Introduction to growing beetroot
Growing beetroot for delicious dishes ... cooked and diced, crispy lettuce, finely sliced red onion, cubes of feta cheese, toasted pine nuts, parsley, nut oil, a twist of the bottle of liquid honey, a dash of white wine vinegar, plenty of pepper and a little salt. That's what I want to eat as a side dish at my first barbecues, or grated or roasted on the barbecue or ... . In this article you will learn something about growing beetroot in the vegetable garden.
A delicious beetroot salad
Beets like colder weather . That's why it's best to grow beetroot in spring or fall. You can grow beets for the sweet root or for the earthy leaves. I grow them for the tuber, I grow chard or Swiss chard for the leaves. Beets have the most color and flavor in cool soil.
You can sow beetroot outside in the vegetable garden from the end of March, but you can start earlier under glass. In the later summer I also do an autumn crop, in August I sow beetroot again to then feast in the winter. Under a layer of straw, plastic tunnel, fleece or in the greenhouse / garden house, beetroot can withstand frost well .
Just like other root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, onions, ...) beets like a light soil. In light soil, the beets form nicely round. Also check your soil for stones or boulders. Ideal for soil preparation is to turn the soil with a spading fork and rake it finely.
The colour of red beet (also called kroot) is usually red, but there are also yellow, white or striped ones. Some types also have bright red leaves. There are also many different types in shape. From round to flat round to oblong. The latter are super handy for grating or cutting into chips.
Beetroot chips
Beetroot has a growth cycle of 45 to 60 days. Quite fast.
