How to Grow Mangelwurzels UK

When to Plant Mangelwurzels in the UK

When to plant mangelwurzels in the UK: in Southern England, sow mid February to late May. Find your area in the table below.

Region	Sow
Southern England	mid February to late May
Midlands	mid February to late May
Northern England	mid February to late May
Scotland	mid February to late May

Southern England - detail & sources

She Grows Veg: sow undercover mid-February to May, with no UK-region-specific dates given; this window is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the source does not support.

Midlands - detail & sources

She Grows Veg: sow undercover mid-February to May, with no UK-region-specific dates given; this window is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the source does not support.

Northern England - detail & sources

She Grows Veg: sow undercover mid-February to May, with no UK-region-specific dates given; this window is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the source does not support.

Scotland - detail & sources

She Grows Veg: sow undercover mid-February to May, with no UK-region-specific dates given; this window is applied across all four sub-regions rather than inventing a north/south gradient the source does not support.

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Soil texture	tolerant of most garden soils (She Grows Veg)
Drainage	well-drained
Lifecycle	biennial
Edible parts	root, leaves

At a Glance

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: mulch to retain moisture in free-draining soil or hot summers (She Grows Veg)

Growth Stages

Stage	BBCH	Notes
Sowing	0	Sow undercover mid-February to May in modules, one seed per module, or direct sow 2cm deep; germination can take two weeks or more (She Grows Veg).
Transplanting	1	Plant out with a dibber 30cm apart once transplants reach 6-8cm tall (She Grows Veg).
Root swelling (largely above ground)	4	Roots swell to a large size, sitting up to two-thirds above the soil surface, unlike buried sugar or intermediate varieties (Wikipedia).
Autumn harvest	8	Harvest from autumn onwards, before deep winter cold and hard frosts damage the roots (She Grows Veg).

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Harvest from autumn onwards; hard frosts can damage roots, so gather in before deep winter cold. Roots especially tender picked small, but larger roots (up to 5-20lb) are delicious too (She Grows Veg, Wikipedia).

Diseases

Rhizomania ("root madness")

moderate

Likely rather than confirmed: no source names this crop directly, but it shares a species (Beta vulgaris) with Sugar Beet, which lists this disease.

Pests

Sparrows

moderate

Passer domesticus

She Grows Veg names this directly: sparrows adore young mangelwurzel leaves.

Slugs

moderate

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

She Grows Veg names this directly: young seedlings vulnerable to slugs.

Mangelwurzel, the Ancestor of Sugar Beet

Sitting mostly above ground

Unlike sugar or intermediate varieties, mangelwurzel roots sit up to two-thirds above the soil surface rather than buried.

The crop Sugar Beet was bred from

Sugar Beet was bred FROM mangelwurzel stock in the 1800s, not the other way round -- mangelwurzel is historically prior.

Roots up to 20lb

Individual roots often weigh 5-20lb under good conditions -- far larger than typical garden beets or Sugar Beet.

Grown mainly as livestock feed

Mangelwurzel, also called mangold or fodder beet, is grown mainly as succulent feed for livestock, though it has also become a popular garden vegetable.

Both root and leaves are edible

Roots are especially tender picked small, delicious roasted, boiled, or in soups; leaves can be used just as you would spinach or chard.

References

1. Grit (rural living and small-farm magazine) - Growing Mangel-Wurzels

   Documented in European fields by the mid-16th century; fell out of favour in the 20th century as mechanisation favoured grain crops instead. Sow around the average last frost date: cultivate 2-3in deep to loosen the soil and kill weeds, sow seed every 6in in rows about 2ft apart, then thin seedlings to one every 12-18in -- generous spacing matters because the roots grow very large. Tolerates adverse conditions, thrives in moist cool climates, is drought-tolerant, and copes with clay soil without special amendment, though it appreciates good fertility. A 100ft row can yield 1,000lb of roots, individual roots exceeding 20lb in good conditions. FEW PESTS: small rodents, rabbits and deer may nibble the leaves but rarely do serious damage. Harvest before the first killing frost; cure the lifted roots in the garden for a few days to a couple of weeks, then store in a root cellar or an earthed-over straw mound, where they keep through winter into spring.

2. She Grows Veg - Marvellous Mangelwurzels: All You Need To Know

   A secondary gardening reference rather than a university or horticultural authority, used as the primary source as no RHS or equivalent authority growing profile exists for this heritage fodder crop, explicitly disclosed. A dual-purpose Beta vulgaris root crop producing both edible roots and chard-like leaves. Roots are especially tender picked small, but larger roots are delicious too -- roasted, boiled, in soups or curries; leaves used as you would spinach or chard. Mulching recommended in free-draining soil or hot summers to retain moisture. Sow undercover mid-February to May in 3-4cm modules, one seed per module, planted out with a dibber 30cm apart once transplants reach 6-8cm tall; or direct sow 2cm deep, 30cm apart. Germination can take two weeks or more. Harvest from autumn onwards; hard frosts can damage roots, so best gathered in before deep winter cold. Young seedlings vulnerable to slugs and sparrows, which particularly favour young mangelwurzel leaves.

3. Wikipedia - Mangelwurzel

   Historical/agronomic detail, cross-checked against horticultural sources. Mangelwurzel, also called mangold or fodder beet, is a distinct Beta vulgaris type from which sugar beet was later derived in continental Europe during the 1800s, as sugar cane was subject to English blockades during the Napoleonic wars -- historically prior to, not derived from, sugar beet. Grown mainly as succulent livestock feed, though also popular as a garden vegetable, both root and leaves edible. Roots are notably large, often growing much larger than typical garden beets, individual roots weighing 5-20 pounds under good conditions, and are less deeply buried in the soil (up to two-thirds above ground) than sugar or intermediate fodder-sugar varieties.

3 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.