Growing and caring for yellow beetroot

Yellow beetroot tastes milder and sweeter than their red relatives. We show you how you can easily grow, harvest and use yellow beets in the garden.

For many people, the classic beetroot belongs on the table in autumn. Her sister, the yellow beetroot, adds a color accent. How it differs from the beetroot, how to grow and use it in your own garden, you can find out in this article.

Yellow beetroot: profile and characteristics

The yellow beetroot (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) has many names. Not only are the two spellings “yellow beets” and “yellow beets” correct, but also the designation “golden beet”. From a botanical point of view, yellow beetroot is a variant of the Beetroot, Like other cultivated beets, it is a foxtail plant (Amaranthaceae). But it is also often assigned to the group of the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae), which is part of it.

The yellow beetroot originally comes from the Mediterranean region, probably from North Africa. The Romans spread it from there to the whole of the Roman Empire 2000 years ago and thus also came to Germany. The intense colors of today's varieties, both yellow, red and white beets, come from cultivars. They differ largely from the wild form, the wild beet.

There are many similarities between red and yellow beetroot, but also a few differences. Apart from the clear color difference, the beets of the yellow beetroot usually taste much sweeter than those of the red ones. In addition, beetroot does not "bleed" during processing. The beets can be round, flat or long, cylindrical. The skin is very thin, but the flesh is juicy and crisp.
The leaves of the yellow beetroot are oblong-egg-shaped and form a 15 to 30 cm long leaf blade. They are arranged in a rosette and grow directly out of the beet. The lush green is similar to the beetroot, but the leaves of the yellow beetroot have yellow veins. The edges tend to be puckered with age. Yellow beetroot is a biennial, herbaceous plant that develops the turnip and leaf rosette in the first year and an inflorescence about 1.5 meters high in the second year. The five-fold flowers are hermaphroditic and are pollinated by the wind.
Since the beet is formed directly at the root neck by the shoot and the plant root, it grows largely outside the soil. A deep tap root is formed to supply water and nutrients, there are hardly any side roots.

Yellow beetroot varieties

The most popular types of yellow beetroot include:

• ‘Burpees Golden’: Intense orange peel, light yellow pulp; very productive and fast growing; good to use raw or in a smoothie, but also for cooking, baking or frying; fruity-mild taste, quite sweet.
• ‘Boldor F1’: Orange skin, golden-yellow pulp; profitable; large beets contain a lot of sugar, which makes them particularly suitable for baking, young leaves are ideal for adding to salads; especially sweet taste.
• "Golden Eye": Light orange skin, golden-yellow pulp; Turnips become very evenly round; good for fresh consumption or for canning; mild-sweet, earthy taste.

Growing yellow beetroot

The yellow beetroot is a fairly undemanding plant. The location should be deep as it forms tap roots. Only heavy soils prove to be unsuitable for the cultivation of yellow beetroot, as the development of the beets is restricted. Full sun is an advantage for good development, but partially shaded places are also accepted. A constant, good water supply is important during vegetation. Boron or manganese deficiencies can occur in locations with a pH that is too high. A boron deficiency can be recognized by crippled, heart-shaped leaves, while a manganese deficiency manifests itself through poor growth and necrosis. However, you can prevent such deficiency symptoms by not liming directly before growing yellow beetroot.

The yellow beetroot is ideal for growing mixed crops. The other plants should not grow too high, however, so as not to rob the low-growing yellow beets from the light. chives (Allium schoenoprasum), Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes) or radish (Raphanus sativus var. sativus) are very suitable, for example. For crop rotation in the garden, it is important that no other goosefoot or foxtail plants have been grown on the area beforehand, as this can lead to the transmission of diseases. The goosefoot or foxtail plants include other beetroot varieties, spinach (Spinacia oleracea) or the sugar beet (Beta vulgaris var. altissima).

Since at temperatures below 7 ° C, the plant may increasingly shoot, so the plant grows in thickness early If the beet breaks off and begins to bloom, the yellow beets should only be sown from mid-April to around mid-July will. The germination of the yellow beetroot seeds only begins at around 7 to 9 ° C. A fleece is a good protection against individual night frosts. Harvesting is possible three to four months after sowing, depending on the variety.
The sowing takes place directly in the bed. For this purpose, the seeds with a distance of 15 to 25 cm between the individual plants and with a Sown a distance of 10 cm between the rows and then about one to two finger widths with soil covered. If you want to harvest earlier, you can pre-germinate the yellow beetroot seeds from March and bring the young plants into the bed from mid-April. A nutrient-poor potting soil like ours is suitable for preculture Plantura organic herb & seed compost, as this promotes the growth of a healthy and dense root system. All the nutrients that are important for the young plant are contained in just the right amount and ensure optimal development. The young plants can be planted in May with a slightly larger plant spacing, with about 20 to 30 cm between the plants and 10 cm between the rows.

Tip: The seeds are naturally in what is known as a ball of four seeds. This is also the case when you buy the seeds. The somewhat more expensive seed bands are an exception, here the seeds are already isolated. If yellow beets are sown in a ball, they must be separated later, otherwise it will be too narrow for the individual beets.

In our Plantura vegetable growing kit In addition to four other colorful vegetables, it also contains seeds for the Rainbow Mix ’beetroot. You will also find all the materials you need for sowing in the set - so beet can be grown without any problems.

Care of yellow beetroot

If the seeds have sprouted and are too narrow, they may have to be separated. This ensures that each beet has enough space to grow. During the growth it is enough to water the yellow beetroot regularly. For even growth, the soil should be constantly moist, but waterlogging should be avoided. Fertilization of the yellow beetroot is possible in poor locations, but should only be done in moderation.

This should be noted with yellow beetroot with regard to nitrate:

• Leaf and beet vegetables such as yellow and beetroot, but also lettuce and spinach, accumulate nitrate, a form of nitrogen, in the leaves.
• Too high an intake of nitrate is suspected of being harmful to health. Therefore, the vegetables should only be consumed in moderation.
• Young children are more at risk because their stomachs are not yet fully developed. You should therefore not eat too much yellow beetroot and other leafy and beet vegetables.
• Harvesting in the evening has the advantage that the nitrate content in the leaves is lower than in the morning.
• In order to curb the excessive nitrogen uptake, mineral nitrogen fertilization should be avoided. A primarily organic fertilizer, such as ours, is better suited Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, which meets the high potassium requirements of yellow beets.

Harvest and storage

Yellow beets can be harvested early from the end of July until winter if they are sown early. A digging fork or a small shovel is suitable for this, in order to slightly loosen the earth around the beets. Then they can simply be pulled out and excess soil easily knocked off. A remainder of the soil should remain on the beet, because this increases the shelf life. The root can simply be twisted off about three centimeters below the beet. The leaves remain on the beets.

The yellow beetroot can then be eaten fresh or stored. Storage is possible in a ground rent or in a sand-filled box in the garden or basement. Temperatures of 0 to 1 ° C are most suitable, because then storage is possible throughout the winter. There is also the option of simply leaving the yellow beetroot stuck in the ground until you are ready to use it. Alternatively, it can also be boiled down and thus preserved for a longer period of time.

Yellow beetroot taste and ingredients

The taste of yellow beets is intense and aromatic. It is very similar to that of beetroot, but a little sweeter. The yellow color is caused by the carotene pigment.
Yellow beetroot contains a lot of iron, potassium and also vitamin B and has a high folic acid content. These ingredients make yellow beetroot healthy and support the liver and gall bladder. It is also said to have anti-inflammatory and mood-enhancing effects.

Prepare yellow beetroot: raw and cooked

There are countless recipes for yellow beetroot - they can be prepared in the same way as beetroot. You can eat them raw or cooked and use the leaves to make a delicious yellow beetroot salad. It is important that not all leaves of a plant are picked. Otherwise the plant has to put a lot of energy into new leaves instead of letting the beets grow.
The beet tastes particularly delicious raw as a carpaccio, but you can also deep-fry it into chips, steam it, fry it or cook it. You can also drink the yellow beetroot, either as a juice or in a smoothie. The beetroot soup is a classic for a reason, but the yellow beetroot is just as suitable for this.

Do you still need the right seasoning for a delicious yellow beetroot soup? Read everything here Growing and harvesting parsley.