Tatiana Volgutova

Beetroot

Tamil Name: Beetroot; Scientific Name: Beta vulgaris;

Beginner Level

B G T

Planting/Sowing

Aug – Nov;

Harvesting

Oct – Jan;

First Harvest

~60 Days;

General Info

Crop category	Vegetable
Life span	Annual
Type of crop	Herb
Part(s) of the crop to harvest	Root, Leaves, Microgreen
Avg. Height	1 – 1.5 ft

Climate & Humidity

Beetroot is considered a cool weather crop but can be grown in warmer climates. However, the colour and quality of beets is affected by very hot weather causing ‘zoning’ (alternating concentric bands of light and dark colours in the roots);

Planting / Sowing

When to plant / sow seeds (ideal season):
Aug – Nov;

How to plant:
Direct sowing: Beetroot seeds come in clumps and may be sowed directly about 2-3 cm deep in well tilled soil, after soaking for 12 hours in water. When seedlings germinate, they can be thinned to one healthy plant per pit. (Thinned seedlings may be eaten).

NOTE: Please refer to the How to Grow Greens and How to Grow Microgreens sections as Beetroot makes an excellent microgreen.

Soil Depth & Spacing Requirements

Beetroots don’t require a lot of space and can be planted at a distance of 10 cm between plants. If planting in rows/ ridges, rows should be spaced 30 cm apart. They do well in container planting.

NOTE: Please go through the Guides in the Knowledge Base for more details on topics ranging from Spacing & Lighting to Soil and Nutrients.

Irrigation

Irrigate copiously immediately after sowing and till germinated. Afterwards, every 10-14 days, or as per soil condition.

NOTE: Irrigation should depend on how moist / wet the soil is. Check your plants everyday to see if they require irrigation or not. Check the Watering & Irrigation guide for more info.

Harvesting

When to harvest

Greens: Harvest beet greens when they are about 2 inches tall. The greens are most tender before they reach 6 inches long.

Roots: Harvesting beetroot can start at about 60 days after sowing. At this stage, beets will be small (~1 inch) in diameter and tender (great for salads); You can wait till beets are more mature (up to 3 inches in diameter) at around 120 days as well.

How to harvest
Pull beetroot up by hand, and trim back the tops, leaving 1 inch of the stem attached to the roots.

NOTE: Harvest periods can vary depending on the environmental, climatic, soil conditions.

Pests & Diseases

Pests	Leaf beetles, Leaf miners, root-knot nematodes
Common Diseases/ Problems	Cercospora leaf spot
Pest and Disease prevention measure(s)	Apply neem cake to the soil to discourage nematodes; apart from prevention, the other method is the management after the infestation. Techniques such as deep summer ploughing, hand collection and destruction of infested leaves help in dealing with the diseased areas of the plant.

NOTE: Read Pest & Disease Control for more information.

Did you know?

Adipic acid is an organic compound that is manufactured as the precursor of nylon. It rarely occurs in nature, but is found to occur naturally in beetroots. Betanin is a red food colourant obtained from beetroots and is used to improve the color and flavor of tomato paste, sauces, desserts, jams and jellies.