Meet mangelwurzel: The viral heirloom veggie taking over kitchen gardens in 2025
Heard of mangelwurzel? Instagram's viral vegetable, and the huge, quirky cousin of beetroot, sugar beet and chard, is the must-have veggie to grow in 2025.
The humble heirloom has gone viral thanks to a reintroduction by heirloom seed company She Grows Veg (the social post, see below, racked up over a million views and 50k likes), and now mangelwurzels (or mangolds) are making a comeback in kitchen gardens.
Traditionally grown for livestock feed, this easy-to-grow giant vegetable is incredibly productive and versatile, and it's colourful too, with vibrant red or yellow roots. Mangels are also dual-purpose, as both the root and leaves are edible. Sweeter and less earthy than a beetroot, it's delicious mashed, roasted, pickled or even juiced, and the leaves can be cooked in the same way you would with chard.
'Mangelwurzels are a long forgotten heirloom that were relegated to being grown as fodder for feeding animals, so we are bringing them back,' Kate Cotterill, co-founder of She Grows Veg, tells House Beautiful. 'They're super easy to grow, very productive as they're so big, and particularly fun for kids as they resemble Harry Potter's mandrakes. They stand for a long time in the field and give an abundance of chard-like leaves as well as the huge root.'
In the 19th century, mangelwurzel-growing contests were a thing, which is why She Grows Veg has challenged its followers to join them in a giant veg showdown. A mangelwurzel grow-along will encourage people to grow their own with the chance to win prizes for the biggest and best crop.
'Generating understanding of the difference between heirloom veg and your usual veg seeds is a real education process, but the response to our mangelwurzel crop was amazing and shows just how keen growers are to get their hands on something different that they can't buy in the shops,' adds Lucy Hutchings, co-founder of She Grows Veg. 'This "grow-along" will encourage people to give growing something new a go and maybe spark their interest in heirloom veg.'
Mangelwurzel growing tips:
• 'These are very similar to beetroot, so can be sown and grown in the same way,' Kate tells us. 'They can even be grown individually in containers.'
• Sow mangelwurzel seeds directly into the earth (2cm deep, 30cm apart). They are best kept undercover from mid-February to May, although earlier sowings produce larger harvests in the autumn.
• Once established, mangelwurzels are very resilient and, as long as they are kept weed-free, can be more or less left to grow.
• Water during dry periods and mulch if you live in an area with free-draining soil or hot summers because they need moisture to produce large roots.
• Harvest from the autumn onwards.
• 'They are very hardy, so they can be used as food through winter,' adds Kate. 'They used to be called the "scarcity root" due to the abundant food they supply when there is little else available.'
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