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Amaranthaceae FAMILY

Beta vulgaris (Garden Beet Group)

Beta vulgaris (Garden Beet Group)

Edibility
5/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitBiennial
Growth—

Beta vulgaris is originally a native of the warm temperate zone, though it has spread further north to the cold temperate zone. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 25°c, but can tolerate 4 - 35°c[1]. When dormant, the plant can survive prolonged temperatures down to about -6°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 600 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 500 - 2,500mm[1]. A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in sun or light shade in moist soils but prefers a rich well-drained light neutral to alkaline soil[2, 3]. Beets grow well in a variety of soils, growing best in a deep, friable well-drained soil abundant with organic matter, but doing poorly on clay. They prefer an open position and a light well-drained soil[4]. The optimum pH is 6.0 - 6.8, but the plant can tolerate 5 - 8.3[1]. Some salinity may be tolerated after the seedling stage. Beets are notable for their tolerance to manganese toxicity[5]. Plants are tolerant of saline soils and respond positively if salt is added to non-saline soils at a rate of about 30g per square metre[6]. Beetroot is a fast-growing plant, some cultivars can produce a root ready for harvesting within 7 weeks from sowing the seed[6]. The roots can be available all year round from successional sowings. Beetroot plants are generally hardy in much of the temperate zone and can be left outdoors in the soil in most winters, though prolonged cold weather or severe winters can damage the roots. If the plants are exposed to prolonged temperatures below -10°c they will quickly run to seed[7]. This also applies to the young plants of most beetroot varieties if they are sown in early spring - a short period where temperatures fall below zero can fool the plant into believing that there has been a winter and it will then try to flower and produce seed. There are, however, come varieties, such as 'Bolthardy', that are more resistant to bolting and so more suited to these early sowings[7, 6]. The beetroot is widely cultivated, especially in temperate zones, for its edible root. There are two basic forms, those with rounded roots and those with elongated roots with many named varieties of each form. The roots can be available all year round from successional sowings. A fast-growing plant, some cultivars can produce a root ready for harvesting within 7 weeks from sowing the seed[6]. Most beetroot seed is actually a cluster of several seeds, though monogerm varieties have been produced that only have one seed - these monogerm varieties are less likely to require thinning once they have germinated[6]. A good companion for dwarf beans, onions and kohl rabi[8, 9]. Its growth is inhibited by runner beans, charlock and field mustard[8, 9].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soaking for 12 hours in warm water prior to sowing encourages more rapid and even germination[6]. For the earliest crop, ready to harvest in late spring, sow the seed in situ in late late winter or early early spring, giving it some protection such as a cloche. The first outdoor sowings can be made in early spring in situ to provide a crop from early summer onwards. For both of these sowings it is important to choose varieties that are resistant to bolting in case there is a cold spell in the spring. Sowings for the main crop can be made in mid spring to early early summer to provide roots for autumn, winter and early spring use. Late sowings of fast maturing varieties can be made in early to mid summer in order to provide fresh young roots in the autumn. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Beta+vulgaris+%28Garden+Beet+Group%29>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. — Organ. J. · Faber · 1960 · ISBN - ↩︎Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.
  3. [3]The Gardener's Assistant. — Thompson. B. · Blackie and Son. · 1878 · ISBN - ↩︎Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.
  4. [4]Salads all the Year Round. — Larkcom. J. · Hamlyn · 1980 ↩︎A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.
  5. [5]Handbook of Energy Crops — Duke. J. · - · 1983 · https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/dukeindex.html · ISBN - ↩︎Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
  6. [6]Vegetables — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Macmillan Reference Books, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0 333 62640 0 ↩︎Excellent and easily read book with good information and an excellent collection of photos of vegetables from around the world, including many unusual species.
  7. [7]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  8. [8]Companion Plants. — Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. · Watkins · 1979 · ISBN - ↩︎Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
  9. [9]A - Z of Companion Planting. — Allardice.P. · Cassell Publishers Ltd. · 1993 · ISBN 0-304-34324-2 ↩︎A well produced and very readable book.
  10. [10]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  11. [11]New Vegetable Growers Handbook. — Simons. · Penguin · 1977 · ISBN 0-14-046-050-0 ↩︎A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.
  12. [12]The Vegetable Garden. — Vilmorin. A. · Ten Speed Press · ISBN 0-89815-041-8 ↩︎A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
  13. [13]Fruits of the Earth. — Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. ↩︎Lovely pictures, a very readable book.
  14. [14]Lilies - Their Culture and Management. — Woodcock. and Coutts. · Country Life · 1935 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic, but dated. Deals with the genus Lilium.
  15. [15]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  16. [16]Medicinal Plants of China — Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. · Reference Publications, Inc. · 1985 · ISBN 0-917256-20-4 ↩︎Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
  17. [17]The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants — Chevallier. A. · Dorling Kindersley. London · 1996 · ISBN 9-780751-303148 ↩︎An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
  18. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎