This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
My first Beetroot
josusa47
Posts: 3,530
in Fruit & veg
They appear to be flourishing, but I expected the beets to form out of sight underground. They are half in half out, and while it's reassuring to be able to see them getting bigger, I'm wondering if I should earth them up, or leave them as they are, with their shoulders exposed? And how do I know when they're ready to eat?
0
Posts
That's how some of them grow, as you say 'shoulders exposed'. I find that the cylindrical shaped varieties do it even more than the round ones.
Harvest them when they're the size you want. Between golf ball and tennis ball size ... ish
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I harvest my beetroot when they are about golf ball size as I find they have a sweeter taste.enjoy your hopefully first of many beetroots.
Many thanks, I'll feed one to Mother and see if she approves.
She does. I boiled three, sliced them into a jar and covered them with cider vinegar. No salad eaters in our house, so I made soup with the leaves and stalks, and the cooking liquid from the beets, plus some red onion, sliced and fried. Pretty good.