6 tips for growing beetroot at home
As part of Country Living’s Plot to Plate series, we’ll hear from Raymond Blanc and the team at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, on how to grow, prune and harvest the season’s very best produce and ensure these ingredients shine in the kitchen and on the table.
We’ve covered pears and chard in our series so far, but now we’re turning our attention to beetroot.
And from candy-caned striped chioggia, to French heritage variety rouge crapaudine – one of the oldest beetroots around – there are so many different types to choose from.
August Bernstein, head tutor at the Raymond Gardening School, spends her days teaching visitors about Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons' wonderful produce.
She tells Country Living that beetroot is one of her favourite things to grow in the garden and shares her six top tips for growing the vegetable at home – even in small spaces.
How to grow beetroot at home:
Start around March
“If you haven't grown beetroot before, I would strongly recommend it and you can start from around about March directly sowing your beetroot, through to about July," explains August.
"Then you can leave it through the winter months."
You don’t need lots of space
“Another way you can grow beetroot is in micro form," adds August. This is a great option if you're limited with space.
"If you don’t have a whopping great big vegetable garden, or an allotment, or any space at all in your garden, you can grow small beetroots on your windowsill all year round. They still have that really beautiful earthy flavour and add a pop of pink to your plate."
Don’t sow them too close together
For growing full-size beetroot, it's important to be aware of how large they can get. August adds: “I quite like to directly sow beetroot straight into the ground by making lovely drills and sprinkling them far enough apart.
“You don't want them too close together because when they fold out they take up a lot of space.”
Harvest at 'golf ball' size
In terms of when to harvest beetroot, August explains you’re looking for “a golf ball size" and this usually takes about 12 weeks.
She adds: “My top tip is to just have a little look, move the soil around the top, and then you can really see the size of the bulb below.”
It all comes down to personal preference – if you prefer smaller ones then pick it sooner, whereas if you want something larger, like a beetroot steak, leave it in the ground for longer.
Give them an early start
“I will multi-sow my beetroot into modules to get an early start in the year," explains August.
"So maybe around the end of February in the greenhouse I'll put 3 to 4 beetroots into one individual cell and then, when those lovely leaves come out, I will plant them about 25cm apart straight into the garden."
Net or cover them if possible
August says beetroot is a relatively easy crop to grow and, thankfully, slugs aren't a huge pest for the vegetable. However, she does stress that birds might start pecking at the leaves when they start to show, so covering your vegetables with a net could be a good idea.
“They don't need lots of care and attention – but you can net them just in case you have rabbits,” she adds.
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