BEETROOT UNCOVERED

Martin Fish reveals all about growing one of his favourite vegetables while Jill serves up some tasty beetburgers

- Martin Fish

Beetroot is an easy vegetable to grow and with just a little planning, you can enjoy beetroot from the garden for at least nine months of the year. It doesn’t need a great deal of space to grow and even if you don’t have a garden, it can be grown successfully in containers on a patio. When people say beetroot to you, most people instinctively think of the dark red globes, but there are other varieties such as golden and white beetroot that have a different flavour.

SOIL CONDITIONS

When it comes to soil types, beetroot isn’t that fussy, although for the best results it does need reasonable drainage. Whatever type of soil you have in your garden it does pay to do a little preparation in advance. Beetroot grows best in a fertile soil, so I always work in some home-made garden compost or well-rotted manure which will open up clay soils and make sandy soil retain moisture in summer. Just before sowing sprinkle a little general fertiliser such as Growmore or fish, blood and bone on the ground. Avoid high-nitrogen fertiliser as it will encourage lots of leaf growth and small roots.

SOWING

From experience I’ve found that beetroot doesn’t germinate well in cold conditions, so don’t rush into sowing too early when the soil is cold. A minimum of 8C (46F) is required for germination, but growth will be faster when the soil temperature is around 12C (54F) or higher. In mild areas or in a polytunnel you could start sowing in midMarch, but I find I get better results outside if I wait until early April.