Crop type: Beetroot
Beta vulgaris ‘Pablo’
Common name: Beetroot ‘Pablo’
Crop slug: beetroot
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile. Check the source and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Pablo’ is an RHS Award of Garden Merit beetroot cultivar valued for excellent-quality, smooth-skinned, round roots with dark red skin. It offers two useful harvest stages: lift the roots young as succulent, sweet baby beets, or leave them to mature for storing over winter.
The RHS profile gives a June-to-October harvest period. Its compact, clump-forming growth and classic globe-shaped roots make it suitable for succession sowing where gardeners want both tender early crops and larger roots for later use.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Time to ultimate size
- 1 year
‘Pablo’ reaches its full listed size in one year. Both height and spread fall within the same compact range, reflecting a low rosette of leaves above the developing round root.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Loam and sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained
- Soil pH
- Neutral or alkaline
Choose fertile loam or sandy soil that drains freely while retaining enough moisture for even root growth. The profile specifies neutral and alkaline conditions; steady watering helps the smooth, rounded roots develop without abrupt checks.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- South- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H3 — hardy in coastal and relatively mild UK districts, although normally grown and harvested as an annual vegetable
Site ‘Pablo’ in full sun in a sheltered, south- or west-facing bed. The RHS gives it an H3 hardiness rating, but its edible roots are produced within one growing season and harvested from summer into autumn.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
| Season | Flowers | Foliage | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | — | Green and purple | — |
| Summer | — | Green and purple | — |
| Autumn | — | Green and purple | — |
| Winter | — | — | — |
Green and purple foliage is listed through spring, summer and autumn. Below ground, the smooth dark-red skin and round form distinguish the harvest. An em dash means that no colour is supplied for that field and season.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Clump-forming
- Name status
- Accepted
Genus
Beta includes annual, biennial and perennial plants, often with rosettes of basal leaves and thick, fleshy roots. The genus contains wild species as well as food crops such as beetroot, chard and sugar beet.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Sow directly from March to July in drills 2.5cm deep, lightly cover with soil, then thin seedlings to 10cm apart. Harvest selected roots young for sweet baby beets or allow later plants to mature for winter storage.
Propagation
Propagate by seed. Direct sowing allows the root to develop in its final position without transplant disturbance.
Pruning
No pruning is required. Keep enough healthy foliage on each plant to support the swelling root until the chosen harvest stage.
Pests
The profile lists possible susceptibility to aphids, flea beetles and mangold fly, also called beet leaf miner. Inspect leaves for colonies, small feeding holes and pale mines.
Diseases
‘Pablo’ may be susceptible to beetroot heart rot, black leg and leaf spot. Use suitable soil, avoid prolonged waterlogging and monitor leaves and roots during the growing season.