Garden And Gossip Forums

Sorting through a heap of beetroot seed packets and thinking aloud about the differences between varieties - or not.

Beetroot come in different colours - red, yellow, white and stripy (Chioggia).
They come in different shapes - small ball, big ball, flattened and cylindrical/conical.

There are several with similar names - starting with BO - Boltardy, Bono, Boston, Boldor (which is yellow)

Detroit 2 is the same as Crimson Globe

Real seeds say that Beetroot seeds are viable for 2-3 years.

Beetroot leaves are edible as well as the roots. use like chard or leaf beet.
Bulls Blood beetroot is grown primarily as a cut and come again salad leaf. 

Anything you can add? Favourite varieties? How to grow? When to sow?

I hated the stripey one - it looked grey in the jar if pickled.... and it didnt taste as goid as the red ones

I grew a cylindrical variety one year - and found it much easier to fit in a jar.

I like the Yellow ones as they don't bleed when you cook them - although blood red hands may be good for Halloween.

I’ve grown a few varieties of beetroot and to be honest when it comes to flavour. They tasted like beetroot.
I’ve never tried any of the yellow varieties. Only because I’ve never acquired any. But it is on my must try growing list. I’ve also grown crapaudine beetroot. I really liked this variety. It’s more parsnip shaped. The flavour was great. Definitely want to grow these again.

I only grow one variety now, Bettollo, I think it is head and shoulders above anything else.
Can be sown from March till end July and doesn't get woody with size.

Tastes great boiled or roasted, I hate pickled beetroot so can't comment.

I love pickled stuff...

Detroit now for me. Cylindrica were good but too high above the ground to be able to cover up and stop rats eating.
One sowing in early March - still harvesting now. Sow in groups of 2 to 4 and the row still looks full now.

I like them all equally, but I've found I'm more likely to eat the yellow varieties, because it won't stain my hands, my kitchen sides and floor. They're messy.

I like them all for their leaves though, and pick little and often of them

Omi really dont find them messy... scrub in the sink and roast worh whatever im cooking at the time. Balsamic vinegar and garlic

Red beetroot make you pee red - yellow beetroot make you pee yellow.