BEETROOT - CHIOGGIA

Organic Beetroot Chioggia

        50 Seeds Pack    

Chioggia beets are an Italian heirloom variety native to Chioggia, Italy, and were first discovered in 1840.  Also known as the Candy-Stripe beet, Candy Cane beet, and Bull’s Eye beet, Chioggia beets are an Italian heirloom variety that is famous for its brightly coloured, concentric-ringed flesh.  

Chioggia beets are medium to large in size and are globular to oval with a slightly flattened shape, connected to broad green leaves with thick, crisp, red stems. The skin is semi-rough due to spots, indentations, and marks, and is firm, burgundy to dark red, and covered in fine hairs. Underneath the skin, the flesh is dense and naturally striped with concentric rings of white and fuchsia or red. When raw, Chioggia beets have a crunchy texture with a strong earthy flavour, and when cooked, they develop a tender and soft consistency with a sweet, earthy flavour. 

    PLANTING & GROWING

Can grow in plant containers in your balcony garden or inside near a sunny window. If you don’t have a suitable garden spot, try a container instead.  A pot that’s at least 8 inches wide and it has drainage holes. Due to sensitive roots, repotting is best avoided. Instead, make sure you choose a suitable growing container for your seeds right from the start.

Soaking needs to be done at least a few hours before planting, and preferably overnight. To prevent damping off when starting seeds indoors, it’s essential that you disinfect all of your pots, plastic grow trays, seed cells, and seedling tray covers before you reuse them. 

Beetroot prefer to be grown in light, sandy soil in a sunny position, but can tolerate pretty much any sort of soil and some shade will be tolerated, a pH of 6.0-7.0. 

Seeds can be planted directly into the ground after the threat of frost has passed. Beetroots are best planted at soil temperatures between 7°C and 25°C. The best quality beetroots are grown at temperatures of 10 to 18°C (50 to 65°F).The crops will tolerate light frost. The spacing is quite important. If you wish to grow small, pickling size beets, they need to be sown quite close together, about 5cm (2in) apart, in rows 15cm (6in) apart. If you wish to grow standard size beetroots, then sow about 10cm (4in) apart, in rows that are at least 30cm (12in) apart. Cover lightly with 25mm (1in) of fine soil. Firm gently, water well and keep moist.

Seedlings appear in 7 to 21 days. When large enough thin to at least 10cm (4in) apart.  

Best colour and flavour develop under cool conditions and bright sun. When beets mature in warm weather, they are lighter coloured, have less sugar and have more pronounced colour zoning in the roots. Fluctuating weather conditions produce white zone rings in roots.

Beetroot are both wind and insect pollinated; they will cross with silver-beet, chard and other beets. 

No-nos for planting near beets include pole beans, field mustard, and charlock (wild mustard).

Beets are closely related to Swiss chard and spinach. Avoid following these crops in rotation.