{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "record_type": "plant",
  "slug": "beetroot",
  "common_name": "Beetroot (beet)",
  "botanical_name": "Beta vulgaris",
  "family": "Amaranthaceae",
  "summary": "Beetroot, called beet in North America, is a compact dual-purpose crop grown for sweet swollen roots and edible leaves.",
  "categories": [
    "root vegetable",
    "leaf vegetable",
    "cool-season crop"
  ],
  "growth_habits": [
    "rosette",
    "taproot"
  ],
  "lifecycle": "Biennial usually grown as an annual",
  "difficulty": "Easy",
  "requirements": {
    "light": {
      "minimum_direct_sun_hours": 6,
      "preferred_direct_sun_hours": 8
    },
    "soil_ph": {
      "minimum": 6.0,
      "maximum": 7.5
    },
    "container": {
      "minimum_volume_litres": 15,
      "minimum_diameter_cm": 30,
      "plants_per_container": 9
    },
    "spacing": {
      "minimum_cm": 8,
      "maximum_cm": 10
    },
    "planting_out": {
      "minimum_reliable_temperature_c": 5,
      "frost_tolerant": true,
      "label": "Sow outside",
      "note": "Use bolt-resistant varieties for the earliest sowings."
    },
    "harvest": {
      "typical_uk_months": [
        "June",
        "October"
      ]
    }
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "rhs-growing-beetroot",
      "publisher": "Royal Horticultural Society",
      "url": "https://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/beetroot/grow-your-own",
      "supports": [
        "types",
        "sowing",
        "spacing",
        "containers",
        "care",
        "harvest"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "umn-crop-planning",
      "publisher": "University of Minnesota Extension",
      "url": "https://extension.umn.edu/vegetable-growing-guides-farmers/crop-and-field-planning-tools-vegetable-farmers",
      "supports": [
        "spacing",
        "maturity",
        "frost_tolerance",
        "harvest_window"
      ]
    }
  ]
}