A complete guide for growing beetroot

A fast and easy crop for most backyard gardens - freshly pciked beets are hard to beat for flavour. 

Beetroot is a good crop, requiring only a moderate amount of garden space - the plants can be grown quite close together then partially harvested when still young to allow mote growing space for the remaining plants. As it is not easy to buy young, small beets in the shop, this alone is a good reason for including them in your crop list.

Although beets are suited to cultivation in most regions, they prefer cool, moist conditions and therefore the growing season is quite limited in hot and tropical regions. Early spring is a good time to sow the seeds of beets, preferably directly in the ground where the plants are to grow (they can be thinned out later). Enrich the ground with some well rotted manure or compost before planting, then lightly  mulch around the young plants after germination. The tops of the beets are quite attractive, with deep green and red foliage, and this should become quite lush as the plants mature. Water and feed regularly as the plants grow, keep weeds down and harvest before the underground bulbs become too large and woody. To taste really tender, beetroot needs to be grown quite quickly, so frequent feeding with an organic liquid fertilizer is advisable. They should be ready to starting pulling after 7 - 10 weeks pulling them gently from the ground or lifting the with a hand fork.

Summary

Likes a cool, moist climate and plenty of feeding to produce a tender crop. The soil should be moderately rich and well drained.