Your comments and tips

08 Nov 09, pete (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

try using small beetroot leaves in your salad - they are very good and look terriffic

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20 Oct 09, David (Australia - temperate climate)

Shirls: depends on what you want to use the beetroot for. Small baby beets are delish about 2-3 cms diameter. Larger beets are best cooked into other things (chocolate cakes for example)

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19 Oct 09, The Cake Lady (Australia - temperate climate)

I bought beetroot at our local veg shop and the tops had sprouts on. Can I cut the sprouts and plant them?

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15 Oct 09, Shirls (Australia - temperate climate)

Can you please tell me how do you know when the beetroot are ready to harvest. Thank you Shirls

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16 Sep 09, Mandy (Australia - tropical climate)

I was given some beetroot from a garden but forgot it and it went soft. I cut off the tops as they had started to sprout and placed them in a dish of water. Is it possible to grow a beetroot this way or must I use seeds? Thanks for any advice :)

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15 Sep 09, Alison (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Linda - I think the clue is not to plant out too deeply. As they get close to harvest, move the dirt away from the bulb and if it is about 2-3 cms diameter, I'd pick them. Young is best. Another cooking tip is to scrub them - don't peel - wrap in alfoil and bake until tender (a knife goes in & out easily). Use the alfoil to rub off the skin and save yours from weeks of beetroot stain then I chop into wedges and try balsamic and olive oil or a bit of garlic, chives and butter. Subtle flavours so as not to detract from the beautiful beet!

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12 Sep 09, Kelly (Australia - temperate climate)

Beetroot is fabulous. I love boiling until tender. Peel when cool, cut into wedges, toss with white balslamic vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper. For a salad toss with mixed salad greens and crumbled feta cheese.

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12 Sep 09, Linda (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi, First time beetroot grower would like to know how will I know when the beetroot is ready to pull out of ground and how do I cook it please.

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01 Aug 09, MuddyKnees (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Only recently started cooking the leaves.. wow! where have I been all these years? Up until now I've had trouble getting the gold and the white variety to germinate.. But I've raised all their seed well this winter in a mini-hot (warm?) house.. I earlier thought the seed was at fault.. Going to try the newspaper pre-test next time as suggested. Thing is, the leaves from the gold variety are the BEST of all the beetroot types I've tried, not that the others are not great.. Do yourself a treat and buy a pack of New Gippsland Seeds Beetroot Mix (1092) which will have both of these and all their others in it.. I'm finding beet tops well worth leaving the plants in for a good time.. how long I haven't determined yet.

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25 Jul 09, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Paulie - Yes you can grow beetroot in pots, but they need to be BIG pots. Beetroots definitely prefer the garden. Tania - I find the same problem some years - I think it could be too much nitrogen and not enough potassium. You could try fertilizing with a fruit/flower type fertilizer with higher potassium. Or maybe more patience - my beetroot take a long time for the root to grow.

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