🟣 Beetroot
Roots and leaves both edible — a gem-red two-for-one.
What the numbers mean
These are the actual parameters this game runs on. Growth is driven by growing degree days: each day contributes max(0, min(mean temp, 28) − 4), and Beetroot is ready when that total reaches 700. That is why the same seed takes a very different number of days in Dublin and in Guangzhou.
| Base temperature | 4°CBelow this, the plant accumulates no growing degree days at all. |
|---|---|
| Degree days to maturity | 700 °C·dThe heat budget it must accumulate before it is ready to pick. |
| Comfortable range | 7–26°CWhere it grows without stress. |
| Frost damage below | -4°CLeaves start taking frost damage below this low. |
| Killed below | -9°CBelow this it does not come back. |
| Heat stress above | 29°CAbove this the plant slows down and stops setting fruit well. |
| Typical time to harvest | 55–70 days |
| Yield per bed | 10 beets |
Things worth knowing
- Each beet "seed" is actually a fruit cluster hiding 2–5 true seeds — that's why they sprout in clumps.
- Betalain pigments pass through the body unchanged — don't be alarmed after eating beets.
Where and when to sow Beetroot
Pick your city to see the months when Beetroot scores well against that city's real climate records: