Beetroot is often grown a little later, so that the harvest time falls in autumn, because the healthy vegetable can be stored optimally and thus preserved for the winter. You can also overwinter a few beets in the ground and look forward to the seeds next year.
Beetroot usually tolerates temperatures as low as -14 degrees quite well
Beetroot is biennial
What hardly anyone knows: beetroot is biennial. In the first year the tuber is formed, in the second year flowers and seeds. Since most home gardeners harvest beetroot and do not want to propagate it, it is harvested when the tuber is large enough and does not form seeds.
Overwinter beets and collect seeds
Beetroot seeds are not expensive, but it is exciting, easy and absolutely free to let the beetroot grow seeds yourself and sow your own seeds the following year. To do this, simply leave a few turnips in the fall. In no case do not remove the herb, it still contains nutrients and protects the beets from the cold. Although the beetroot is reasonably hardy, you should cover the beets with brushwood or something similar and protect them from frost.
In the spring that follows, the beetroot blooms inconspicuously greenish. However, the pink stalks, which can be up to one meter high, are beautiful to look at. You can then harvest the seeds in the summer.
Harvested beets over the winter
Beetroot can be stored very well and for months. Because of this, many gardeners harvest them late in the year and “winter” them at home.
Store beetroot raw or cooked?
Beetroot can be stored both raw and cooked, but of course in different ways.
The following storage locations are suitable for raw beetroot:
- basement, cellar
- fridge
For cooked beetroot, on the other hand, there are other storage locations:
- fridge
- freezer
- boiled down in a glass
tips
Well cleaned and placed in paper or sand, the raw beetroot can be stored in the cellar for up to five months. Here you can find out how to store the beetroot correctly.
Preserve beetroot
A lot can be made from beetroot. Beetroot chips are even popular with children who tend to hate beets. Pickled beetroot is also a special treat, be it sweet and sour or just boiled with salt.