How To Grow A Giant Beetroot
Below is a picture of our World Record Breaking Giant Beetroot that weighed a colossal 23.995kg, just under 53 pounds in weight
Read below to find out how we managed to achieve this record-breaking vegetable.
Sowing
Beetroot seeds are planted at the beginning of March in a heated greenhouse. They are planted into a small pot and placed inside the Vitopod propagator at a temperature of around 18oC. After roughly 8-10 days, the beetroot will start to appear.
(example picture of Vitopod propogator) Below:
They will be transplanted into an individual pot and kept inside the propagator until the end of March. We will inoculate the roots with Mycorrgiantveg on each transplant. Beetroot do not like to become potbound so it is important to continually pot up into larger pots. At the end of March, they are placed onto a capillary mat within the Keder Greenhouse with a minimum air temperature of 10oC.
Preparation of ground prior to planting
The ground is typically prepared at the last week of March, where it is rotovated to warm up the soil prior to planting. Granular Boron is usually diluted at the rate of 1oz to 4 gallons (1 gallon was used per grid)
Prior to planting into the ground, we will add Dalefoot Compost around the planting hole. This helps with water retention and slow-release organic nitrogen. In addition we will dust MycorrGiantveg around the growing area. The bacteria within this helps to provide healthier plants, more vigorous plants.
Planting in ground
The plants were hardened off in the unheated Keder tunnel for a week at the end of March. They were then planted into the ground and watered in. If growing outside, leave until all signs of frost have past and continue to pot up into larger pots in a greenhouse until you are ready to plant outside. Remember to always harden off plants
Looking After The Plants
The plants were watered through a PlantIT battery operated timer and Antelco 360o dripper system. A relatively inexpensive system and worry free automatic irrigation.
During the season, ensure that the beetroot plants never dry out. Irregular watering can sometimes mean that the plants will go to seed.
The beetroot was watered with magnesium and manganese about five times throughout the growing season. (packets of sequestrian plant tonic containing trace elements for amateur gardeners)
From Mid-April, the plants are also watered weekly with Instant Compost Tea and a handful of Vitax Q4 pellets are added around the plants.
At the end of the growing season, the best beetroot is selected and since 1996, each year we have been re-selecting the seed. We have limited quantities of beetroot seeds, some of the World’s most exclusive seed
