Plant ID card |
|
|---|---|
Botanical name |
Beta vulgaris. |
Common name |
Beet. |
Family |
Chenopodiaceae. |
Origin |
Middle East. |
Dimensions |
The aerial parts can reach 40 cm high. The root can be up to 20 cm long. The average weight of the root is 300 g but it varies enormously depending on its variety. |
Foliage |
The leaves are rather erect. It measures 20 to 40 cm high depending on the variety. The stems are red, green or yellow depending on the color of the beet. The leaves are green or purple. |
Exposure |
Partial shade, sun. |
Ground |
Humus, deep and rich. |
Hardiness |
-5°C. Young plants are more sensitive to cold. |
To ensure the proper development of the root of your beetroot, it is essential to loosen the soil deeply before sowing. Also remember to remove stones.
How to grow beets?
Sow directly in place,
in open ground
, from March under cover, until June. The germination temperature is 15 to 25°C. To do this, prepare your soil by working it with a hook to a depth of 30 cm. Enrich it if necessary with compost or natural fertilizers, for example with algae manure. If the soil is heavy or clayey, do not hesitate to incorporate a few handfuls of sand to improve drainage.
Sow in rows
: in furrows one centimeter deep, placing a seed approximately every 5 cm. Space the rows 30 cm apart to allow enough space for the roots. Cover with soil and water in fine but abundant rain. As soon as the plants reach 15 cm in height, thin them out by eliminating the weakest plants. Leave at least 15 cm between each foot;
Water regularly:
because beets need water to grow and develop evenly. In addition, lack of water tends to encourage the plant to go to seed and stop its growth. You will harvest your beets from July to October, depending on the time of your sowing.
To grow beets, sow directly in the ground, from March under cover, until June. Copyright (c) 2020 Sobrevolando Patagonia/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
How to transplant beet plants in pots?
To save time, you can buy
beet plants in pots to transplant
directly into the vegetable garden. Wait until April, once the earth has warmed up. A single pot often contains several plants, which you can then separate and replant individually.
Before planting, let the pots soak for around fifteen minutes in a tray filled with water.
Here are the planting steps:
with the transplanter, dig a hole;
slide the beet root ball inside;
gently bring the earth around and pack;
for the next plant in the row, leave 15 cm of distance;
if you make several rows, space them 30 cm apart;
water in fine rain to finish.
Gardener's tip
: to keep the soil fresh around the beetroot plants, you can
mulch with dried grass clippings
(mulch).
What vegetables to combine with beets?
Around the beets, there is still space to take advantage of. You can plant
onions and
salad
plants
between the beets
: this trio gets along wonderfully and you will harvest several vegetables throughout the spring.
Shape and color: which beet to choose?
The red beet, round, drop-shaped, is probably the most classic of all vegetable beets. Its firm and sweet flesh, as well as its taste qualities, amply justify its success. But it would be a shame to limit yourself to this safe bet because there are many
beets with original shapes and colors
. And they are just as delicious. To name just a few, here are some examples of beets that deserve your attention:
Try, for example, the
red beet 'Formaniva'
which has a long, cylindrical shape. It is tasty both raw and cooked and is very easy to harvest.
The 'Albina Vereduna' beetroot
is round and white, inside and out. Its sweet flesh is very tasty.
As for the
'Chioggia' beet
, it stands out for its two-tone flesh, purple and white. Slice it and you will discover that each color successively forms concentric circles. It is the ideal beet for serving elegant and graphic plates.
Finally, bring a little brightness to your dishes with
'Burpees Golden' beetroot
. Its skin is orange-red and its flesh is bright yellow.
How to cook and store your beets?
Immediately after harvest
, most beets can be eaten both raw and cooked. There are so many recipes that you could almost make a complete menu: As a starter, imagine a beetroot mousse served in a glass and ready to be spread on small toasts; as a hot dish, a beetroot soup enhanced with a spoonful of light cream or a salmon marinated in beetroot; then, a beetroot millefeuille with fresh cheese and for dessert, a tasty beetroot cake.
Raw and without their leaves, beets will keep for three days in the refrigerator. Beyond that, the taste may deteriorate.
For a longer shelf life
, up to several months, place your beets in a box of sand, in a cool, dry place, protected from light.
Depending on the variety, beet leaves can be eaten cooked, fried or steamed. With beetroot, nothing is lost, everything benefits you!