Crop type: Beetroot
Beta vulgaris ‘Boltardy’
Common name: Beetroot ‘Boltardy’
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
‘Boltardy’ is an annual beetroot with an RHS Award of Garden Merit, grown for smooth, round, dark-red taproots. Its young leaves are edible too, emerging in a compact clump with green and purple colouring.
As its name suggests, the cultivar shows resistance to bolting. This makes it especially useful for early cropping and for repeated sowings through the season, when less resistant beetroot may flower prematurely instead of swelling a good root.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Time to ultimate size
- 1 year
The low, clump-forming plant reaches its full dimensions within one growing season. Its foliage remains compact above the rounded edible root.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Chalk, clay, loam and sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline or neutral
‘Boltardy’ accepts every soil texture and pH category listed by the profile. For best root growth, use fertile ground with free drainage and enough retained moisture to prevent growth checks.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- South- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H3 — hardy in coastal and relatively mild areas of the UK, though normally completed and harvested as an annual crop
Choose a sheltered position in full sun. The H3 rating reflects some cool-weather tolerance, while the cultivar’s bolting resistance makes it more dependable for early sowing than many beetroots.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
| Season | Flowers | Foliage | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | — | Green and purple | — |
| Summer | — | Green and purple | — |
| Autumn | — | Green and purple | — |
| Winter | — | — | — |
Green-purple foliage is listed from spring through autumn. Below the leaves, the rounded dark-red taproot supplies the cultivar’s edible crop and principal identifying feature. An em dash indicates that the profile supplies no colour 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 forming basal leaf rosettes and thick, fleshy roots. Its cultivated food crops include beetroot, chard and sugar beet alongside a range of wild species.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Grow ‘Boltardy’ in fertile, freely drained soil in full sun. Sow at fortnightly intervals from March to July so roots mature in succession. Keep moisture reasonably even to support smooth root development while avoiding waterlogged conditions.
Propagation
Propagate from seed. Direct sowing suits the developing taproot and avoids unnecessary disturbance.
Pruning
No pruning is required. Young leaves may be harvested for eating, provided enough foliage remains to support the swelling root.
Pests
The profile lists possible susceptibility to aphids, flea beetles, cutworm and beet leaf miner. Inspect seedlings and leaves for severed young stems, feeding holes, sap-feeding colonies and pale mines within leaf tissue.
Diseases
‘Boltardy’ may be susceptible to downy mildews, beetroot heart rot, black leg, leaf spot and boron deficiency. Its resistance to bolting does not imply resistance to these separate physiological and disease problems.