Cylindrical beetroot – even slices from top to bottom. Cylindra is an early beetroot variety with long, cylindrical roots and intensely red, uniformly coloured flesh without light rings. Its cylindrical shape means more beetroots from the same bed and identical slices for jars, while its high sugar and betanin content provides a deep, sweet flavour. Ideal for eating fresh, preserving and winter storage.

At a glance

• Type: early variety, cylindrical roots
• Roots: cylindrical, 15–20 cm long, dark red flesh without rings
• Sowing outdoors: mid-April – end of June
• Harvest: July – October
• Position: sunny, fertile, not too heavy soil
• Difficulty: very easy – a vegetable for beginners
• Seeds per pack: approx. 1,300 seed clusters (25 g)

What makes this variety stand out

Cylindra is a Danish variety whose shape changed the way people think about beetroot: instead of a sphere, it produces a smooth cylinder 15–20 cm long and 5–6 cm in diameter, partly protruding above the soil. The roots grow close together without interfering with one another, so you can harvest significantly more per metre of row than with round varieties. Its small leaf rosette makes dense cultivation and weeding easier.

The flesh is dark red and fine-grained, without lighter rings, with a high dry-matter, sugar and betanin content – ideal for horseradish beetroot, juices and pickles, where colour and sweetness matter. The variety is early, but sowing from mid-May to the end of June produces firm, well-storing roots for an autumn and winter harvest.

Step-by-step cultivation

Sowing (mid-April – end of June, directly outdoors): sow the seeds (clusters from which several seedlings emerge) in rows 30–40 cm apart, every 3–5 cm within the row, at a depth of 2–3 cm. The soil should be at least 8–10°C; seedlings emerge after 10–14 days. For an autumn and winter harvest, sow from mid-May to the end of June.

Thinning: when the seedlings have 2–3 leaves, thin them so that the plants are 8–10 cm apart. The young beetroots you pull out, including their leaves, are suitable for salads and beet greens – nothing goes to waste.

Cultivation: beetroot prefers fertile, deeply cultivated, not-too-heavy soil, ideally in the second year after manure (fresh manure causes the roots to fork). A near-neutral pH of around 6.5–7 is best; on acidic soils, liming in autumn is recommended. It does not tolerate shade.

Care and harvest: weed regularly and water during dry spells – even moisture produces smooth roots that do not become woody. Harvest for immediate use from July; for storage, dig up the beetroots in October, before severe frosts, twist off the leaves and store them in a cellar in damp sand at 1–4°C.

Uses

Cylindra is a beetroot for preserving par excellence: even slices for jars, horseradish beetroot, pickled beetroot, beet kvass and borscht with a deep colour. It is also excellent raw (juice, carpaccio, salads), roasted whole and for storage throughout the winter. The young leaves can be used as beet greens. In the vegetable garden, it grows well alongside onions, lettuce, dill and dwarf beans.

Gardener’s tip

Specifications