Seeds
Smooth, round, deep-red beets with tender flesh and excellent sweet flavor.
Ruby Queen' is a classic heirloom beet variety that matures quickly and maintains a perfectly round shape even in poor soils. The interior flesh is a striking, uniform dark crimson that is free of woody rings, offering a buttery, sweet taste when roasted or boiled. The vibrant green tops with red stems are also highly nutritious and can be harvested and cooked just like Swiss chard.
Light
Grows best in full sun, at least 6 hours a day, but tolerates light shade.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist, since irregular watering gives tough roots. Water deeply once or twice a week, more often in warm weather, and mulch lightly.
Humidity
Average humidity suits it and it is not fussy. Avoid wetting the leaves late in the day and thin seedlings so air can move between plants.
Temperature
Grows well from about 8 to 30 C and tolerates warmer spells in light shade. In 35 C+ weather mulch and steady water keep it going, though roots come smaller and tougher. Sow from October to January on the plains, and seed germinates once soil is above about 4 C.
Pets and children
Pet-safe
Soil
Deep, loose, well drained sandy loam with plenty of organic matter. Remove stones, break up crusted soil and sow shallowly, since compacted ground gives small, misshapen roots.
Fertilizer
If the soil is rich in compost, beets need little extra feeding. A balanced fertiliser mixed in before sowing and a light nitrogen side dressing 3 to 4 weeks later is plenty, as too much nitrogen gives lots of leaf and small roots. The leafy tops are edible, so harvest a few young leaves as you thin the seedlings.
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