Beetroot

Variety:

Detroit 2

Approx 150 seeds

Sowing:

Seeds should be sown approximately 2cm deep with roughly 2-4 seeds per cell.

Alternatively, you can sow seeds directly into the soil approximately 1.5cm deep with rows 30cm apart.

Harvesting:

Beetroot is ready to harvest from around 45 days after planting seeds and when they are approx 2inches in diameter. You will see them sticking out of the ground.

Information:

Beetroots prefer a moist fertile soil.

Beetroots generally occurs from mid Spring (Feb – April) for indoor planting or from around May for summer growing.

Beetroot need a sunny location to develop.

Baby beets (about golf ball size) will generally take around 7 weeks and full size beetroots (around the size of an orange) will take around 12 weeks. It is better to harvest beetroot too early than too late otherwise it will taste woody.

Beetroot leaves and stems can be eaten as well as the beetroot itself so there is no waste.

The most common pests are aphids, leaf miner, leafhopper, beet webworms and cyst nematodes.

Nutritional Information:

Beetroots are high in fibre, folate and manganese as well as iron and potassium. They assist in improved blood flow, reduce inflammation and are known to relieve constipation.

Fun Fact:

Beetroot is an aphrodisiac (since Roman times) and can be used to fight hangovers due to its nitric oxide content. Due to its natural sugar content, beetroot is increasingly being used as an alternative sweetener in baked goods such as chocolate cake.