Bull's Blood Beet Seeds - (Beta vulgaris)
- SKU:
- V1020
- Seed Count:
- Approx 150 seeds per pack
- Days to Maturity:
- 35 days for baby leaf tops; 55 days for edible roots.
- Days to Germination:
- 5-10 days @ 55-80F
- Plant Spacing:
- 4-6"
- Light Preference:
- Full sun
- Soil Requirements:
- Sandy loam
- Status:
- Heirloom, Non-Hybrid, Non-GMO seeds
Description
Bull's Blood Beet
Exceptional dual purpose heirloom. Stunning dark red young tops make attractive additions to salad mixes. The tasty round roots have a remarkably sweet, wholesome flavor. Harvest baby greens at 35 days or so. Later, as they mature, Bull's Blood greens turn dark burgundy and develop a rich flavor. These offer the drama of radicchio without its bitterness.
Great-flavored, beautiful dark-red young tops are available in about a month from sowing and make attractive additions to salad mixes. Full-grown dark-red chard-type leaves are ready in 55 days and the tasty round roots have a remarkably sweet, wholesome flavor.
History
Both leaf beets and root beets were developed from wild seabeets, along coastal Europe and western Asia. Beet greens—the beet tops—have been eaten and enjoyed for several thousands of years. The Romans particularly liked beet greens and discovered that the roots were tasty as well! The beet gained in popularity in Europe and America during the 1700s. The juice from the beets is used to make the only red food coloring allowed by Swedish law.
Harvest Tip
While the beets are growing you can pick up to a third of the leaves and use them fresh or cooked. When the beet roots are 2-3" in diameter, it is time to harvest them. Pull or dig them up, and cut off the stems. Leave on a 1-2" of stem if you are going to store the roots.
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1 Review
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Did very well in our garden
The Master Gardeners at the historic Francis Land House Heirloom Vegetable Garden in Virginia Beach, Virginia are providing feedback on the donated seeds. Our garden consists of 35 raised beds, each four feet by twenty feet. The garden receives full sun all day and is fertilized with a combination of compost and commercial organic fertilizer. Beets in general do very well in our garden, both in the spring and again in the fall. This variety is no exception, producing a good quality root. We alternated rows of Bulls Blood with Chioggia and got a nice contrast between the dark red leaf of Bulls Blood and paler, lighter green leaf of Chioggia.