo: Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil
- Fertile, well-drained
- Soil pH
- Neutral is ideal; also tolerates acid and alkaline soil
- Water
- Regular watering to avoid woodiness
- Hardiness
- Hardy crop (RHS H3 rating for cultivars); grown as an annual
- Height and spread
- 15-30cm tall, 10-25cm spread
Guv's tipKeep beetroot regularly watered or the roots turn woody. Thin the seedlings and you'll be harvesting 40-60 days from sowing.
Through the year
Timings are for the UK as a whole. Northern and exposed gardens often run a couple of weeks later.
When to plant
Sow outdoors mid-Apr to late Jun/Jul. Sow earlier from Mar (late Feb in mild areas) under cloches or fleece using bolt-resistant cultivars. Plugs can be transplanted
Harvest or flowering
Harvest early summer to mid-autumn, 40-60 days from sowing
Pruning
None; thin seedlings
Making more plants
Seed (multi-germ clusters)
Watch out for
Beet leaf miner
Look for: Pale blotch mines in leaves
What to do: Remove affected leaves, crop covers
Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.
Safety and spread
Pets and people: Non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses, according to the ASPCA. Edible root and leaves (large mature leaves contain oxalic acid)
Weed risk: Not listed as an invasive plant in Great Britain
Growing somewhere else? See this plant for Australia.
The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book
Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 UK plants in one book.
