How to Grow Mangelwurzels USA

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Mangelwurzel (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Crassa G...
  2. At a Glance
  3. Quick Facts
  4. Soil & Growing Conditions
  5. Growth Stages
  6. Harvest & Storage
  7. Diseases
  8. Pests
  9. Plan your Mangelwurzels planting
  10. Growing Mangelwurzel in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Mangelwurzels (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Crassa Group)) — biennial.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Mangelwurzel (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Crassa Group))

A mangelwurzel plant with its orange root visible above the soil — “Futterrüben” by Karbohut is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

3 sources cited · Verified

At a Glance

A mangelwurzel plant with its orange root visible above the soil
A mangelwurzel plant with its orange root visible above the soil. Photo by Karbohut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Beta vulgaris subsp. vu… Mangelwurzel Rhizomania ("root madne… Sparrows Slugs DISEASES PESTS

Quick Facts

A large pile of harvested mangelwurzel roots in a field
A large pile of harvested mangelwurzel roots in a field. Photo by Karbohut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Factor Value
Soil texture tolerant of most garden soils (She Grows Veg)
Drainage well-drained
Lifecycle biennial
Edible parts root, leaves

Soil & Growing Conditions

A mangelwurzel plant with its orange root visible above the soil
A mangelwurzel plant with its orange root visible above the soil. Photo by Karbohut, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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

Growth Stages

A tractor-drawn machine harvesting mangelwurzel in a field
A tractor-drawn machine harvesting mangelwurzel in a field. Photo: “Loading Fodder Beet - geograph.org.uk - 3774273” by James T M Towill, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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

A large mangelwurzel root pulled from the ground with leaves attached
A large mangelwurzel root pulled from the ground with leaves attached. Photo: “Fodder beet (20043293272)” by stanze from Eure, France, Normandie,, CC BY-SA 2.0.

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

A large pile of harvested mangelwurzel roots in a field
A large pile of harvested mangelwurzel roots in a field. Photo by Karbohut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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

Colourful mangelwurzel foliage growing in a field
Colourful mangelwurzel foliage growing in a field. Photo by Karbohut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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.

Plan your Mangelwurzels planting

When to sow and plant Mangelwurzels depends on your own frost dates. Check the USA vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Mangelwurzel in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

The full list of 3 sources behind this guide (Grit (rural living and small-farm magazine), She Grows Veg, Wikipedia) is in the references of our UK guide to mangelwurzels; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What problems affect mangelwurzels?

Our data links 1 disease and 2 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.

Get the USA Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Written for US growing conditions

SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

Vegetable Growing Guides USA

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Last verified 2026-09-03

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