Australia's tinned beetroot shortage is a reminder you can grow this vegie at home - here's how

If you've been in the canned vegie aisle of your supermarket recently you may have noticed the shelves for tinned beetroot looking a little bare.

That's because the New Zealand beetroot crops that supply some brands of tinned beetroot were impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023.

While the tinned beetroot shortage isn't expected to last long, it's a reminder that the vegetable is one we can grow in our own backyards.

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And according to gardening expert Trevor Cochrane, it's actually one of the easiest vegies to grow, particularly from seed which comes in two forms: tape with seeds and seeds on their own.

"Tape is literally like a piece of paper in a long spool and every 10 centimetres or so there's a seed in there. Each of those seeds will germinate and they are the perfect spacing," he tells 9honey Living.

"But if you just buy them as packet seeds literally all you do is run your finger through the sand in a straight line and then put the seed progressively along that line and you water it in. You don't even need to put the sand back over the top of the seed you just wet it down and the seed literally embeds itself in the surface of the soil."

Cochrane recommends using a loamy soil and avoiding potting mix, even if you are growing beetroot in pots – the only plant you'll ever hear him advise this for.

However, beetroot is such an easy grower that you can still get a good crop even without the ideal soil mix.

Choose a sunny spot, add a bit of fertiliser once a week and you'll be well on your way to having your own home grown beetroots in six to eight weeks.

You'll know your beetroots are ready to harvest when they start emerging from the soil.

The longer you leave them the bigger they'll grow, but if you like a sweeter beetroot it's better to pick them when they're smaller.

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While you could technically plant them now if you live in a cooler part of Australia, Cochrane suggests waiting until autumn.

"As soon as we get into temperatures that are below 32 degrees as far as a maximum goes, beetroot seeds are ready to be sown and you can grow beetroot quite successfully in temperatures that high or below," The Garden Gurus host says.

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"But once you're crossing over that 32 it can be a little bit hit and miss. We're probably far better to be planting as a general comment across the country in March, early April.

"If you plant in March, you'll be harvesting mid April or mid to late May."

While home grown beetroot doesn't have the same taste or association with hamburgers and sandwiches as tinned beetroot, you will find an unmatchable taste of freshness that comes with something picked moments before eating, as well as added pride that you grew it yourself.