How to grow beetroot

Growing beetroot for the first time

Difficulty: Easy · Sun: full sun · Ready in: about 70 days

1. Choose the spot

Pick a sunny spot (6+ hours of sun). It does best in loam, sandy soil with a pH of 6.5–7.5. Avoid clay soil, or improve it with compost.

2. Sow or plant

Sow outdoors in Apr, May, Jun, Jul. Start indoors or under cover in Mar. Space plants about 10 cm apart.

3. Look after it

• Water roughly every 4 days, more in hot or dry weather. Water the soil, not the leaves.
• No regular feeding needed in good soil — a mulch of compost is enough.
• Keep weeds down, and add a daily note and photo to your BeAgric grow diary so you can spot problems early.

4. Watch for problems

Common problems: Leaf spot. Take a photo with Check a plant if leaves look spotted, yellow or wilted.

5. Organic tip

Soak seed for an hour before sowing to speed germination.

6. Harvest

Expect your first harvest about 70 days after planting. Record it in Harvests and list any spare on the marketplace.