Variety field guide
What to expect from Bull's Blood
Bull's Blood is a biennial beet selection grown for roots, edible tops, roasting, pickling, and seed saving.
Read the complete product descriptionTraits, flavor, garden use, variety notes, and the full catalog record
Bull’s Blood Beet seeds produce a striking heirloom beet cherished for its deep burgundy foliage, smooth round roots, and rich earthy flavor. Gardeners prize Bull’s Blood Beet seeds for their dual-purpose beauty and usefulness, since the vibrant leaves bring dramatic color to garden beds while the roots offer dependable harvests for roasting, pickling, and fresh cooking. Bull’s Blood Beet seeds are an excellent choice for growers who want a variety that is as ornamental as it is productive, combining visual appeal with strong culinary value.
About Bull's Blood
Bull's Blood is a biennial selection of beet, with an upright/erect habit and an expected height or spread of 13–18 in. It is best suited to roots, edible tops, roasting, pickling, and seed saving. Notable traits include red coloring; harvest roots at the cultivar-appropriate market size and use young tops as greens; earthy to sweet; young tops are mild and tender.
Gardeners comparing named strains should evaluate Bull's Blood for uniformity, flavor, timing, and plant form rather than assuming another beet will perform identically.
History and provenance
Beets and chard are cultivated forms of Beta vulgaris, selected from sea-beet relatives for enlarged roots, tender leaves, or colorful stalks. Root beet, mangel, sugar beet, and chard share a species-level crossing relationship, which matters when saving seed. Bull’s Blood Beet is an heirloom beet long valued for its unusually deep red foliage, richly colored roots, and strong dual-purpose usefulness in both the garden and the kitchen. Unlike many beets grown primarily for root production alone, Bull’s Blood Beet has been preserved in part because of its striking top growth, which makes it stand out visually even before the roots are harvested. That ornamental quality, combined with dependable edible value, helped this variety remain in cultivation among gardeners who appreciated crops that could serve more than one purpose at once. It is part of a long tradition of beets selected not only for storage or field use, but also for beauty, tenderness, color, and household usefulness across the season. The larger history of beet cultivation reaches back to the Mediterranean Basin, where ancestral forms of beet were known and gradually brought further into cultivation for their leaves first and, over time, for their enlarged roots as well. Bull’s Blood is especially valued for dark foliage as well as roots, so leaf color belongs in the description without replacing root-harvest guidance. For gardeners, cooks, and seed savers alike, Bull’s Blood Beet seeds offer heirloom reliability, edible beauty, and a memorable harvest that stands out from ordinary beets.
Growing facts
| Scientific name | Beta vulgaris L. subsp. vulgaris |
|---|---|
| Life cycle | Biennial |
| Maturity | 50-59 Days |
| Germination | 5-10 Days at 50–65 °F |
| Seed depth | 1/2 in |
| Plant height / spread | 13–18 in |
| Growth habit | Upright/Erect |
| Spacing | 3 in between plants; 18 in between rows |
| Sunlight | Full sun |
| Soil | Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5 |
| Water | Moderate |
| Support | No-Support |
Starting Bull's Blood from seed
Sow 1/2 in deep and keep the seed zone evenly moist. Expect emergence in 5-10 Days when the seed-zone temperature is near 50–65 °F. Germination preparation: Direct sow into a prepared, weed-free seedbed; avoid disturbing developing roots or dense stands. Light requirement: Cover evenly to 1/2 in. Soaking: None required. Stratification: None required. Scarification: None required.
Planting and care
Plant during spring/Fall and provide full sun. Space plants 3 in apart with 18 in between rows. Use loamy with a pH near 6.0–6.5, and follow a moderate watering plan. Support requirement: No-Support. Frost response: Semi-Hardy. Good container fit with drainage, even moisture, and the listed spacing
Harvest and use
Approximately 50-59 Days, from direct sowing to market-size roots or harvestable tops. Weather, soil temperature, and planting method can shift the actual harvest date. Harvest: Harvest roots at the cultivar-appropriate market size and use young tops as greens. Uses: Roots, edible tops, roasting, pickling, and seed saving. Flavor: earthy to sweet; young tops are mild and tender. Seed saving: Wind-pollinated biennial. Best uses include roots, edible tops, roasting, pickling, and seed saving. Flavor and eating quality: earthy to sweet; young tops are mild and tender.
Saving seed
Select several healthy, true-to-type Bull's Blood plants that match the expected upright/erect habit and overall plant form. Avoid saving seed only from the earliest or largest individual unless that is your deliberate selection goal. Pollination system: Wind-pollinated biennial. Crosses readily with compatible Beta vulgaris beets and chard. Separate compatible varieties that may flower together, or use cages, barriers, hand pollination, or another documented control appropriate to the crop. Bull's Blood is a biennial. Seed production may require overwintering, vernalization, or more than one growing season, depending on climate and crop biology. Clean the seed carefully, dry it thoroughly away from direct heat, label the lot with variety and year, and store it cool, dark, and dry. Test germination before an important planting or distribution season.
Common problems
Common concerns: Leaf miners, aphids, flea beetles, damping-off, Cercospora or other leaf spots, and root problems in waterlogged soil. Management: Rotate crop families, remove badly affected leaves, improve airflow, and keep the root zone moist but not saturated. Diagnosis note: Similar symptoms can have different causes. Compare plants of the same age, record weather and irrigation, and use local Extension or diagnostic support before applying a control.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions - Bull's Blood
When is Bull's Blood ready? Use 50-59 Days. Approximately 50-59 Days, from direct sowing to market-size roots or harvestable tops. Weather, soil temperature, and planting method can shift the actual harvest date.
How long does germination take? Expect 5-10 Days at about 50–65 °F. Cooler, hotter, crusted, saturated, or dry seedbeds can slow emergence.
How large does it grow? Expect about 13–18 in with an upright/erect habit. Space plants 3 in apart and rows 18 in apart. Support: No-Support.
Can it grow in a container? Good container fit with drainage, even moisture, and the listed spacing Use a container with drainage and enough volume to maintain the listed spacing and steady moisture.
Can I save seed? Wind-pollinated biennial. Keep compatible varieties isolated and allow selected plants to reach full seed maturity.
