Beetroot has quite deep roots, but is also content with a balcony box. Below you will find out how to grow beets yourself on the balcony and what care measures the beets need in the pot.
How to grow beetroot on the balcony?
Beetroot can be grown in balcony boxes from mid-May. Choose a sunny location, ensure adequate drainage and use garden soil with compost. Sow the seeds about 1-2 cm deep and maintain a distance of 7-10 cm between plants.
When can beetroot be put on the balcony?
Beetroot is very sensitive to cold, which is why it should only be planted or sown outdoors after the Ice Saints in mid-May. If you would like to harvest earlier, you can prefer the sensitive plants in the warm. You can do this from the end of February. You can find out how to do this here.
What you need to know about the needs of beetroot
Beetroot is very easy to care for, but for a bountiful harvest you should still know the following:
- Beetroot germinates very slowly. It can take seven to fourteen days for the first green tips to appear.
- Beetroot should always be kept moist during the germination phase
- Beetroot is often pricked. You can find out how to do this here.
- Beetroot is a medium feeder and enjoys some fertilization with compost
- Beetroot is completely edible. Young leaves make an excellent salad, seedlings have many uses in the kitchen.
- Beetroot is hardy and biennial; In the second year it bears flowers and seeds.
Sowing beets on the balcony
Beetroot can be sown directly into the balcony box from mid-May. Beets prefer a bright, sunny location. When sowing, proceed as follows:
- Make sure that your planter (€16.00 on Amazon) has good drainage.
- Cover the drainage holes with a piece of pottery or something similar so that the soil cannot block them.
- Pour garden soil mixed with a shovel of compost into the box up to about one or two centimeters below the edge.
- Now press several beetroot seeds one to two centimeters deep into the soil and cover them well.
- Water the substrate well.
- After about three to four weeks, it's time to separate. Find out how to do it here.
- Beetroot needs space to develop its tuber. A planting distance of 7 to 10cm must also be maintained in the pot.
Tip
Combine your beets with garlic, lettuce, dill or other good neighbors.
