Beetroot Cylindra

Cylindra is the most practical beetroot for the home garden – a variety you understand the first time you prepare it in the kitchen. What makes Cylindra special? The shape. The cylindrical roots, 15–20 cm long, can be cut into perfectly even slices – ideal for pickling in jars, for roasted vegetables and carpaccio, with far less waste than round varieties. The flesh is tender, deep red and keeps its intense colour when cooked. Cylindra is practical in the bed too: the roots grow partly above ground, making harvesting especially easy – simply pull instead of dig. The slender shape also yields more from the same bed area than round roots. Bonus: the young leaves make delicious, chard-like baby greens for salads. Sow directly into deeply loosened soil from mid-April; thin the seed clusters afterwards. The roots store well and keep you supplied into winter. Who is this variety for? Anyone who regularly pickles or preserves beetroot, practical gardeners – and anyone who wants to use everything from leaf to root. Open-pollinated, so you can save your own seed.