Sugar Beet

Sugar Beet is an heirloom root crop grown for its exceptionally high natural sugar content, producing a large, white, tapered root that can reach up to a foot long and weigh 3 to 5 pounds. Maturing in roughly 90 to 100 days, it is a cool-season favorite for home sugar production and livestock feed, and it stands up well to frost.

At a glance

• Type: heirloom, open-pollinated root vegetable
• Non-GMO
• Days to maturity: 90 to 100
• Root: white, tapered, up to 12 inches long, 3 to 5 lbs
• Tops: edible greens reaching 1 to 2 feet tall
• Sun: full sun
• Cold tolerance: very frost tolerant

Best for

• Home sugar and syrup production
• Livestock and animal feed
• Cool-season and fall gardens
• Edible beet greens
• Self-sufficiency and homestead plots

How to grow

Direct sow in full sun once soil can be worked, planting seeds about half an inch deep and thinning to 4 to 6 inches apart in rows. Keep soil evenly moist for steady root development and harvest after 90 to 100 days. The frost tolerance of this variety lets it stay in the ground into cool fall weather.

Flavor profile

Roots are mild and notably sweet thanks to their high sugar content, while the tender tops taste similar to chard and can be lightly grazed or cooked.

About MIgardener

MIgardener is a Michigan-based family company offering affordable heirloom and non-GMO seeds to help home gardeners grow more for less.