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(Best months for planting Beetroot in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

• Easy to grow.
• Harvest in 55-70 days
• Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed.
• Best planted at soil temperatures between 7°C and 25°C.
• Space plants: 20-30cm

Soak seeds in water 24 hours before planting so that you can separate the seeds Thinning is nearly always required as seedlings emerge from a seedball of several seeds. If you don't thin them, you will get a number of rather pathetic plants which don't grow to an edible size. Harvest in 55 - 70 days but will keep in ground for longer. Tolerates light frost.

Keep well-watered. Dry beetroot develop a woody and inedible core.

For tasty and tender beetroot, start harvesting at golfball-size.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Beetroot

Apart from boiling whole for salads, beetroot roast well, cut in wedges.
They also make a tasty salad grated raw with carrot and a little fresh orange juice.

Your comments and tips

05 Nov 10 erin (New Zealand - temperate climate)

I grew my beetroot from seed and it has been in the garden for about 3 weeks now but doesn't appear to have grown at all. It is between my spinach and my broccoli... is there something I should do to encourage it to grow?

06 Nov 10 (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Beetroot require warm temp to shoot. How has your temps been? I am assuming you planted seeds? Did you plant your spinach and broccoli as seeds also and they have sprouted ?

15 Nov 10 Alison Warneford (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Can someone please remind me what to give beetroot plants so they bulb up nicely..my Dad used it and it was something simple from the kitchen

14 Dec 10 Dawn Wing (New Zealand - temperate climate)

I planted beetroot plants about 8 weeks ago and all they have done is gone to seed. What have I done incorrectly.

17 Dec 10 Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Dawn, most plants go to seed quickly when they are stressed. It could be lack of water or high temperatures making your beetroot 'bolt' to seeds. Another possibility would be if they were accidentally sprayed with a weedkiller.

16 Aug 11 peg (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Use young beetroot tops as greensm with cabbage or silver beet. OR young carrot tops

01 Nov 11 Kerry Brosnan (New Zealand - temperate climate)

I have beetroot growing for about 5 weeks. I planted them as plants, not seeds in nice composted soil which is light for them to grow . they are growing really well but are coming out of the ground and are long as opposed to round. Any advice, thanks

07 Nov 11 Mike A B (New Zealand - temperate climate)

@Kerry Brosnan - Different varieties have different shapes.

15 Dec 11 Eilean (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

I know ones cooks beetroot but how does one preserve it? None of my cookbooks help. I seem to remember vinegar, if so which?

17 Dec 11 (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Eilean, if you google "preserving beetroot" you will find lots of recipes online