Beetroot: selected cultivars: Chioggia

Beetroot: Chioggia

Grown on my allotment in 2004

Small globe roots. Poor establishment and growth compared to other cultivars grown.

The distinctive red and white bands are lost when cooked, to become white or pale pink. In taste tests, it performed relatively poorly. Flavour is sweet and bland.

Chioggia or Barabietola di Chioggia is a globe-shaped heirloom Italian variety, with a slightly flattened shape. It was described by the 1840s and originated from market gardens around Venice. It is also sold under a range of other names, including or Tonda di Chioggia, Chioggia Pink or dolce di Chioggia. It has a rosy or orange-pink outer skin, with a distinctive dartboard pattern when cut transversely. For this reason it is sometimes known as Bull's Eye Beet or Candy Stripe Beet. Bands of white flesh alternate with bands of pink or rosy red. The pattern tends to fade toward a soft pink when cooked. It has attractive dark-green leaves with ruby-red stems that have a mild flavour when raw or cooked. Chioggia is grown today mainly for its unusual colouring, but it has a mild and sweet flavour. The flavour is not to everyone's taste. Some say it is delicious, others insipid. They are best eaten when young. Modern lines are resistant to bolting.

Beetroot: selected cultivars: Detroit

Beetroot: Detroit Globe

Grown on my allotment in 2004

Medium-sized dark-red globe roots.

In taste tests, Detroit was said to be less sweet than other cultivars with a tasty and sometimes earthy flavour.

Detroit or Detroit Globe is a flattish globe-rooted beetroot with dark red roots. It has been popular since its first introduction in the 1890s. Modern lines of Detroit include Detroit Dark Red, Detroit Short Top, Detroit Globe, Crimson Globe, Crimson Ball, Crimson King and Ruby Ball. The D.M. Ferry Seed Company first introduced Detroit in 1892, in the state of Michigan, USA. It was bred from a variety described as an early maturing European Blood Turnip (Long Red).

Today, Detroit is one of the most popular varieties grown commercially and in gardens in the USA. It is a good main crop beetroot for late season, with mature roots that store well, while also being good as a summer crop with its roots harvested young. It may go under different names as a winter and summer crop. The tops are short and grow thickly. The leaves have red veins and are good to eat when young. The roots are smooth-skinned and bright purple-red when cooked, with a sweet flavour. Its large symmetrical roots are popular with exhibitors. In addition to being a popular fresh market variety in the USA, it is one of the beetroot most commonly used for processing, especially canning. Modern lines are moderately tolerant of Cercospora leaf spot and downy mildew. A number of distinct cultivars and hybrids have been bred from the original Detroit stock, some of which are listed below.

Beetroot: selected cultivars: Early Wonder

Beetroot: Early Wonder

Grown on my allotment in 2004

Medium-sized red globe roots. Grown and harvested early.

In taste tests, Early Wonder was said to have a pleasant earthiness and a mild sweet flavour.

Early Wonder or Early Wonder Tall Top is a globe beetroot, with large thick roots having a slightly flattened globe shape. It is a North American introduction that was described around 1880, but it was probably first introduced much earlier in the seventeenth century than this in the USA. Its origins are linked to Crosby's Egyptian beetroot, although, like Crosby's Egyptian, its main connection to Egyptian beetroot (below) is that it also matures early in the summer. It is less highly coloured than Egyptian and most other varieties of beetroot. Early Wonder remains very popular in the USA. The leaves are bright dark-green with red stems and the tops are abundant and tall. The greens of this variety are tender and are particularly good to eat. It has good resistance to bolting and is good for both early sowing and as a main crop. Early Wonder grows relatively quickly in cool soils, in spring or autumn, and is popular as a general use beetroot.

Beetroot: selected cultivars: Egyptian Turnip Rooted

Beetroot: Egyptian Turnip Rooted

Grown on my allotment in 2006

Flattened root shape. Yielded well in deep bed.

Roots had a mild and pleasant flavour.

Beetroot: selected cultivars: Forono

Beetroot: Forono

Grown on the allotment in 2004 in a deep bed

Smooth tankard-shaped ('half-long') roots. Good growth characteristics. Roots push up out of the soil, but can be earthed up to preserve the root's smooth skin.

Forono is excellent for slicing. It consistently scored very highly in our taste tests. A pleasant fresh-tasting, mild but full flavour. Less sweet than many of the globe beetroot tasted.

Forono is a medium to long, tankard-shaped, cylindrical (half-long) beetroot that has a good flavour and yields well. The shoulders of the roots can push up above ground level. The soil should be pushed back against the root to keep a smooth skin. When cooked, Forono produces uniform dark-red slices. It stores well and is good for processing (canning and pickling). It is susceptible to bolting, so is best sown from mid-summer onwards. Its flavour is good, although sometimes described as "earthy".

Beetroot: selected cultivars: Long Blood Red

Beetroot: Long Blood Red

Grown on the allotment in a deep bed in 2005

Long Blood Red, Blood Red or Long Red has long tapering and deeply-buried root. It is an old variety, long removed from commercial seed lists, but can still be obtained as a heritage variety. The roots are prone to forking.

Long Blood Red is pale red/pink in colour, with clear zoning. It has a somewhat bland flavour.

Beetroot: selected cultivars: Monogram

Beetroot: Monogram

Grown on my allotment in 2006

Small globe roots produced. Grown early in season. Established and yielded well in deep bed. Distinct advantage found, due to only one seedling developing per seed. Virtually no maintenance required between planting and harvesting during wet spring/early summer!

Sweet, fairly typical beetroot flavour.

Beetroot: selected cultivars: Pablo

Beetroot: Pablo F1

Grown on my allotment in 2004

Globe roots. Very good growth characteristics.

Deep red colour. Sweet flavour and smooth texture. Scored well in our taste tests.

Pablo F1 is a globe-shaped Dutch hybrid, bred by Bejo-Zaden. The roots are smooth-skinned with dark-red flesh that has little zoning. It is relatively resistant to bolting, and its roots mature and store without becoming woody. It is a multi-purpose beetroot, favoured for exhibition.

Beetroot: selected cultivars: Red Ace

Beetroot: Red Ace F1

Grown on my allotment in 2004

Globe roots. Medium to large, with very good growth characteristics.

Consistently one of the highest ranked in taste tests. Sweet and very tasty, with excellent smooth texture.

Red Ace F1 is a well-established globe-rooted hybrid, introduced by the Alf Christianson Seed Company in 1981. According to seed catalogues, it displays hybrid vigour and has a better germination rate, faster spring growth, more uniform root shape, and a greater degree of resistance to disease such as Cercospora than most beetroot.

It performs well under dry conditions and resists bolting, enabling it to be sown early. It can be grown as a main crop with regular, round to oval roots that have a deep unblemished red colour without fibrous rings. The bright green leaves hold their quality during the summer and can be cooked at an age when the greens of many other beetroot have gone past the eating stage. The roots are sweet-tasting due to a relatively high sugar content. It is a popular show variety.

Beetroot: selected cultivars: Wodan

Beetroot: Wodan F1

Grown on the allotment in 2004

Medium to large globe roots. Excellent growth characteristics. Noticeably quicker growing than most other cultivars grown on our allotment. Produced broad and sturdy globe roots even when thinning operations were slack.

Wodan had a good rounded flavour in taste tests. It was less sweet than most of the beetroot cultivars we sampled. It was ranked fairly highly.

Woden F1 hybrid was bred by Thompson and Morgan and introduced in their 2004 catalogue. It is a globe beetroot with bright red flesh that can be harvested as baby or mature beets. Mature beets do not go fibrous and store well. Young leaves can be eaten as spinach.