You can’t BEET this!
With its ringed flesh and earthy flavour, make the stunning Chioggia variety your go-to crop to start from seed this spring
Nobody knows the name of the person responsible for creating beetroot ‘Chioggia’, only that it was being grown in the market gardens around Venice prior to the 1840s. I think this omission from gardening history is a great shame, as whoever was behind it deserves recognition for giving us the best beetroot variety of all time.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s a truly remarkable variety that is guaranteed to challenge most people’s perception of a beetroot.
Not only is its skin a candy pink colour and not the traditional purple, but when you slice across the root the flesh inside reveals a target-like arrangement of alternating, pink and white rings.
This stunner has long been my go-to beetroot to start from seeds in spring. Apart from its looks, ‘Chioggia’ has a mild, earthy flavour and, to my palette, tastes a little sweeter than others. Sadly, the interior colours disappear if roots are cooked — my advice is to slice raw ones thinly and use to brighten up salads.
My favourite beetroot is not the only one that likes to flout the rules about what this root veg should look like. There are white, yellow, orange and red varieties in existence, with great diversity even among the shape of purple ones. For example, roots can be spherical, long and tapering, cylindrical or flattened.
Of course you’re unlikely to find any wonderful varieties in your local supermarket. The only way of munching something different is to sow seeds directly into the ground, between mid-April to late June. Globeshaped ones will be ready in about 11 weeks, while longer varieties take closer to four months to mature.
Beetroot doesn’t exist in the wild but derives from sea beet, a plant found around the coast of Europe, North Africa and southern Asia. It was domesticated in parts of the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, and was esteemed by the ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans who considered it an aphrodisiac.
We’ve been growing beetroot in this part of the world since the late 16th century, with plants originally cultivated for their edible stems and leaves. In his influential Herball book from 1597, botanist John Gerard suggested there was potential to use the roots in the kitchen, if you were a ‘curious and cunning cooke’. Alas, few rose to Gerard’s challenge and it wasn’t until the 19th century that beetroot was more widely eaten. Today, there are about 50 or so named varieties available to grow from seeds.
In the garden, beetroot prefers light, stone-free soil in a sunny spot. Prepare the ground by forking over, removing weeds and large stones as you go. Next, rake the soil, drawing it into hollows and flattening any mounds. The soil is ready for sowing when the surface is even and the top 2in-3in has the texture of coarse breadcrumbs.
Some people sow directly from the packet, but my advice is to soak the ‘seeds’ (actually a dried fruit case that contains a cluster of up to six seeds) in a cup of lukewarm water overnight. This helps to soften the tough, corky outer skin and dissolve natural chemicals found within it that inhibit germination.
Once they’re ready, make a 1in deep trench in soil. Sow two seeds along the row every 4in, cover with soil and sprinkle with water. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin out to leave the strongest one at every 4in station to give roots plenty of room to develop. Beetroot are a doddle to look after. Keep the area around them free from weeds, and water crops regularly to prevent roots splitting and plants running to seed prematurely.
Harvest roots by pulling out of the ground while they are still young — those left to mature tend to split or turn woody.