beetroot how do you grow yours

[hollychap]

Ive grown beetroot a couple of times when i had a small veggie patch in the garden and i sowed direct . how do others grow there's direct or in the greenhouse for transplanting .
books or mags i had read advised sowing direct as they don't like root disturbance but they always seem to be on sale each year in in garden centers

[SarrissUK]

Last year I sowed beetroot little and often. Very often. It seemed that I couldn't quite get enough of them

[SarrissUK]

Oh and I didn't bother to sow them in modules first. Late March I started sowing them in situ, and kept re-sowing when I pulled some up.

[solway cropper]

I also sow small amounts regularly but in blocks rather than rows. I just love cooked beetroot as a veg and pick it all summer. The later sowings I allow to grow bigger and use these for pickling.

beetroot are also easy to grow in containers.

[zazen999]

All summer? Beetroot is a year round crop - I picked some chioggia yesterday and we roasted some for dinner.

I sow little and often into little pots [sowed some at the weekend as well] - and these will then go into either modules, flats, half loo roll insides and then out into the plot when they are about 3-4 inches tall.

[Scarlet]

I sow in modules, 1 per cell and plant out the clump for less root disturbance. I sow them regularly and always have some ready to go in the ground.

[di]

I sow mine direct. As they grow, I thin them out and replant, they play dead for a day or two but seem to get bored after a couple of days watering and tlc.

[hollychap]

how often do you sow ? which variety's i have Detroit which Ive grown before and also a cylindrical one (never grown) and a white albino (never grown) anyone tried the latter two ?

[Scarlet]

I love beetroot! I sow every 2/3 weeks (if I remember)I always have Detroit on the go, a cyclindrical one is very good for picking cos it fits in the jar - I use alto which is an F1 but there are others. I have tried the stripey chioggia and didn't like it as much. Yellow one isn't bad but I'm no help on the white - although I have had a few rogue ones in my other crops! Though I think, I love beetroot for its colour as well as taste.

[zazen999]

I've tried all sorts - and pretty much love them all! I like roasting the ones that don't bleed [chioggia and albina and yellow] as you are peel and bung them in with the roasties and the potatoes don't get covered in red. The yellow ones are excellent, esp in salads.

[hollychap]

ive not tried roasting them always had them boiled so thats another road i now need to travel down

[zazen999]

Ok - best way to eat beetroot [ever].

Clean, deleaf/root, boil until tender and then dunk in ice cold water. Once cool, slide the skins off, top and tail and cut into cubes.

Add mayo, cumin, and some very tiny chopped onion. Mix.

Eat with salad and esp on the side of a plate of falafel.

[veggiechicken]

Cook as above ^^^^ then chop into chunks and coat with a honey and oil mixture, and roast.

[Alison]

Always find boiled beetroot a bit rubbish and didn't really like it until I discovered roasting. Now either peel and cut into chunks and roast - usually with a bit of oil and balsamic vinegar - or clean and wrap in oiled foil and roast whole. When cooked and cooled the skins almost fall off and can either eat cold on salads, pickle or eat in pretty much anything. One of my fave ways is with pasta with a splash of cream (goes a lovely pink colour) and lemon juice, very good. As far as growing, just sow direct, no need to phaff about and have enough modules already so need a few easier bits, generally I use modules to either get a head start on tender crops or to avoid slug damage and the ones on my plot don't seem to like beets which is good.

[hollychap]

drooling