To grow organic beetroot, it only needs, 56- 70 days for maturity.

Soaking the seeds

Beetroot seeds are actually clusters of one to four true seeds. Soak them in water for two hours before sowing them while they are still wet. Beetroot seeds can be sown into seed trays, but it is preferable to sow them directly into the garden as transplants are not always successful. Keep the bed damp until the seedlings emerge in 10-14 days.

Feed them well

Beetroot like fertile, well-drained soil so add a good dose of organic fertiliser before sowing. Encourage beetroot to grow as quickly as possible so that the roots remain sweet and tender. Liquid feed regularly after the globes begin to swell. Fertiliser rich in potash is good for beetroot.

Small is sweetest

Pick beetroot as soon as they reach the size of a golf ball, for they taste best and are full of sugar when they are just short of maturity. For this size of beetroot, thin seedlings to 5cm. Allow 10cm for larger roots or pick alternate beets after nine weeks, leaving the rest to grow larger. You can also eat the young leaves at the top of the beetroot, cooking them the same way as silver-beet.

Baby Beet

This fast growing variety only reaches a small size. Baby beet make attractive mini vegetable or decorative hors d'oeuvres, and are space saving in a small garden. On a patio they can be grown in a large tub.

Varieties

Long Beetroot: These take longer to grow, are 25cm long and 5cm in diameter, only come in red.

Round Beetroot: These are good straight from the ground, they are available in red, white and yellow. They are quick to develop and are resistant to bolting.

Diagnosing Problems

If your beetroot are woody, hairy and lacking in flavour, it could be due to a number of factors:

The soil may be too rich or it may have been dressed with fresh manure: beetroot grow best in a plot which was manured for a previous crop.

The soil maybe too acid: if it is below pH 6, apply lime to compensate.

The soil may be too dry: water well in dry spells.

Cracks and dark spots indicate boron deficiency: regular foliar feeding with a fertiliser containing trace elements will prevent this.

Root has tan corky scabs: Adjust soil pH to near neutral.

Root has hard dark rough textured area: check soil fertility, adjust soil as necessary with boron and fertiliser.

Leaves have pale spots with dark borders: remove all affected leaves and mulch plants, practice good sanitation, avoid wetting leaves, replant in a new area next crop.

Organic Food Chain Grade A certification Organic beetroot is a root vegetable with two parts, the root and the edible green leaves. In ancient civilizations, only the green leaves of the beetroot plant were eaten; the roots were used medicinally to treat headaches and toothaches. It is part of the family of vegetables that includes silverbeet, chard and other foliage beets. To reduce moisture loss from the roots, cut off organic beetroot greens before storing, but leave at least 2cm of the stem attached. Place the unwashed roots in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator crisper for up to three weeks. Store the greens separately in the same fashion, though they keep for a much shorter period of time. To preserve their colour and nutrients, organic beetroot should never be cut or peeled before cooking them in liquid, otherwise, they will "bleed" their rich red juices while cooking and turn an unappetizing dull brown. Scrub organic beetroot very gently and rinse well, but be careful not to break the skin, which is quite thin. Leave at least 2cm of stem and don't trim the root. Beetroot is cooked when you can easily pierce them with the tip of a sharp knife. Once cooked, you can peel them. The skin of a cooked beetroot will slip right off. (However, it's wise to use a paper towel or wear gloves to keep the beet juice from staining your hands.) Then cut the beetroot in quarters, slices, cubes, or in long, thin strips. Cooked organic beetroots hold their colour better if some acid ingredient is added to the cooking water; vinegar or lemon juice, used in many beet recipes, will keep them a beautiful crimson.

Preparation:

Organic beetroot can be steamed, baked or at their tastiest fresh grated raw in salads, or added to fresh juice, add's natural colouring and sweetness to icings, dips and dressings. Use the fresh gren tops in salads, soups and stock.

Cooking and Eating

Raw beetroot can be peeled and grated into salads to add a sweet flavour and great colour. You can also juice it with other vegetables such as carrots and celery.

To cook beetroot from raw: Don't peel or cut it, or the colour (and nutrients) will leach out. Gently scrub the beets to clean thoroughly, and twist off the green tops.

To boil: put beetroot in a pan of water, bring to the boil and heat for 40 - 45 minutes. Beetroot is naturally quite high in sodium so you don?t need to add salt.

To bake: preheat oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Put the whole beets into a baking dish, cover with foil and cook for 1-2 hours (depending on the size of the beets). Leave till cool enough to handle, and remove the skins - they should slip off easily.Nice added with other vegetables for roast vegetables.