Bulls Blood Beetroot

Bulls blood beet were originally bred for their aesthetic value in gardens. The Blood red foliage is naturally shiny and draws the eyes of passersby. New flushes emerge rapidly after each harvest. Although the deepest red color is produced when grown in full sunlight, the plant grows well in partial shade conditions as well. The bulbs can be harvested after 3-4 months, when 3-6 inches wide. This variety is slow to bolt, so can continue producing leaves for consumption for many months, as long as the bulb remains in the soil.

Gardeners often struggle to grow large sized beetroots in containers. Bulls blood beetroot is thus the perfect variety for container gardeners, as the bulb is of secondary importance and the leaves are the main crop.

Bulls blood beetroot leaves make great additions to salad mixes, or can be consumed as an alternative to spinach. The leaves can be dried, powdered and used as food coloring. The roots and leaves can also be used as a natural dye for textiles.

The beetroots themselves, with a distinct white and red pinstripe color, are sold in specialty markets as heirloom beets. They make wonderful additions to salads, soups or can be eaten on their own.

The plants have the potential to be raised in nurseries and sold as ornamental plants for home gardens and landscapes.

Beetroot leaves are food for some species of butterflies. The roots are great at recycling leached nutrients from depleted soils, by tapping deep down into soil layers and bringing nutrients back to the surface. Their natural ability to break up compaction in soils reduces the need for tillage (tillage hastens the depletion of soils) and also assists in the production of water channels to catch rainwater.

Tap rooted crops like beetroot are exceptional at breaking up dense and compacted soils. They also bring up nutrients from deeper layers of soil, and return them to the surface layers over time

Beetroot can be used as a green manure crop, or as a part of cover crop mixes where they will break up compaction and create deep water channels that facilitate better groundwater percolation.