Beetroot 'Rainbow Mix' | The Big Veg

Name: Beetroot 'Rainbow Mix' | The Big Veg
Brand: Laura Florals
SKU: BRM005
Price: 15.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

Four fresh beetroot varieties arranged on a wooden chopping board with handwritten tags reading Detroit Red Beet, Chioggia Beet, White Albino Beet, and Golden Beet. The beetroots are shown whole and halved to reveal their distinct flesh colours, with green tops and a bowl of roasted beet slices in the background. Grown from a Laura Florals seed planting kit.

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Beetroot 'Rainbow Mix' | The Big Veg

£15.99 GBP £22.99 GBP

Deep red · Golden · Candy-striped · White

Beetroot, but make it a disco. This is a mix of four colourful varieties — deep-red Detroit Red, the barber's-pole pink-and-white rings of Chioggia, sunny orange-gold Golden, and a pure-white White Albino. All from one kit, on a balcony, patio or a decent-sized tub by the back door. No garden, no allotment, no clue required. That's rather the point.

If you think you hate beetroot, you've probably only met the sad vinegary stuff from a jar. Home-grown and roasted, it's sweet, nutty and nothing like it.

And here's the zero-waste bonus: the leaves are edible too — the young ones are brilliant wilted like spinach or thrown raw into a salad, colourful stems and all. One packet, two crops.

Beetroot is also a genuinely good place to start if you're new to this. It's tough, it's forgiving, and it gives you something back — the kind of first win that turns "I kill everything" into "hang on, I grew that."

What's in your kit

Seeds — 50 Beetroot 'Rainbow Mix' seeds
Seaweed meal — a gentle, slow-release feed that wakes up the soil
Wool pellets — they hold onto water and help keep the compost's moisture steady, so you're not swinging between bone-dry and drenched (those swings are what split and toughen the roots)
Fibre pots for seed starting
Bamboo plant labels
A plain English grow guide

Two things we deliberately don't include: a planter and compost. Up-cycle a container you already own — but for beetroot, go a bit deeper than you would for herbs so the roots have room to swell (a decent bucket or deep tub is ideal). Grab a bag of peat-free compost locally. It keeps the kit lighter, cheaper and kinder to the planet. Whatever you use, poke drainage holes in the bottom.

Why choose this grow kit?

Four colours in one lucky dip — candy-stripe, gold, white and deep red
Two crops in one: sweet roots and edible leaves
A forgiving first veg — tough, beginner-friendly, happy in a deep pot or bucket
Plastic-free — and posted plastic-free too
Every kit funds living wage jobs and horticultural training in Ayrshire

The bit that matters most

Every Grow Box funds living wage jobs and horticultural training right here in Ayrshire, for people overcoming homelessness. So your beetroot does a bit more than feed you.

Ships plastic-free to mainland GB.

Gardening, minus the gatekeeping.

Have a grow. Laura x

FAQs

Is this beetroot grow kit suitable for beginners?
Yes — beetroot is one of the most forgiving crops to start with. It's tough, quick to reward you, and grows happily in a container with no garden needed — a great first veg for anyone new to growing.

Can I grow beetroot in a pot or container?
Yes — beetroot does well in a deep pot or upcycled bucket. Use one 20–30cm (8–12in) deep with drainage holes so the roots have room to swell, in a spot with full sun or part shade.

What do I need to supply myself?
Just peat-free compost and a deep container with drainage holes. The kit provides the seeds, natural soil feeds (seaweed meal and wool pellets), fibre pots for starting your seeds indoors, bamboo plant labels and a plain-English grow guide. We leave out the planter and compost on purpose, to keep the kit lighter and greener.

Is the packaging plastic-free?
Yes — the kit is plastic-free, and we post it plastic-free too.

Where do you deliver?
We ship across mainland Great Britain. We can't post seeds or planting material to Northern Ireland — that's a Royal Mail restriction on sending seeds, not our choice.

Grow Guide

Beetroot is one of the friendliest things to start with — it's happy sown straight into the soil, no special kit required.

When: sow indoors from February to July, or outdoors in pots from May to July, once the soil feels warm rather than cold (beetroot likes to germinate at around 15°C or above). In Scotland, we run about 2–3 weeks behind — so don't panic if you're still getting some frost in May. Waiting for warmth also helps dodge bolting (going to seed) later on.

Where: a deep container (20cm/8in to 30cm/12in) with drainage holes, in a spot in full sun or part shade — beetroot is happy with a bit of shade, handy if your sunniest spot's already taken. Roots need room to swell, so depth matters more than width. In a garden bed, rake out any stones first, or the roots may fork around them.

Before you sow: pop the seeds in water for up to an hour. Each beetroot "seed" is a tough little cluster with a corky coat, and a quick soak softens it and helps them get going.

How deep: sow thinly, about 1.5–2cm deep. In a pot, space the clusters about 10cm apart. Sowing in rows in a bed? Space the rows around 30cm apart.

Seedlings — good news, less faff: beetroot often comes up in little clusters, so seedlings appear bunched together. Don't worry about separating them — let the clump grow together, and as the roots swell they'll gently nudge each other apart. You harvest the biggest one first, which frees up space for its neighbours to carry on. No thinning, no wasted seedlings.

Want a steady supply rather than a glut? Sow a short batch every few weeks instead of all at once.

Want a head start? (optional) If you'd like beetroot a few weeks earlier — or slugs are a menace and you'd rather set out sturdier plants — you can start some indoors from February.

Sow 1 to 3 seed clusters, 1.5–2cm deep, into each of the biodegradable fibre pots from your kit. Keep them somewhere warm (around 15–20°C) until they sprout, then move them somewhere bright and a little cooler — a windowsill is ideal.

Once they have 3 to 4 true leaves and the weather's kind — from mid-to-late May in Scotland — harden them off first. That just means letting them get used to the outdoors gradually: pop them out during the day for a week or so, bring them in at night, a little longer outdoors each day. Don't leave them in the fibre pots too long, or the roots get cramped.

Then plant the whole fibre pot straight into its final container or bed, pot and all. The pot breaks down in the soil, so the roots are never disturbed — which beetroot much prefers. Wait for warmer soil rather than rushing them out into the cold, or they may bolt (rush to flower) later on.

Honest truth: beetroot is a light feeder. It does more with less, and the quickest way to end up with lots of leaf and a disappointing root is to overfeed it.

Watering is the part that actually matters. Beetroot wants steady, even moisture — the classic slip-up is letting it dry right out then drowning it, and it's those swings that split the roots or turn them woody. Check daily in warm spells: finger in the compost, water if it's dry a knuckle down. It's the steady, no-drama watering — not the size you pull them at — that's the real secret to tender, un-woody beets.

Wool pellets — before you sow or plant out. Mix the wool pellets into the compost first. They soak up water and release it slowly, which helps keep that moisture steady.

Feeding? Barely needed. Fresh compost carries beetroot a long way. 6 weeks after sowing (or after planting out), sprinkle a heaped teaspoon of seaweed meal around each pot and water it in. There's enough in your kit for three sowings.

Start pulling from around golf-ball size — usually a couple of months after sowing. No need to wait: small "baby beets" are tender and lovely, or let them size up. Just don't leave them too long or they turn woody. You can keep harvesting right through to October.

To harvest, ease the whole plant up by the base of the leaves rather than yanking the tops.

Two things worth knowing:
The leaves are edible — treat the colourful stems and young leaves like chard. Wilt them, don't waste them.
It's a rainbow mix, so the real payoff is slicing one open: candy-stripe (Chioggia), gold, white and deep red. Save that for a photo — we love seeing them.

There's a particular kind of magic in pulling your very first beetroot — the moment the soil gives way and there it is, something you actually grew. That's the whole point of this: real food, from your doorstep, on your plate.

None of these mean you've failed — it's just beetroot telling you something.

Loads of leaf, tiny roots: too rich or too crowded. Ease off feeding, and harvest the bigger ones to allow space for the others.
Woody or split roots: watering swung from bone-dry to soaked. Aim for steady moisture (the wool pellets help).
Patchy or no germination: usually too dry, sown too deep, or simply too early for Scottish soil. Keep the surface damp, and give it time.
Sudden flower spike (bolting): often a cold snap or stress after sowing. Sowing at the right time for up here — not too early — is your best guard.

Stuck on something that's not listed? Message us. That's genuinely what we're here for. :-)

New to this? Here's what's true for every kit we sell.

Compost — you supply your own peat-free compost. Any good bag will do. We don't include it (it's heavy, and you may already have some).

Container — almost anything with drainage holes works: an upcycled bucket, a trough, a big pot. No holes means waterlogged roots, so make some if there aren't any. We don't send a planter on purpose — growing in what you've already got is cheaper and greener.

Light — most things want a bright spot: a sunny windowsill, or outside once the weather's kind. Each guide tells you what that plant prefers.

Gardening, minus the gatekeeping. If a step ever reads like jargon, that's on us, not you.

Every Laura Florals kit is built around what your plant actually needs. Your beetroot growing kit contains:

Your Beetroot 'Rainbow Mix' seeds
Seaweed meal — a natural, gentle, slow-release all-round feed
Wool pellets — to hold moisture
Fibre pots for starting seeds indoors
Bamboo plant labels
A plain-English grow guide

What you supply: peat-free compost, and a container with drainage holes. Try upcycling a container!

Everything ships plastic-free. We can only post seeds and planting material to mainland Great Britain — sorry, Northern Ireland, that's a Royal Mail rule, not ours.

We will work quickly to ship your order as soon as possible. Once your order has shipped, you will receive an email with further information. Delivery times vary depending on your location.

Our goal is for every customer to be totally satisfied with their purchase. If this isn't the case, let us know and we'll do our best to work with you to make it right.