Beta vulgaris 'Cheltenham Green Top'

RHS Plant Profile

beetroot 'Cheltenham Green Top'

Annual Biennial

An annual vegetable, grown for its edible root. Cheltenham Green Top produces an elongated, tapered taproot with excellent flavour and strong foliage growth easy for lifting. Young leaves can also be eaten.

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Sand, Loam, Chalk, Clay

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1 year
Max Spread: 0.5-1 metres
Max Height: 0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Sand Loam Chalk Clay

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH: Acid or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H3

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Amaranthaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Beta can be annual, biennial or perennial plants, often with rosettes of basal leaves and thick, fleshy roots. The genus includes a range of wild species, as well as cultivated food crops such as beetroot, chard and sugar beet
Name Status: Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, free-draining soil in full sun. Sow at fortnightly intervals from March to July for a successional harvest. See RHS Grow Your Own Beetroot Guide

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, flea beetles and mangold fly (beet leaf miner)

Diseases

May be susceptible to beetroot heart rot, black leg and leaf spot