Yellow beets taste milder and sweeter than their red relatives. We show how you can easily grow, harvest and use yellow beets in the garden.
For many, the classic beetroot belongs on the table in autumn. Its sister, the yellow beet, sets a colorful accent. In this article you can find out how it differs from beetroot, how to grow and use it in your own garden.
Yellow beets: profile and characteristics
The yellow beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) has many names. Not only the two spellings "yellow beet" and "yellow beet" are correct, but also the term "golden beet". From a botanical point of view, yellow beet is a variant of beetroot; like other cultivated beets, it is a foxtail plant (Amaranthaceae). However, it is also often assigned to the group of goosefoot plants (Chenopodiaceae).
Originally, the yellow beetroot comes from the Mediterranean region, probably from North Africa. The Romans spread it from there 2,000 years ago throughout the Roman Empire and thus also reached Germany. The intense colors of today's varieties, both yellow and red and white beetroot, come from breeding. They differ largely from the wild form, the wild beet.
There are many similarities between beetroot and yellow beet, but there are also a few differences. Apart from the clear color difference, yellow beetroot usually tastes much sweeter than red beetroot. In addition, yellow beets do not “bleed” during processing. The beets can be round, flat-topped or long and cylindrical in shape. Their skin is very thin, while the flesh is juicy and crunchy.
The leaves of the yellow beet are oblong and ovate and form a 15 to 30 cm long leaf blade. They are arranged in a rosette and grow directly out of the beet. The juicy green is similar to the beetroot, but the leaves of the yellow beet are streaked with yellow veins. The edges are mostly ruffled with age. Yellow beet isa biennial, herbaceous plant that forms the root and leaf rosette in the first year and an approximately 1.5 meter high inflorescence in the second year. The fivefold flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by the wind.
Since the beet is formed directly at the root collar by the shoot and the plant root, it mostly grows above the ground. A deep taproot is formed to supply water and nutrients, there are hardly any side roots.
Beetroot varieties
The most popular yellow beet varieties include:
- ‘Burpees Golden’: Intense orange skin, light yellow flesh; very productive and fast-growing; good to use raw or in a smoothie, but also for cooking, baking or roasting; fruity-mild taste, quite sweet.
- 'Boldor F1': Orange peel, golden-yellow flesh; productive; large turnips contain a lot of sugar, so they are particularly suitable for baking, young leaves are a good addition to salads; extra sweet taste.
- ‘Golden Eye’: light orange skin, golden-yellow flesh; Beets become round very evenly; good for fresh consumption or canning; mild-sweet, earthy taste.
Growing yellow beets
The yellow beet is a fairly undemanding plant. The location should be deep as it develops taproots. Only heavy soils prove to be unsuitable for the cultivation of yellow beets, as the development of the beets is restricted. Full sun is an advantage for good development, but partially shaded places are also acceptable. A steady, good water supply is important during vegetation. Boron or manganese deficiencies can occur on sites with too high a pH value. A boron deficiency can be recognized by stunted, heart-shaped leaves, while a manganese deficiency is manifested by poor growth and necrosis. However, you can prevent such deficiency symptoms by not liming immediately before growing yellow beets.
The yellow beet is ideal for growing mixed cultures. However, the other plants should not grow too tall, so as not to take the light from the low-growing yellow beets. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes) or radishes ( Raphanus sativus var. sativus) are very suitable, for example. For crop rotation in the garden, it is important that no other goosefoot orfoxtail plants were cultivated, otherwise disease transmission could occur. The goosefoot or foxtail plants include other beet varieties, spinach (Spinacia oleracea) or sugar beet (Beta vulgaris var. altissima).
Beetroot should only be sown from mid-April to around mid-July, since bolting can occur more frequently at temperatures below 7 °C, i.e. the plant breaks off the thick growth of the beet early and begins to flower. The germination of the yellow beet seeds only begins at around 7 to 9 °C. In case of single night frosts, a fleece offers protection. Depending on the variety, it can be harvested three to four months after sowing.
Sow directly into the bed. To do this, the seeds are sown with a distance of 15 to 25 cm between the individual plants and with a distance of 10 cm between the rows and then covered with soil about one to two fingers wide. If you want to harvest earlier, you can let the yellow beet seeds germinate from March and plant the young plants in the bed from mid-April. A nutrient-poor potting soil such as our Plantura organic herb and seed soil is suitable for the pre-cultivation, as it promotes the growth of a he althy and dense root system. All nutrients 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 planting distance, with about 20 to 30 cm between the plants and 10 cm between the rows.
Tip: The seeds are naturally found in so-called balls of four seeds. This is also the case when you buy the seeds. An exception are the slightly more expensive seed tapes, here the seeds are already isolated. If yellow beet is sown in a ball, it must be separated later, otherwise it will be too narrow for the individual beets.
In addition to four other colorful vegetables, our Plantura vegetable growing set also contains seeds for the 'Rainbow Mix' beetroot. In addition, you will find all the materials you need for sowing in the set - so beet cultivation is a breeze.
Care for Yellow Beets
If the seeds have germinated and are too close together, they may need to be separated. This ensures that each beet has enough space to grow. During growth, it is enough to water the yellow beets regularly. For aFor even growth, the soil should be constantly moist, but waterlogging should be avoided. Yellow beets can be fertilized on lean sites, but this should only be done in moderation.
This is to be observed with yellow beets in relation to nitrate:
- Leaf and turnip greens such as yellow and beetroot, as well as lettuce and spinach, accumulate nitrate, a form of nitrogen, in the leaves.
- Excessive nitrate intake is suspected of being harmful to he alth. Therefore, the vegetables should only be eaten in moderation.
- Toddlers are more vulnerable because their stomachs are not yet fully developed. You should therefore avoid eating too many yellow beets and other leafy and turnip vegetables.
- An evening harvest has the advantage that the nitrate content in the leaves is lower than in the morning.
- In order to slow down excessive nitrogen uptake, mineral nitrogen fertilization should be avoided. A primarily organic fertilizer is more suitable, such as our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, which covers the high potassium requirement of the yellow beets.
Harvest and storage
Yellow beets can be harvested from the end of July until well into winter if sowed early. A digging fork or a small shovel is suitable for this, in order to slightly loosen the soil around the beets. Then they can simply be pulled out and excess soil lightly tapped off. However, some soil should remain on the beets, as this increases their storage life. The root can simply be twisted about three centimeters below the beets. The leaves stay on the beets.
The yellow beets can then be eaten fresh or stored. Storage is possible in a heap of earth or a box filled with sand 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 beets in the ground until ready to use. Alternatively, it can also be boiled down and thus preserved for a longer period of time.
Flavour and ingredients of yellow beets
The taste of yellow beet is intense and aromatic. It is very similar to beetroot, but a little sweeter. The yellow color is caused by the pigment carotene.
Beetroot contains a lot of iron, potassium and vitamin B and has a high folic acid content. These ingredients make yellow beets he alth-promoting andsupport the liver and gallbladder. It is also said to have anti-inflammatory and mood-enhancing effects.
Preparing yellow beets: raw and cooked
There are countless recipes for yellow beets - they can be prepared in the same way as beetroot. They can be eaten raw or cooked, and the leaves can be made into a delicious 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 fry it into chips, steam it, roast it or cook it. You can also drink the yellow beet, either as a juice or in a smoothie. Beetroot soup is a classic for a reason, but yellow beets are at least as good for this.
You still need the right seasoning for a delicious yellow beetroot soup? Read all about growing and harvesting parsley here.